OS-HELP
OS-HELP is a Commonwealth Government loan program that provides financial assistance to eligible students wishing to undertake part of their undergraduate degree program overseas.
In 2013 students may receive up to A$6,051 per six-month study period for one or two overseas study periods, to assist with a range of expenses such as airfares and accommodation.
Students may receive one loan per six-month study period for one or a maximum of two overseas study periods.
Who is eligible for an OS-HELP loan?
There are a number of criteria that a student must meet to be eligible for an OS-HELP loan.
Students must:
- be an Australian Citizen or the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa
- be enrolled in an undergraduate program of study at USC
- be enrolled in full-time study with an overseas higher education institution and be outside Australia while undertaking that study
- have already completed units of study to the value of at least 1 EFTSL of your USC program as a Commonwealth supported student, and
- have the overseas study count towards the program requirements for the program of study you are enrolled in at USC, and
- have, on completion of your study outside Australia, units to the value of at least 0.5 EFTSL remaining to complete the requirements of your program of study
- be selected by USC to receive an OS-HELP loan
Students must not have:
- received OS-HELP on more than one other occasion
- received another OS-HELP loan for a period that overlaps or coincides with the
six-month period
USC is allocated a number of loans each year and has developed the USC Guidelines for OS-HELP Assistance (Application and Selection Procedures) in accordance with section 118-1 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (the Act) and the associated DIISRTE – Guidelines for OS-HELP and Administrative Information for Providers (PDF 2.7MB). *
The University determines the eligibility of students applying for OS-HELP Assistance according to the USC Guidelines for OS-HELP Assistance (Application and Selection Procedures).
More information
Deadlines for submission of Applications for OS-HELP Assistance fall on the last Friday in:
- October for overseas studies commencing between January and June of the following year
- June for overseas studies commencing between July and December in the same year.
All applications must be completed and lodged with Student Administration by the above dates.
Students must complete an OS-HELP debt confirmation form when accepting an OS-HELP offer.
General information about OS-HELP is available on the Study Assist website or contact Student Administration.
* For PDF documents you must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded from the Adobe Download page.