Deferring your fees

To assist with the costs associated with undertaking study at university, you may be eligible to:

• defer your fees, through the Commonwealth Higher Education Loan Program (HELP), and
• apply for one of our USQ Scholarships.

Can I defer my fees?

The Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) is a set of loans funded by the Commonwealth Government that give access to deferred payment arrangements. The HELP scheme consists of three loans:

• HECS-HELP - available for eligible students in Commonwealth supported places, to assist them with payment of the student contribution amount.
• FEE-HELP - available for eligible students in both undergraduate or postgraduate programs who are paying full fees.
• OS-HELP - available to Commonwealth supported students to study outside Australia.
• SA-HELP - If you are an Australian citizen and eligible to access a HELP loan, you may be eligible to defer payment through the SA-HELP scheme.

How do I apply?

If you wish to defer your fees, you are required to complete a Commonwealth Assistance Form (CAF), prior to the census date of the semester you wish to start studying.

How do I repay my loan?

You need to be aware that:

• repayments for all HELP loans are based on income and are made through the taxation system, and you do not have to start repaying your HELP loan until your income reaches a government determined level
• all debts accrued under HELP will be indexed to the Consumer Price index (CPI).
• you can make voluntary repayments towards your HELP loan directly to the Australian Tax Office. If this repayment is of $500 or more, you will receive a bonus of 5% of the repayment you make. These repayments are made in addition to your compulsory repayments.

Further information

Further information about the HELP loans is available from the Study Assist website.