VET STUDENT LOANS

VET Student Loans Student Entry Procedure

To be eligible to apply for a VET Student Loan, you must meet both the qualification entry and academic suitability requirements.

Qualification Entry Requirements and Academic Suitability

Each qualification has specific entry requirements that you must satisfy. These are:

The stated entry requirements for the qualification or unit/s of study. Information specific to each qualification including course structure, entry requirements (example prior qualifications, industry experience) plus course content and outcomes, fees, delivery and assessment arrangements can be found for each qualification listed on the Acknowledge Education website.
To meet academic suitability requirements, you need to:
1. Have completed Year 12 and provide Acknowledge Education with a copy of your Senior Secondary Certificate of Education awarded to you by an agency or authority of a State or Territory; OR
2. Complete an approved language, literacy and numeracy (LL&N) assessment administered by Acknowledge Education Pty Ltd and display competence at or above Exit Level 3 in the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) in both reading and numeracy; OR
3. Provide Acknowledge Education with a copy of a qualification at Level 4 or above in the Australian Qualifications Framework that was awarded to you. This qualification will be accepted if this was delivered in English.

All students seeking to enrol for study at Acknowledge Education are required to complete a Pre-training review and Language, Literacy, and Numeracy (LL&N) assessment prior to the registration for enrolment. ACER is a LL&N assessment tool approved by the Australian Government for assessing a student’s competency in reading and numeracy against the Australian Core Skills Framework. Your teaching department will provide you with your log-in details and instructions to access the ACER skills review (at the Pre-training review). The assessment may take approximately 45 minutes to complete, and a report indicating your achieved ASCF level will be available on completion. To be able to access VET Student Loans, you must demonstrate competence in the ACSF at or above Exit Level 3 (working at level 4).

The results of your LL&N test will be formally communicated to you as soon as practicable after the assessment. A copy of your LL&N test results will be retained by Acknowledge Education for at least five (5) years after you enrol and will be made available to the Australian Government on request.

Acknowledge Education Pty Ltd will use the results from the LL&N assessment to form a reasonable opinion that a student is, or is not academically suited to undertake the chosen VET qualification for study. There may be occasions where it is suggested that you undertake an alternative qualification based on these results and your career goals. Acknowledge Education will conduct this process with honesty and integrity and expects prospective students to do the same.

3. All Acknowledge Education students are required to meet with a teacher to discuss their specific needs and suitability for the qualification prior to enrolment.

VET Student Loans Eligibility

When you meet the above qualification entry criterion, you are eligible to apply for a VET Student Loans up to a capped amount in an approved at the diploma, advanced diploma, graduate certificate or graduate diploma level in the Australian Qualifications Framework offered by Acknowledge Education if you:

Have not been approached with an offer of cash, vouchers or gifts (e.g. laptops) to enrol in qualification or handed over your personal information; AND
Meet the citizen and residency eligibility requirements. Acknowledge Education will verify proof of citizenship/visa status to ensure that you:
1. are an Australian citizen who holds an Australian Passport.
  If you do not hold an Australian Passport, other evidence to demonstrate your Australian citizenship is required, This information will be advised on request; OR
2. hold a permanent humanitarian visa (resident in Australia for the duration of the unit/s of study) ; OR
3. are a qualifying New Zealand citizen who:
  - Holds a special category visa; and
  - Is a resident in Australia for at least 10 years; and
  - Was a dependent child when you were first a usually resident in Australia; and
  - Has lived in Australia for a period totalling 8 years during the last 10 years; and
  - Has lived in Australia for periods totalling 18 months in the last two years.
Have not exceeded your HELP Loan limit.
Meet the Tax File Number (TFN) requirements
Have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) or are otherwise exempt
Provide a parental/guardian consent form signed by your parent/guardian if you are under 18 years at the time of enrolment
Have read the VET Student Loans Information Booklet
Have provided the required documents to Acknowledge Education as proof of eligibility
Have submitted your Request for a VET Student Loan eCAF via the eCAF System by signing in to the Government’s eCAF System and verifying your information on or before the first census date and no less than two (2) business days after enrolling.

VET Student Loans Eligibility Tool will help you check your eligibility for a VET Student Loan and should be used as a guide only.

VET Student Loans are a debt from the Australian Government that allows you to pay tuition fees during the course of your study. Tuition fees will be reasonably apportioned across a specified number of sequential fee periods and each fee period will have one census date.

If you do not complete your Request for a VET Student Loan eCAF via the eCAF System or other permitted form by the required census date, you will not be eligible for the VET Student Loan for the unit/s of study in the qualification. You will have to wait until the next study period to re-apply. (You will need to make tuition fees payments for the unit/s of study in which you are enrolled for study).

More information for FEE HELP Limit or maximum loan amounts and loan repayments can be found at www.studyassist.gov.au.

Administrative VET Student Loans requirements:

There are other important administrative requirements that you need to be aware of when applying for VET Student Loans. Acknowledge Education will collect and verify your identity, date of birth and eligibility. Please ensure that you:

Are enrolled prior to the commencement of the qualification or unit/s of study.
Complete and submit a valid Request for a VET Student Loan eCAF prior to commencement of the qualification or unit/s of study using the Australian Government eCAF System.
You will receive an email from the Australian Government allowing you to sign into the eCAF System. You will be required to sign-in, verify your information and complete the mandatory fields prior to submission of your application for access to VET Student Loans.
You must read the VET Student Loans Information Booklet for more information before you apply for a VET Student Loan.
Have a Tax File Number or a Certificate of Application for a Tax File Number.
If you are under the age of 18, your application must be co-signed by a parent or guardian or you have received youth allowance (within the meaning of the Social Security Act 1991) on the basis that you are certified as independent
.

Once you are deemed eligible to access a VET Student Loan:

Acknowledge Education is required to provide a ‘cooling off’ period. Your request can only be processed after two (2) business days following your enrolment into the unit/s of study for the qualification.
You will receive the following:
- A VET Student Loan Statement of Covered Fees prior to the first census date of the qualification in which you are enrolled.
  This statement will include the tuition fees associated to your enrolment, tuition fees covered by the VET Student Loans up to the capped amount, the amount not covered by the VET Student Loans that must be paid by you prior to the start of your classes and census dates relevant to your enrolment
- A VET Student Loan Fee Notice 14 days prior to census date and no earlier than 42 days before the census date.
  The VET Student Loan Fee Notice will give you notice of the part of the qualification in which you have enrolled into and, a Government loan fee amount that may apply to you.

Once you have been approved with a VET Student Loan:

You will also receive a Commonwealth Assistance Notice within 28 dates from the Census date for the qualification or part thereof and for which you have accessed a VET Student Loan.
You will be required to communicate your agreement to the Australian Government during the course of your study to continue to access the VET Student Loans program for payment of your tuition fees in the qualification in which you have enrolled.

Government Loan Fee Amount

A Government loan fee amount may apply to you if you are a full fee paying student. This loan fee amount is 20% and will be added to the HELP debt amount for the qualification.

Withdrawal, Refund and Re-Credit of HELP Loans

Refer to the Withdrawal, Refunds and Re-Credits of HELP Loans policy for more information on refunds and re-credits.

For information about VET Student Loans, you must read the VET Student Loans Information Booklet issued by the Australian Government.