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FEE-HELP Balance

What is my FEE-HELP balance?

The amount of FEE-HELP loan you are able to borrow has a limit set by the government.

Your FEE-HELP balance (or HELP balance) is the amount of FEE-HELP you are still able to borrow. This is equal to the maximum loan amount set by the government minus the amount of FEE-HELP loan used for any current or previous studies (undertaken on a Full Fee paying basis) at any higher education provider in Australia since 2005.

Combined HELP limit

From 1 January 2020 onwards, any borrowing under HECS-HELP will count towards your HELP limit. The HELP limit is the maximum amount that you can borrow under HELP over your lifetime.

Any previous HECS-HELP debts will not count towards your HELP limit. Previous FEE-HELP and VET FEE-HELP debts, however, will count towards your HELP limit.

Detailed information about the combined HELP limit is available from the Study Assist website

As noted on StudyAssist.gov.au the higher FEE-HELP limit is only available to students while enrolled in the following courses:

        Doctor of Medicine
        Doctor of Dental Surgery
        Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

The lower FEE-HELP limit specified is applicable to students enrolled in ALL other courses.

A Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) is sent to you after each census date, which will indicate the amount of FEE-HELP used. Please retain these as a record of your FEE-HELP usage.

Please email sa-can@unimelb.edu.au if you wish to obtain an accurate indication of your current FEE-HELP balance.