VET Student Loans (VSL) is an Australian Government loan scheme for the Vocational Education and Training sector. Students studying approved Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas may be eligible to apply for a VSL to defer their tuition costs (up to the VSL course cap) if they do not elect to pay their tuition fees upfront.
Eligible courses are subject to VSL course caps which limit the amount able to be deferred to your VSL and are reviewed annually per government legislation.
Other fees associated with your course, or tuition fees over the VSL course cap, are to be paid via other means by the student and cannot be deferred to a VSL.
VSL debt is repayable by the student to the Government via the tax system based on their repayment income – see Paying Back Your Loan for further information. Interest is not charged on VSL debt, however indexation is added to debt older than 11 months on the 1st of June each year. Please note that VSL debt may reduce a person’s take-home wage and/or affect borrowing capacity until it is repaid.
VSL approved students are required to complete a VET Student Loan Progression Notice via the Government eCAF Portal each February, June and October to confirm their ongoing genuine student status.
You will need to satisfy citizenship eligibility and meet academic requirements prior to your admission into your chosen Diploma/Advanced Diploma course.
You may eligible for a VSL if you are:
- An Australian citizen*, or
- A permanent humanitarian visa holder who is usually resident in Australia*, or
- A pacific engagement visa holder who is usually resident in Australia*, or
- A qualifying New Zealand citizen*
AND you have also:
- Been assessed as academically suited to undertake the eligible course
- Not already accessed 100% of your lifetime HELP Loan limit
- Not already accessed 100% of your course’s VSL cap
You will be required to provide citizenship documentation (depending on yours, and possibly your parents, place and date of birth) to prove your Australian citizenship before you are invited to apply for a VSL.
Examples of documents that will be required may include either a current Australian Passport, Australian Birth Certificate, Australian Citizenship Certificate, Permanent Humanitarian Visa, Pacific Engagement Visa or New Zealand Passport/International Movement Records. We will contact you if further citizenship information is required for your application.
You will also be required to provide academic proof (Australian Year 12 certificate, International Baccalaureate Diploma OR Certificate IV or above) before admission, and have a valid Tax File Number (TFN) and Unique Student Identifier (USI).
If you are under 18 years old at the time of application, you will also be required to provide a signed VET Student Loan Parental Consent form or Centrelink proof of independence.
VET Student Loans will not be approved for students who do not meet eligibility requirements.
*To see if you are likely to meet the eligibility requirements, check out the VSL Eligibility Check on the Australian Government’s Your Career website.
Certain Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses that align with industry needs and employment outcomes are eligible for VSL. You cannot access VSL for Certificate courses.
View the Government’s list of eligible courses and remember to check your specific course page on our website to see if The Gordon is approved to offer a loan for your chosen course.
Your loan may not cover all of your tuition costs. Each course has a Government issued VSL Course Cap, which is the maximum loan amount you can borrow for your course. These Government advised amounts are updated annually.
Check your specific course information on our website to find the course VSL Course Cap (under Fees) for the current year.
If your tuition fees are higher than the course cap you will need to pay the difference. These payments will be proportioned across each of your census dates and The Gordon will send you a VET Student Loan Statement of Covered Fees and Fee Notice at least two weeks before each payment is due (your census date). Any tuition amount that is not able to be deferred to a VSL (as it is over the course cap) must be paid upfront by the due date, or included on a Gordon Payment Plan if it meets the criteria.
Additional costs other than tuition fees (such as materials fees or Education Levy) cannot be deferred to a VSL and must be paid before their due date or included on a Gordon Payment Plan.
Apply early for a Tax File Number (TFN)
To be eligible for a VSL you will need to provide your TFN in your VSL application. You must use your own TFN to access a VSL – you cannot use someone else’s TFN.
If you don’t have a TFN, it’s important to organise one as soon as you’re considering a VSL. Applications to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for a new TFN will take time, especially at the start of the year. Apply for a TFN at the Australian Taxation Office website.
You can apply for a VSL with just a copy of your Certificate of application for a TFN (NAT1432) from the ATO, but you must remember to complete the TFN application process with the interview (at Australia Post). You will need to provide proof of your TFN application (copy of application and Australia Post receipt) to The Gordon to continue with your VSL application.
Once you have received your TFN (usually within 28 days), you will need to contact fees@gordontafe.edu – we need to open your application in the Government eCAF Portal so you can add your TFN to finalise your loan. If you do not provide your TFN within 6 weeks of the census date included in your application, you will not be able to access your loan.
Your Tax File Number must be able to be verified. This means that your personal details provided to The Gordon must match the details you have supplied to the ATO. Check for more information about how TFN’s are verified here - we will contact you if your TFN cannot be verified.
Ensure you have a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI)
From 1 January 2021, all students who apply for a VSL will be required to supply their USI.
If you hold a USI exemption, you will be unable to access Commonwealth financial assistance and will not be eligible for a VSL.
If you are applying to study a VSL eligible course, a question on your application will ask if you are interested in accessing VSL. Answering ‘yes’ to that question will prompt The Gordon to contact you once you are enrolled into your course. Relevant citizenship evidence and other supporting documentation will be required before your VSL application can be finalised.
If you don’t express your interest in VSL on your application but then change your mind, you can also visit Customer Service or email fees@gordontafe.edu.au to obtain a VET Student Loan Expression of Interest Form.
Before you can formally apply for a VSL, Commonwealth Government legislation requires you to confirm your eligibility for a VSL by providing evidence of your citizenship status to be held on file at The Gordon. Relevant citizenship evidence and other supporting documentation will be required before your VSL application can be finalised.
Once you are admitted into your course, you will receive email communication from The Gordon in regards to providing copies of relevant supporting documents if they are not already held on your file. We will be in contact with you during each stage of the application process via email or text message to help guide you and answer any queries you may have.
See the documents you will need to support your application for a VSL.
Once your eligibility for a VSL is confirmed and you are enrolled in units in your course (to be allocated a census date), The Gordon will submit your loan request to the Government via the Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF). The Government eCAF Portal will communicate with you via your personal email and provide you with an access code and link to your eCAF.
For all of your tuition fees to be deferred to a VSL, you must complete the Government eCAF prior to your first census date. Each of your enrolled units has an assigned census date and you will normally have at least 3 census dates throughout your study.
If you miss a census date, you can still apply for a VSL for your future census dates. However, you will not be able to access a VSL for past census dates - those fees must be paid upfront, or included on a Gordon Payment Plan (if eligible).
Check the finance section of your eCentral account to find your specific census dates, fees and payment due dates.
Find out about VET Student Loans and census dates here.
Look out for important VSL communication:
VET Student Loan Statement of Covered Fees and Fee Notice
At least 14 days before each census date, we will email you a VET Student Loan Statement of Covered Fees and Fee Notice. This notice details the tuition fees that will be deferred to your VSL on your upcoming census date and any tuition amounts that might need to be paid that are not covered by your VSL.
Commonwealth Assistance Notice
We will email you a Commonwealth Assistance Notice within 28 days after each census date to confirm the amount of debt that has been deferred to your VSL.
Progression Points
To continue to be eligible for a VSL, you will need to submit a VET Student Loan Progression Notice every February, June and October until the completion of your course. This notice is issued via the Government eCAF Portal and we will contact you via SMS when this has been issued to your registered email address.
If you do not complete the Progression Notice as required, you may be ineligible to continue accessing your VSL to defer the remainder of your tuition fees for your course.
Changing your mind
If you no longer want to defer your tuition fees using a VSL, you must notify us by email - fees@gordontafe.edu.au. If you choose to cancel your VSL, you will be required to pay the fees for any units with future census dates upfront.
Keep your contact details up to date
We send you important information about your VSL via your email and mobile phone so it is important that your contact details are up to date. Login to your eCentral account or contact Customer Service to change your details.
Withdrawing from your course
If you choose to withdraw from your course or are unable to continue studying, you will not incur any VSL debt for incomplete units with a future census date as long as your withdrawal advice has been provided in writing to Customer Service or your teaching department prior to each units’ census date.
To be eligible for a refund or credit of materials fees and other levies, you must complete, sign and return a ‘Withdrawal and Refund Request’ form available from Customer Service, your teaching department, or online via your eCentral account. Please note that refunds and credits on non-tuition fees are at the discretion of the Program Area.
Find out more about your studies, fees and VET Student Loans: