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VET Student Loans FAQ

Welcome to the FAQ page. Here we will try to answer your most common questions about this feature.  If you cannot find your question from the list provided, please leave a comment at the bottom of the page in the ‘Comment’ section with your relevant question and we will update the list if applicable.

Is VET Fee Help a type of funding?

No – it is a loan scheme. Unlike funding, Learners must repay the loan through the taxation system once their repayment income is above the compulsory repayment threshold, even if they are still studying. The compulsory repayment threshold is adjusted each year.

VET Student Loan  (unless also eligible for funding under current State Funding rules) are considered to be ‘Fee For Service’ students.

What are some Key Terminology used for VSL?
I run a Diploma and the Certificate IV is a pre-requesite to commence the Diploma. Can I ‘nest’ the Cert IV qualification so that the students can take out a loan for both the Cert IV and the Diploma Course?

No – the following is a quote from the VET Provider Handbook:

It is for VET providers to determine the content of VET courses of study in accordance with training package requirements set by relevant State or Territory Training Authorities. However, nesting lower level qualifications within a diploma or above level course should not be used as a means of creating an entitlement to VET Student Loan assistance for students where it may not otherwise exist.VET providers should contact their State or Territory Training Authority for more information regarding the arrangements which govern the nesting of qualifications in each State or Territory. 1.10.3 Nesting of qualifications, VET Provider Handbook, July 2011
How can I offer ‘early bird rates’ for students who are paying the fees upfront prior to the census date?

You must offer the same tuition fee to students who choose to take out a loan. This means that you can not penalise a student who chooses to take out a loan or give a discount to students who choose not to take out a loan (even if they pay on time).

Please refer to the DEEWR VET Student Loans team for further information.

Do I still have to collect AVETMISS data?

Yes – VSL is an additional layer of reporting. It does not supersede or remove other government reporting requirements.

A student chooses to withdraw from a Unit of study after the census date. What completion status do I use?

Depending on the circumstances of the withdrawal, you should choose the following:

  • 1 – withdrew without penalty – the ‘penalty’ here refers to academic penalty. A student who withdraws after the census date will almost always have financial penalty. Therefore the student incurs financial but no academic penalty.
  • 2 – Failed – If the student incurs both financial and academic penalty then this status is selected
  • 9 – withdrew under special circumstances – If the student withdraws after the census date but for some reason neither academic nor financial penalties apply and you are not reporting this enrolment to the government then this status is selected
A Learner no longer wishes to partake in VSL, and is instead choosing to continue with the course as Fee For Service (FFS).

Depending on whether any Units or Units of Study were previously commenced and/or reported to VSL, and if the Learner is changing Course Offer, choose the recommended options appropriately:

  • If any Unit of Study was commenced and has been reported to VSL, and you are keeping Leaner in the same Course Offer, then:
    1. Change the Enrolment Status for all remaining Units of Study to = 501 – Paid Full Tuition Fee – Non-State Government subsidised. This will report the Learner as Full Fee paying allowing them to continue with their studies as usual. No further debt will be incurred by the Learner in TCSI as the Unit of Studies will now be reported as FFS.
    2. PLEASE NOTE: You need to check the Learner upfront fees and make changes accordingly.
  • If no Unit of Study has previously been reported to VSL, and they will be changing Course Offer, then:
    1. Remove the Learner from those Units of Study and Units
    2. Set the Enrolment Status at the Course Enrolment level to Transferred
    3. Re-Enrol the Learner into the FFS Course Offer
    4. Credit Transfer the completed Units and continue with the remainder Units
Why is the loan fee percentage showing 20%?

A 20% loan fee applies for VET Student Loans accessed by full fee paying/fee for service students. Students will not incur the loan fee if they are subsidised by a state or territory government. The logic for the loan fee to be applied is 20% for UoS Enrolment Status = 401, 402, 501 and 502, 0% for UoS Enrolment Status = 403, 503, 405 to 410, 505 to 510 and 0% when Completion Status = 9

How can I add the VSL Amount on the CAN and Invoice template without redoing my entire template?

Simply insert a new column after the Payments and add the Loan amount fields from the uReport dictionary as per the screenshot below:

Why are students who are not VFH assisted being reported in the VLL & VEN files?

You must report all students in the VLL who are eligible for VFH assistance, regardless of whether they have chosen to take out a VFH loan or not.

VET Student Loan Files

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