Stanley College
Stanley College

VET Student Loans

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Program Overview

The VET Student Loans program is an income contingent Australian Government loan program that helps eligible students enrolled in approved courses at diploma level or above, pay their tuition fees. The loan has income-contingent repayment arrangements, which means you only need to make repayments if you are earning above the minimum repayment threshold. You can make voluntary repayments at any time.

If you are an eligible student, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (the Department) may approve your VET Student Loan for an approved course. The Department will pay your loan directly to your approved course provider. You will be responsible for any gap amount in the tuition fees, which are not covered by the loan. You will owe a debt to the Australian Government for the loan, which will be managed by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Please Note – Students must be aware that VET Student Loans will not be approved for students who do not meet eligibility requirements and that a VET student loan gives rise to a VETSL debt that continues to be a debt due to the Commonwealth until it is repaid.


Stanley College offers the following courses under the VET Student Loans Framework:

BSB50120 Diploma of Business

  • Course Duration: 52 weeks*
  • Course Fee: $4,900
  • (VSL = Tuition Fee – $4,900 + $0 Upfront Cost)
  • Career Opportunities: Frontline Manager / Team Leader, Administration Manager, Business Development Manager

* Course duration includes holidays.

CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

  • Course Duration: 36 weeks^
  • Course Fee: $6,600
  • VET Student Loan $6,600 + $0 Upfront Cost
  • Career Opportunities: Centre Manager, OSHC Coordinator

^This course includes no holidays.

SIT50422 Diploma of Hospitality Management (Food & Beverage Pathway)

  • Course Duration: 52 weeks*
  • Course Fee: $11,000
  • (VET Student Loan $11,000 + $0 Upfront Cost)
  • Career Opportunities: Banquet or Function Manager, Restaurant Manager, Bar and Cafe Manager, Club Manager, Motel Manager, Unit Manager (Catering Operations)

* Course duration includes holidays.

BSB60120 Advanced Diploma of Business

  • Course Duration: 52 weeks*
  • Course Fee: $4,900
  • (VSL = Tuition Fee – $4,900 + $0 Upfront Cost)
  • Career Opportunities: Business Development Manager, Business Analyst

* Course duration includes holidays.

SIT60322 Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management

  • Course Duration: 52 weeks*
  • Course Fee: $11,000
  • (VET Student Loan $11,000 + $0 Upfront Cost)
  • Career Opportunities: Area Manager or Operations Manager, Cafe Owner or Manager, Club Secretary or Manager, Motel Owner or Manager, Food and Beverage Manager, Executive Chef, Head Chef, Executive Sous Chef

* Course duration includes holidays.

Student Residency Requirements

The VET Student Loans program has strict citizenship, visa and residency requirements. It is not available for all Australian residents. To be eligible, students must be either:

  • An Australian citizen (If you are born on or after 20 August 1986 you will be required to supply additional evidence if you are using your birth certificate as evidence); OR
  • The holder of a permanent humanitarian visa who is usually resident in Australia; OR
  • A New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder who meets the long term residency requirements.

Please note – Other permanent residents/permanent visa holders are NOT eligible for a VET Student Loan.

Student Eligibility Requirements

To receive a VET Student Loan, you must:

  • be an eligible student;
  • meet the enrolment and loan application requirements;
  • be studying an approved course with an approved course provider;
  • apply to the government using the approved form (eCAF), which will be managed through your provider;
  • submit Progression Forms to confirm your ongoing engagement with your studies, and continue accessing the loan throughout your course;
  • you must have read and understood the provided Information Booklet;
  • have a HELP balance that is more than $0 (i.e. have not used all your HELP loan limit)
  • meet the citizenship and residency requirements;
  • meet the academic suitability requirements.

Academic Suitability

The Stanley College Academic Suitability Assessment (ASA) includes active discussion between the admissions team and the applicant as part of the enrolment process. The ASA process is conducted with honesty and integrity and engages the applicant on a range of issues with the aim of ensuring suitability of the proposed training. The ASA process obtains enough information to allow a determination that Stanley College “reasonably believes” that the student is or is not academically suited to the course and displays the required competencies to undertake the course.

Prospective students are required to meet the below academic suitability requirements:

  • Provide a copy of a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education that has been awarded to you by an agency or authority of a State or Territory for the completion of year 12; OR
  • Provide an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) diploma; OR
  • Provide evidence of successful completion of a qualification that has been delivered in English and:
    • was at level 4 or above in the Australian Qualifications Framework (i.e. Certificate IV or higher qualification), or at a level in a framework that preceded the AQF that is equivalent to level 4 or above in the AQF; OR
    • has been assessed by a Federal, State or Territory government agency which assesses overseas qualifications (or an organisation contracted by such an agency to undertake such assessments) as equivalent or comparable to: a qualification at level 4 or above in the Australian Qualifications Framework, or a qualification at a level in a framework that preceded the AQF that is equivalent to level 4 or above in the AQF; OR
  • Approved LLN Test*: If you cannot provide either of the above documents, you will be required to display competence at or above Exit Level 3 in the Australian Core Skills Framework in both reading and numeracy; AND
  • in addition:
    • Stanley College must reasonably believe you are academically suited to undertake the course; and
    • you must meet any other specified entry requirements for the course.

*If you are required to complete the Stanley College approved LLN test (LLN Robot), you will be informed by a member of the Admissions Team, a suitable time and date to complete the test. On completion of the test, the results are accessed and reviewed by the Admissions Manager or Student Services Team and provided to you.

For Students Under 18

For students that wish to apply for a VET Student Loan that are under 18 years of age, one of the following documents is required:

  • One of the signatories to the application must be a responsible parent of the student (by submission of the signed parental consent form from Stanley College); OR
  • A Centrelink Income Statement detailing that you have received Youth Allowance because you are deemed independent.

Additional Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for a VET Student loan, you must also meet all of the following Criteria:

  • VET Student Loans Information Booklet – You must have read and understood the provided Information Booklet;
  • Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) – You must have submitted the eCAF form by the census day for the first unit of the course you are applying for funding for and no less than two business days after enrolling. Please note: the census day is the last day you can apply for a VET Student Loan for that unit of study.
  • Student Engagement and Progression – During the course of your loan period, to continue to access your VET Student Loan you must complete this survey at least twice per calendar year in the eCAF system within the duration of your course. (Further information is available at the following link VET
    Student Loans – Student engagement and progression)

Eligibility Tool

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has developed a new VSL Eligibility Tool. This tool will:

  • Help you to gauge whether you qualify for a VSL;
  • Provide additional information about what documentation you need to provide to Stanley College when you are applying for a VSL.

The VSL Eligibility Tool is available for prospective students to use on the MySkills website via VSL Eligibility Tool.

How to apply for your VET Student Loan using eCAF

To apply for a VET Student Loan you must complete the Request for a VET Student Loan eCAF on or before the census date; however, once you have enrolled in your course with Stanley College you must wait at least two full business days before you submit your eCAF.

After two business days has passed Stanley College will register your interest with the Australian Government that you wish to apply for a VET Student Loan. At this point you will receive a log in and password to complete your eCAF.

Please note: If you do not complete and submit your eCAF by the census date, you would be liable for all tuition fees payable for that fee period.

Student Obligations

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has developed a Student Obligations Fact Sheet aimed helping you understand VSL obligations regarding engagement with the eCAF system and Progression Forms. This is available at the following link: Student Obligations Factsheet

Repaying Your VETSL Debt

Your VET Student Loans debt forms part of your accumulated VETSL debt. You must start repaying your VETSL debt through the tax system once your income is above the compulsory repayment threshold, even if you are still studying. More information about VETSL debt repayments, including how the ATO calculates your compulsory repayment, is available at www.studyassist.gov.au.

The threshold is adjusted each year and for the 2023-2024 financial year it is $51,550 or above. Repayments made through the Australian taxation system are called ‘compulsory repayments’ and continue until you have repaid your whole debt.

How much you must pay back is calculated from the amounts given on your income tax return for:

  • Your taxable income,
  • Reportable fringe benefits (reported on your payment summary),
  • Total net investment loss (including net rental loss),
  • Reportable super contributions, and
  • Exempt foreign employment income amounts.

From 1 July 2017, anyone who has a VETSL debt, and earns above the minimum repayment threshold, will be required to repay their debt regardless of where they live, whether in Australia or overseas. Further information is available in the VET Student Loans Information Booklet.


VET Student Loan

In the spirit of reconciliation, Stanley College acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.