VET Student Loans is a student income contingent loan scheme offered by the Australian government for students wishing to enrol in the following courses:

• SIT50322 Diploma of Event Management

The VSL scheme allows students to borrow up to the eligible cap towards their course. In 2023 the eligible cap is $11,191. VET Student Loans can be used to pay all or part of your tuition fees. See below for an explanations of VSL terms.

A VET Student Loan will give rise to a VTSL debt that continues to be a debt due to the Commonwealth until it is repaid. Students repay their loans through the Australian taxation system once their repayment income is above the minimum payment threshold. Currently that threshold is $48,361.

You are eligible for VET Student Loans if you:

• are an Australian citizen; OR
• are a qualifying New Zealand Citizen; OR
• are a permanent humanitarian visa holder and usually reside in Australia

To see if you are likely to qualify for a VSL, go to the VSL Eligibility Tool

You must also:

• have not exceeded the FEE-HELP limit of (currently $109,206).
• have a tax file number (TFN) or be applying for one. 
• have a Unique Student Identifier (USI). 
• meet the academic suitability requirements. See How to Apply for VSL below.
• have read the VET Student Loans Information Booklet

Remember this:

• VET Student Loans is a Commonwealth loan you are required to repay when you hit the income threshold.
• In addition to your course fees there is a government loan fee of 20% that applies to students undertaking VET Student Loans. For example: on a $9,000 VET Student Loan, you will end up with a HELP debt of $10,800. 
• VET Student Loans can be used to pay all or part of your tuition fees. If you choose to pay a part of your fees with VET Student Loans your 20% loan fee will be reduced.

Further information about VET Student Loans is available at:

• Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
• Study Assist

Census Dates refers to the date that you may withdraw from a unit of study without incurring the cost for that unit.

The census date is calculated at 20% from the start date of your unit of study for that term. Dates will change depending on the length of the unit of study. For example: a 10 week unit of study will have a census date at the end of Week 2.

The census dates for each unit of SIT50322 Diploma of Event Management can be found in:

• VSL Census Dates
• VSL Schedule of Fees

To apply for a VET Student Loan:

• You must meet all loan eligibility requirements.
• If accepted into your course of choice CoEM will inform the Commonwealth that you wish to apply for VSL.
• You will receive an email with instructions to log into the Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) system and submit your online eCAF form.
• You will also be required to complete a survey that indicates you have read the VSL information booklet.
• You will be emailed a copy of your completed form. This must be sent to CoEM before the first census date of the course.
• You must submit the electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) online by the first census day no less than two business days after enrolling.

NOTE – your loan application (eCAF) is separate to your application with College of Event Management.

Academic Suitability

To ensure you have the ability to succeed in your course, all students applying for a VET Student Loan must be assessed for academic suitability. Academic assessment is in addition to the above VSL entry requirements.

To be assessed as academically suitable, you must either:

• provide a copy of your senior secondary certificate of education (that has been awarded by an Australian authority or agency), OR
• display competence at Exit Level 3 in the Australian Core Skills Framework in both reading and numeracy through an approved Literacy and Numeracy Test (we use CSPA LLN tests conducted online). Results of a student’s competence in reading and numeracy will be advised to the student as soon as practicable after the assessment.

For more information refer to our Student Entry Procedure 

Once your VSL loan is confirmed you will need to comply with ongoing Commonwealth engagement and progression requests to confirm that you are a genuine student progressing in your course. You will receive requests at least twice within the 12 month duration of your course.

You will be required to log on to the online portal and complete a student engagement form. If you do not complete the form within the required time, you may be ineligible to continue accessing VSL.

For general information about VET Student Loans

For information about HELP debts or repayment thresholds

Other helpful information regarding Fees, Census Dates, Admissions can be accessed via the following policies and/or procedures:

• VSL Census Dates
• VSL Schedule of Tuition Fees
• Student Entry Procedure
• Personal Information Procedure
• Grievance Policy and Procedure

If you choose to withdraw or defer, you may be entitled to a refund of any up-front payment you’ve made, or re-credit of your loan balance if you have opted for a VET Student Loan.

To withdraw or defer, students are required to notify the Course Administrator in writing of their intention to withdraw. A telephone call or verbal notification is not sufficient.

See more about refunds here: Refund Policy

The loan amount you incur will depend on the timing of your withdrawal or deferral. There are no penalties if you withdraw or defer on or before the census day. However, once a census day has passed, the loan amount for the Unit of Study is incurred.

See more about Census Dates here: Census Dates

In some circumstances, students who withdraw from a Unit after the published census date, or fail to complete a Unit, may apply to have their VSL debt re-credited with respect to the Unit if they believe special circumstances apply.

Students also have the right to apply for a review of a decision not to re-credit a loan balance. 

See more about the Re-crediting policy and process here: Re-crediting a HELP Balance

Tuition Assurance

If CoEM ceases to provide a course in which you are enrolled, we will ensure that you are offered enrolment in a similar course of study. Alternatively, you will be provided a refund of any upfront payments or a re-credit to your loan balance for any units of study.

See more about Tuition Assurance here: VET Tuition Assurance