FEE-HELP

FEE-HELP - to financially assist Australian citizens

Listed in this section is a brief summary of FEE-HELP.

Students interested in FEE-HELP should read the 'FEE-HELP Information Booklet' and 'Request for FEE-HELP Assistance Application' available from MIBT and also refer to the following Australian Government website: www.goingtouni.gov.au

Click on one of the questions below to see the answer:

What is FEE-HELP?

On 9 March 2005 MIBT was granted the status as a recognised Higher Education Provider (HEP), allowing eligible students the opportunity to access the FEE-HELP loan scheme.

FEE-HELP can cover all or part of a student's tuition fees, up to a lifetime limit of $83,313 (as at 1 January 2009). (A student can elect to pay a portion of fees directly to MIBT, and the remaining debt will be registered as a loan through the Australian Taxation Office). The $83,313 FEE-HELP limit is indexed annually (as measured by the CPI index). A loan fee of 20% applies to FEE-HELP loans. Indexation and the loan fee do not count towards your FEE-HELP limit.

The Government pays the amount of the loan directly to the student's higher education provider.

Who is entitled to FEE-HELP?

To be entitled to FEE-HELP, students must be:

an Australian citizen: or
the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa who will be a resident in Australia for the duration of the unit

When do FEE-HELP loans need to be repaid?

A student will commence repaying any FEE-HELP loan through the Australian Taxation Office once their income reaches the minimum threshold for compulsory repayment ($41,595 per annum).

How does FEE-HELP assist students to pay tuition fees?

MIBT sets the tuition fee(s) for students unit(s) of study. If students are eligible for FEE-HELP, they may choose to pay their tuition fee in three ways:

pay the full tuition fee up-front to MIBT;
pay some of the tuition fee up-front and request a FEE-HELP loan for the remainder of the tuition fee; or
request a FEE-HELP loan for the full tuition fee.

How to apply for FEE-HELP

Eligible students who wish to pay for part or all of their tuition fees through FEE-HELP must fully complete a 'Request for FEE-HELP assistance' form available at MIBT. Students must complete and sign the form and return it to MIBT by the relevant census date for the units of study that they undertaking, including the provision of a tax file number.

Eligible students who fail to pay their tuition fees in full or who do not apply for FEE-HELP (and provide a tax file number) will be at risk of having their enrolment invalidated.

Census Dates

The census date will be at the end of the fourth week of a semester. See dates below.

	Commences	Finishes	Census Date
Semester 1 (March 2009)	22 February 2009	29 May 2009	20 March 2009
Semester 2 (June 2009)	22 June 2009	25 September 2009	17 July 2009
Semester 3 (October 2009)	19 October 2009	29 January 2010	13 November 2009
Trimester 1 (March 2010)	1 March 2010	31 May 2010	26 March 2010
Trimester 2 (June 2010)	28 June 2010	27 September 2010	23 July 2010
Trimester 3 (October 2010)	25 October 2010	31 January 2011	19 November 2010

Fee Schedule

What happens next?

Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)

Within 28 days of the census date MIBT will provide students with a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN). This will be forwarded to their local address. The notice will provide students with information on the unit(s) for which they have received FEE-HELP assistance and their FEE-HELP debt, including any loan fee amount they may have incurred for those units.

If students believe the notice to be incorrect they should contact the MIBT FEE-HELP Officer (in writing) within 14 days of the date of their Commonwealth Assistance Notice. Disputes not lodged within 14 days will not be considered.

Failure to dispute an incorrect Commonwealth Assistance Notice results in this fee liability being reported to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN)

The CAN notice will provide students with their Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN). Students CHESSN is unique and will enable them to access information on their FEE-HELP balance from the Going to Uni website at www.goingtouni.gov.au

How do you withdraw your enrolment in unit(s) of study?

To withdraw from a unit(s) of study a students may make changes to their original enrolment/unit selection on-line through the myMIBT student portal. After on-line enrolment is closed, students who want to make an enrolment change will be required to complete the appropriate 'Enrolment Variation' form and submit to MIBT reception on or before the census date.

What happens if you withdraw on or before the census date?

Students who correctly withdraw from any unit on or before the census date will not incur a FEE-HELP debt for that unit.

What happens if you withdraw after the census date?

Students who have requested FEE-HELP assistance and withdraw after the census date, will have a debt with the Commonwealth that they are legally required to repay. Students cannot withdraw after the census date without incurring a FEE-HELP debt.

If however, after the census date, students become seriously ill or other special circumstances occur and they are unable to continue their studies, then they can apply to MIBT to have their FEE-HELP balance re-credited and their FEE-HELP debt removed. Note that there are time limits for applying. For procedure see FEE-HELP Review Procedure.

Where can you obtain more information about FEE-HELP?

Students interested in FEE-HELP should read the 'FEE-HELP Information Booklet' and 'Request for Fee-Help Assistance Application' available from MIBT and should refer to the following Australian Government website: www.goingtouni.gov.au