Am I eligible?
To get a VETSL debt, you must:
- be studying with an approved course provider
- be studying an approved course
- be an eligible student apply to the government using the approved form, and
- confirm your engagement and progression to continue to access the loan throughout your course.
VET Student Loan eligible course
You need to enrol in a VET Student Loan eligible course that has been approved for delivery at South Regional TAFE. VET Student Loans Eligible Courses and Caps may be subject to changes implemented by the Australian Government in 2018
Your course meets the course requirements, if it:
- is specified on the VET Student Loans (courses and loan caps) determination (the courses and loan caps determination); and
- is delivered by an approved course provider; and
- is a qualification of diploma, advanced diploma, graduate certificate or graduate diploma in the Australian Qualifications Framework.
Citizenship and residency
You are:
- an Australian citizen, (evidence required differs according to whether you were born before, on, or after 20 August 1986 or born overseas)* or
- a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder who meets the long-term residency requirements, or
- a permanent humanitarian visa holder, or
- a Pacific Engagement visa holder.
Loan entitlements
You must not have exceeded:
If your course fee is higher than your loan cap, you will need to pay the balance directly to South Regional TAFE at enrolment.
Academic suitability
You have been assessed by your approved course provider as academically suited to undertake the approved course by either:
- providing your Australian Year 12 Certificate; OR
- providing evidence of successful completion of an Australian Qualifications Framework Certificate IV or higher qualification (where the language of instruction is English); OR
- displaying competence at Exit Level 3 in the Australian Core Skills Framework in both reading and numeracy through an approved Language, Literacy and Numeracy test.
- In addition, your approved provider must reasonably believe you show competence in completing the course.
Core Skills Profiler for Adults (CSPA) LLN Testing Tool
Core Skills Profiler for Adults (CSPA) managed by the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) is a Commonwealth approved online assessment tool that provides an overview of your learning strengths and determines your English and mathematics levels. You need to achieve Exit Level 3 scores in both English and Maths to be eligible for a VET Student Loan.
If you wish to apply for a VET Student Loan but do not have evidence to meet the Academic Suitability requirement, you can book a CSPA LLN (literacy and numeracy) test at South Regional TAFE.
Test conditions
The assessment is conducted on-campus with our Course Information staff. The test is completed in a controlled environment. For students who are unable to attend on campus for various reasons (COVID-19) they must declare and site that it is their own work when completed off-site.
This ensures honesty and integrity is maintained when completing the test.
Once the test has been completed, you will be provided with a copy of the results.
Test results
If you achieve Exit Level 3 scores in both the English and Maths you meet the academic suitability requirement. If you have not yet applied for a VET Student Loan you should now do so.
If you have already submitted a VET Student Loan Application, we will check your results and proceed with your application, or contact you to discuss your results if you have not met the requirements.
If you have not met the required Exit Level 3 score for each component, you may re-sit the test after 48 hours. However you will only be allowed one re-sit in a 3 month period, so please ensure you take time to prepare before re-booking the test.
The results will be kept by the college for five years and made available to the Commonwealth if requested.
If you have a diagnosed disability and need support to sit the CSPA test, before booking your test please contact the Disability Support office to discuss your support needs. You will need to provide medical documentation outlining your diagnosis and the impact this may have on your ability to access and participate in the test.
The CSPA Tool is also used by the lecturer’s within the classroom for LLN testing, and as entry requirements for Diploma of Nursing students.
Please contact Course Information to book a test and for any further information.
Under 18 students
If you are under 18 when requesting a VET Student Loan, you must submit:
Information for the student
You must:
- Be provided with VET Student Loan Student Fact Sheet and Checklist by South Regional TAFE prior to enrolment or applying for a VET Student Loan, and
- When applying for a VET Student Loan, you must confirm that you have read the VET student loan handbook(opens in a new tab) .
Other requirements
You must provide:
- Your Unique Student Identifier ( USI) and
- An Australian Tax File Number (TFN) or
* Students born before 20 August 1986 who do not have a current Australian Passport must provide their full birth certificate as issued by an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
* Students born on or after 20 August 1986 and one of their parents was an Australian citizen at the time of their birth who do not have a current Australian Passport must provide their full birth certificate as issued by an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages showing that one parent was born in Australia before 20 August 1986.
* Students born on or after 20 August 1986 whose parent was born in Australia after this date, then the parent's full birth certificate as issued by an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriage must be supplied.
* Students born on or after 20 August 1986 and one of their parents was a permanent resident of Australia at the time of their birth and who do not have a current Australian Passport must provide their Australian Citizenship Certificate.
* Students born on or after 20 August 1986 and neither parent was an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the time of their birth and who have spent the first 10 years of their life in Australia and who do not have a current Australian Passport must provide their Australian Citizenship Certificate.
* Students born overseas and have acquired Australian Citizenship must provide one of the following documents: current Australian Passport; Australian Citizenship Certificate or a Citizenship by Descent Extract.
** For New Zealand citizen eligibility requirements please visit the Study Assist(opens in a new tab) website for detailed information on the long term residency requirements.
*** Students can check if their visa class is eligible by visiting the Department of Home Affairs website(opens in a new tab) to use VEVO.
- If your name differs on any documents, then official proof of name change documents must also be supplied.
- You must supply all your eligibility evidence at interview and enrolment or as soon as possible so that your loan application is not delayed.