OS-HELP Loan Program

OS-HELP is a loan program administered by the Department of Education that can provide financial assistance to eligible Commonwealth-supported students wishing to undertake part of their study overseas. Your OS-HELP is added to your accumulated HECS-HELP debt.

In 2021, the maximum you can borrow for a six-month study period is:

  • $7,037 if you do not study in Asia
  • $8,444 if you study in Asia; plus, an extra $1,123 if you do an approved Asian language study in preparation for your study in Asia (and meet the eligibility requirements.

for a maximum of two study periods.

Am I eligible?

The primary criteria for eligibility are:

  • must be an Australian citizen, permanent humanitarian visa holder or a New Zealand Special Category Visa holder who meets the long-term residency requirements (scroll down to information box for more details).
  • must meet the following criteria in relation to a single course of study (degree program, e.g. Bachelor of Arts) towards which they will be studying overseas (including approved double degrees and combined degrees as listed in Degree Finder):
  • successful completion of 1 EFTSL of the program (120 credit points = 1 EFTSL i.e. 8 units x 15 credit points). All units must be shown as passed with results posted before payment will be made)
  • 0.125 EFTSL (3 units) remaining in the program on return from overseas
  • receiving credit or recognition towards the program for full-time studies undertaken overseas (in the case of unit-bearing semester-length programs, to an equivalent of at least 9 units per semester, for other programs "full time" is determined on a case-by-case basis)
  • in a Commonwealth supported place
  • must not have received more than one OS-HELP loan in a previous study period (you may only receive two OS-HELP loans in your lifetime)
  • must not have received another OS-HELP loan in the same six-month study period (counted from the Commencement Date of the first loan)
  • must meet all of the above criteria prior to the end date of the overseas program.

For more information about OS-HELP, please visit the Australian Government's OS-HELP page

Selection criteria

The total funds made available by the Department of Education and Training for OS-HELP loans are limited each year, so loans may not be available to all students who apply. If there are insufficient loans for all eligible applicants, Federation University will select students to receive loans applying one or more of the following criteria:

  • Loans may be awarded to students with the highest GPAs
  • Loans may be declined to students who are receiving scholarships, grants or other forms of financial assistance towards their overseas study
  • Preference may be granted to students who have not previously received an OS-HELP loan
  • Preference may be given to students who have previously applied and been assessed as eligible but could not be granted a loan previously because insufficient funds were available.

Please refer to the OS-HELP Student Eligibility Requirements (pdf, 78kb) for additional information.

How do I apply?

To apply for an OS-HELP loan for a Study Abroad program, please contact studyabroad@federation.edu.au.

For further information about OS-HELP loans please email studyabroad@federation.edu.au or refer to the Study Assist website.