VET FEE HELP Commonwealth Assistance to Study Now Pay Later Important Considerations When Selecting Your Provider
Contents New Skills Can Lead To New Lives... 3 Is Having The Cash For The Course Fees A Problem? Problem Solved!... 3 Free Trial Period... 3 No Need To Wait To Enrol... 4 Transferring To The Australian College... 4 Key Considerations When Selecting Your Vet Fee Help Provider... 4 Fees Study Now And Defer Your Fees Until Your Income Increases... 5 Verify The Quality Of Your Course Provider... 5 Flexibility To Change Subjects And Qualification... 6 A Word Of Warning About Freebies... 6 When Does Your Qualification Testamur Arrive... 6 Multiple Or Dual Qualifications... 6 Process To Enrol... 7 Available Vet Fee Help Qualifications... 8 Vet Fee Help Specific Program Details... 9 Eligibility... 9 Fees Study Now And Defer Your Fees Until Your Income Increases... 9 Policies... 9 Accreditation To Offer Vet Fee Help... 9 How The Government Loan Works... 10 Withdrawal And Census Dates... 11 Proof Of Citizenship Or Humanitarian Visa Status... 11 Can You Do 2 Courses And Fee Help Limit... 11 Completing The Request For Vet Fee-Help Assistance Form... 11 Vet Fee-Help Loan Fee... 11 Government Student Factsheet... 12 A Final Word The Australian College Consumer Guarantee... 12 Contact Details... 12
New skills can lead to new lives But often there are roadblocks to acquiring these new skills like having the cash to enrol; or having the time to attend classes; or being unsure about what College to use; or not finding a class in your region. This short booklet will help you work out if VET FEE-HELP is an option for you right now. Is Having the Cash for the Course Fees a Problem? Problem Solved! VET FEE-HELP is part of the Higher Education Loan Program that aims to remove financial barriers for Australian Citizens enrolling to study a Diploma or Advanced Diploma.. Approved students do NOT have to pay the College for their course fees. The Commonwealth Government will pay the course fees directly to the College. This is treated as a government loan to the student. Once the student is working and their income is above $54 126 (called the minimum income threshold) they will start to repay this debt through the taxation system. All students that meet the eligibility requirements below, regardless of their financial background or employment status are able to access VET FEE-HELP. The College has no other fees or charges or costs involved in you completing your course; and we provide all course materials and textbooks for FREE. VET FEE-HELP means you can make that important career step even if you don t have the cash. Free Trial Period It s difficult working out which provider to use as in the end you get the same official qualification. So why not try before you buy? At The Australian College we are so confident with our course programs and past student satisfaction levels that we give you an unconditional guarantee: A Free Trial Month We will give you the first month of your VET FEE-HELP course to decide if it suits you. If you withdraw before then: no fees; no costs; no debt. No catch! You get this guarantee in writing and if for any reason you chose to withdraw in the first month of enrolment there will be no charges and you will have no government debt.
No Need to Wait To Enrol The College has continuous enrolments so there is no reason to delay. Enrol now to obtain 2014 pricing for the duration of your qualification. And all College accredited qualifications are offered on-line to give you full freedom and flexibility. Once you enrol you get immediate access to online materials for your first subject. Transferring to the Australian College The College will accept transferring VET FEE-HELP students. Before you cancel at your current provider talk to us and get the best advice to minimise your VET FEE-HELP debt liability. If you have past qualifications also speak to us about opportunities to reduce the VET FEE-HELP loan needed by asking for Credit Transfers. Key Considerations When Selecting Your VET FEE-HELP Provider There are many accredited training providers delivering qualifications under VET FEE-HELP. But we aren t all the same. Doing proper research could save you $10 000. Ensure that you get the best by asking about the Full Cost of Your Qualification: It should be easy to find the real price you will be paying for the whole qualification. If you are forced to call someone or to give your details just to get the price what does that say about the provider.. especially as they are required to make available a Schedule of Fees so you know the costs. Remember - even though you aren t right now paying the fees yourself you are getting a government loan. When your career takes off - you will have to pay that loan back at some stage, so don t make it any bigger than it needs to be. Even if you think you may not hit the income amount to have to start paying back your government loan why risk it by paying more than you have to for the same qualification. Watch out for free ipads and computers and other offers. Well are they really free? At the Australian College we don t pretend they are. We offer you the lowest pricing for a quality qualification. And under new VET FEE HELP rules in most circumstances providers are banned from offered such inducements to get you to enrol. Also test the level of quality of the course; the staff that will assist you, and their real industry experience in your required field. They are key factors as well as cost. Don t assume because you are paying a lot that the quality will be what you are after. At the College we are prepared to guarantee that you will love our prices and quality so much that we give an unbeatable guarantee. If for any reason you chose to withdraw in the first month of enrolment there will be no charges and you will have no government debt.
Fees Study Now and Defer Your Fees until Your Income Increases In simple terms our 2015 pricing for the whole qualification is $5000 for a Diploma; and $5800 for an Advanced Diploma. Why are we so keenly priced? Well firstly, we aren t taking advantage of you and the funding availability to inflate our prices. Secondly - we don t have big swanky buildings to pay for; and also we don t pay for brokers or recruiters to find you. As well we have a sophisticated internal IT system that allows us to do things smarter, quicker and with high quality. We back our quality by offering the ability to withdraw with no penalty; no fee; no debt in the first month of your course. So it s no risk to give us a try. Note that Qualification Prices will increase from 1 January 2016 to $5 500 for a Diploma and $6400 for an Advanced Diploma. Verify the Quality of your Course Provider As with all products and services there are different levels of quality and service, and different areas of specialisation amongst VET FEE-HELP providers. Consider the following aspects: Experience in delivering in your chosen qualification area Flexible delivery options including online access 24/7 Proven track record with key employers in that field showing real industry knowledge Qualified Trainers and Assessors sitting at a desk in Australia available to help you Up to date knowledge of industry issues, compliance obligations and challenges Availability of independent testimonials about the student experience Easy to find VET FEE-HELP required policies An easy to use Online System Are you enrolling with the provider you think? Many outsource or use brokers to market their courses. You will end up dealing with other parties to get your qualification, and paying more than you would need to, compared to if you were dealing directly with the College responsible for your training. Each provider has a national RTO registration / provider number. Find out what it is and if that s who you think you are enrolling with. The Australian College is proud of the quality we offer in each of these areas; and we don t outsource to others. Our national RTO provider number is 1441. You get a high quality qualification course delivered by the College that you signed up with. Put us to the test!
Flexibility to Change Subjects and Qualification The Australian College allows you flexibility to choose the subjects you want to undertake in your qualification. While we publish our most popular programs you are NOT restricted to these. Our course brochures will list many of the elective choices but not all. So if you have a specific request tell us. The Australian College also allows you to change qualification during the free trial period and, subject only to VET FEE-HELP rules, we will also allow changes later in your course. Our only restriction is to ensure that the VET FEE-HELP program rules are met, and that you receive proper advice on the career outcomes from different qualifications. If you have interest in 2 different qualifications get advice from us on if there is a quicker and more cost effective way for you to achieve both (by careful elective selection for example). A Word of Warning about Freebies Watch out for free ipads and computers and other offers. Look into the fine print and you will see you often don t get to keep it until you have incurred a big debt for your course. Ask if you can keep the item even if you withdraw before the census date. We bet the answer will be no. Are freebies really free? No the price has to be covered somewhere. At the Australian College we offer you the lowest pricing for a quality qualification and under new VET FEE HELP rules in most circumstances providers are banned from offered such inducements to get you to enrol. When Does Your Qualification Testamur Arrive You will receive your actual Testamur within 4 days of you completing your qualification. That s right, as soon as you finish you get the big reward. No waiting until the end of term or end of year! If needed beforehand, or you only complete some subjects, you will still be awarded a Statement of Attainment for the subjects you successfully complete. If you would like to attend our official graduation ceremony let us know and we will put you on the invitation list. Multiple or Dual Qualifications Yes under VET FEE-HELP you can undertake multiple qualifications. You can do them at the same time, or complete one, then do the other. If you have interest in 2 different qualifications get advice from us on if there is a quicker and more cost effective way for you to achieve both in the one study program (by careful elective selection for example).
Process to Enrol The process is quite simple. Go to our website and click on the Enrol Now button. Select your course and that you are a VET FEE-HELP student. Remember you have our legally enforceable Guarantee that you can change your mind within the census period and incur no costs, fees or VET FEE-HELP debt. We will give you the required VET FEE-HELP Information Booklet and VET FEE-HELP Assistance and ID Forms to complete. These can be done online. We will send you an email with an offer for a place in your chosen course. You will also receive the Schedule that confirms the unit of study fees (paid under VET FEE-HELP) and the census or last withdrawal dates. Please read these documents carefully, and if unsure of anything contact us for clarification. You will also have immediate access to our online system Webclass so that you can look at samples of your course materials. If you haven t already spoken to your College Student Adviser they will contact you to ensure your suitability for your chosen qualification. We will then register you with the government as a VET FEE-HELP applicant, and you will be allocated a CHESSN number which is your ID for VET FEE-HELP. This finalises your official enrolment. Once the census date is past you will be issued a summary of your enrolment ie a Commonwealth Assistance Notice or CAN.
Available VET FEE Help Qualifications The Australian College of Commerce and Management has transitioned to the LATEST available Diploma and Advanced Diploma qualifications:
VET FEE-HELP Specific Program Details Most funded programs have rules and it can be challenging finding out what you need to know. If you don t want to wade through the details yourself simply contact us and let us use our knowledge and experience to give you options and answers. But in the spirit of full disclosure and helping you find the information you need to know review our detailed information below. Eligibility VET FEE HELP is Commonwealth Assistance that is limited to Australian Citizens and permanent Humanitarian Visa Holders. Other programs can assist if you do not meet VET FEE HELP criteria. Fees: Study Now and Defer Your Fees until Your Income Increases VET FEE-HELP is charged on a per unit of study basis. The costs for each unit of study can be found in the Schedule for that course; but are approximately half the total course fees. In simple terms our 2015 pricing for the whole qualification is $5000 for a Diploma; and $5800 for an Advanced Diploma. Note that Qualification Prices will increase from 1 January 2016 to $5500 for a Diploma and $6400 for an Advanced Diploma. Policies We list all the required VET FEE-HELP and other program Policies on our website Policy page so you can easily access them at any time. These include key policies such as: VET FEE-HELP Refunds VFH Balance Review VET Tuition Assurance If you are considering other VET FEE-HELP providers make sure that they have these policies; they are easy to access (it says a lot if they aren t); and have a read to make sure you are protected. Accreditation to Offer VET FEE HELP The Australian College of Commerce and Management Pty Ltd is a commonwealth government approved VET FEE-HELP provider. Review the government Study Assist Website to verify our details. (We have a link on our VET FEE-HELP webpage). You enrol directly with the College and complete all of your studies with the College. We do not outsource any aspect of our VET FEE-HELP program.
How the Government Loan Works VET FEE-HELP is part of the Higher Education Loan Program that aims to remove the financial barriers of study for Australian Citizens enrolling in a Diploma or Advanced Diploma. All students that meet the eligibility requirements, regardless of their financial background or employment status are able to access VET FEE- HELP. To enrol you must provide a valid Tax File Number. If you don t have one you can apply for one with Australia Post free of charge. Approved students do NOT have to pay the College for their course fees. The Commonwealth Government will pay the course fees directly to the College. This is treated as a government loan to the student. Once the student is working and their income is above $54 126 (called the minimum income threshold) they will start to repay this debt through the taxation system. The amount you repay each year is a percentage of your repayment income. The percentage increases as your income increases, so the more you earn, the higher your repayment will be. The ATO will calculate your compulsory repayment for the year and include it on your income tax notice of assessment. The current rates are:
Withdrawal and Census Dates For each unit of study a "census date" is set. It is 20% into the scheduled timeframe for that unit of study, which with The Australian College is a little over a month into your course. If you do NOT formally withdraw from the unit of study on or before that date you will be liable for the VET FEE- HELP loan amount by the government. See the VET FEE-HELP Refund Policy for details. Proof of Citizenship or Humanitarian Visa Status You will be asked by the College to provide proof of citizenship ie an Australian Passport or Citizenship Certificate. If you do not have either of these documents the College will provide you with time to obtain a certificate from the Department of Immigration. Eligible humanitarian visa holders will need to provide proof of their visa status. Note: Permanent Residents are not able to apply under this scheme, however still contact the College to see if there are other funding programs or to get a quote on an instalment plan. Can You Do 2 Courses and what is the FEE-HELP Limit There is no restriction on how many VET FEE-HELP courses you do. But remember, you incur a debt for each and you have a maximum entitlement under FEE- HELP of $97 728. Completing the Request for VET FEE-HELP Assistance Form This required government form is part of the online Enrolment process. Enrolment cannot proceed until this has been completed and TFN details and proof of eligibility provided. Note for Q8 - you would select that you are a full fee-paying student unless also registered in a state government subsidised course. If this is the case we will advise you. VET FEE-HELP Loan Fee The Commonwealth government applies a 20% fee on all VET FEE-HELP loans - regardless of what provider you use. For example if you incur $5 000 in course fees under VET FEE-HELP, the amount that you will be asked to repay is $6 000 ($5 000 plus 20% ie $1 000). The repayment of VET FEE-HELP liabilities is done through the income tax system. So when you do your annual tax return, this will be calculated. You don't start making repayments until your annual income exceeds the threshold for that year (currently $54126); and then at a % based on your income. See the Skills Assist government website for details on how repayments work, including voluntary early repayment options.
Government Student Factsheet The Skills Assist government website provides information on all FEE-HELP programs including VET FEE-HELP. Also see the detailed booklet that is linked on our VET FEE-HELP website page. A Final Word The Australian College Consumer Guarantee A final word. We are so confident that you will be happy with your choice to do your VET FEE-HELP course with us - we guarantee that you can withdraw for any reason within the first month of enrolment and there will be: No fees No charges No government debt No hassle No catch. In fact you don t even need to give us a reason (but we would love the feedback). CONTACT DETAILS Call or email us for more information, or visit our website BY PHONE 1800 111 700 By Email courses@austcollege.edu.au This booklet was last updated 7 July 2015