Terminolgy for federal assistance to students has
changed
We invite the rest of you to chuckle along:
From 1 January 2005 there is a new suite of loans known as the Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP). HELP offers Australian Government loans to students to help them pay their higher education fees and to study overseas. If the Australian Government lends your payee money under any of the new schemes, the payee will have a HELP debt.
HELP replaces the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS), Postgraduate Education Loan Scheme (PELS), Open Learning Deferred Payment Scheme (OLDPS) and Bridging for Overseas Trained Professional Loan Scheme (BOTPLS).
The three schemes available under HELP are HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP and OS-HELP.
HECS-HELP is for eligible students enrolled in Commonwealth supported places, to be used to cover their student contribution. HECS-HELP replaces the old HECS.
FEE-HELP loans are available for eligible undergraduate and postgraduate students in non-Commonwealth supported places to be used to cover their tuition fees. FEE-HELP replaces BOTPLS, OLDPS and PELS.
OS-HELP assistance offers loans for eligible Commonwealth supported students who wish to undertake some of their studies overseas.
On 1 June 2006, a payee’s accumulated HECS debt becomes an accumulated HELP debt.