The following groups of students must fill in a Request for Commonwealth Assistance Form (CAF):
- All commencing Commonwealth supported students must fill in a CAF before enrolling. It does not matter if you will be paying your student contribution upfront, or obtaining a HECS-HELP loan for all or part of your student contributions. It does not matter if you will pay it yourself or if somebody else will pay it on your behalf.
- Continuing Commonwealth supported students who are commencing or transferring to a new course on a Commonwealth Supported basis.
- Commencing fee-paying postgraduate students, who intend to obtain a FEE-HELP loan for all or part of your fees.
- Continuing fee-paying postgraduate students seeking a FEE-HELP loan for the first time in this course.
If you are a Commonwealth supported student, who is continuing study in the same course that you have previously completed a CAF for, then you do not need to complete another CAF.
If you are a fee-paying postgraduate student and you will be paying all of your fees upfront, then you do not need to complete a CAF.
Note: Whilst eligible for Commonwealth support, permanent residents and New Zealand citizens are not eligible to defer their student contribution amounts or tuition fees and must make upfront payment by the relevant due dates each semester. Some New Zealand citizens who have been long-term residents of Australia since childhood and meet particular eligibility criteria (see the Study Assist website for details) are eligible to defer fees.