OS-HELP Loans

OS-HELP is an Australian Government loan program. It provides financial assistance to eligible Commonwealth Supported Place students, to study part of their course overseas.

The amount you borrow will be added to your accumulated HELP debt and will be repayable under the same conditions as your HELP debt. You must read the OS-HELP Statement of terms and conditions before applying for an OS-HELP loan.

If you wish to apply for an OS-HELP loan, and are eligible, you MUST submit your application by the relevant OS-HELP loan term deadline, even if you have not submitted or been accepted into your overseas program by that deadline.

Late loan applications are not accepted.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an OS-HELP loan, at the time of application, you must meet the following requirements:

• be an Australian citizen, permanent humanitarian visa holder, former permanent humanitarian visa holder, pacific engagement visa (PEV) holder, a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder, or eligible former New Zealand SCV holder who meets the Long-term residency requirements and who will be a resident in Australia at the time of applying (Refer to FAQ 2976 for details);
• be enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate course of study at Monash as a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) student; (Diploma courses are not considered an eligible course of study for OS-HELP loan purposes)
• be undertaking full-time study overseas according to the OS-HELP definition of full-time (which is a pro-rata calculation for periods shorter than a semester, refer below for full-time study explanation);
• have your overseas study count towards the requirements of the Monash course in which you are enrolled;
• have already successfully completed at least 1.0 EFTSL (48 credit points) of your current Monash degree in Australia as a CSP student;
• if you are receiving credit from a previous Monash degree or from a different university degree towards your current Monash degree, you must provide proof that you have successfully completed that study as a CSP student;
• at the conclusion of your overseas study, you must have at least 0.125 EFTSL (6 credit points) to complete upon return to Australia for the current Monash degree for which you will be receiving credit from your overseas study;
• have been selected by Monash to receive an OS-HELP loan for a six-month period, which will commence on the first day of the overseas study;
• have not received more than one other OS-HELP loan, including from another higher education provider;
• have not received any other OS-HELP loan for a period that overlaps or coincides with the six-month period; and
• if you are undertaking an honours component of an undergraduate course, the entire undergraduate course will be considered when assessing eligibility for OS-HELP.

You will not be considered for an OS-HELP loan if;

• you have received two OS-HELP loans before, including from another higher education provider;
• your overseas study location is in a location where the Australian Government smartraveller website advises you:
• you are encumbered; or
• you are on intermission.

• Reconsider your need to travel; or
• Do not travel.

Where the eligibility for OS-HELP changes or is different to the criteria set out here, the Australian Government's criteria will take precedence.

Full-time study requirement

Monash Global Campus Intensives, Global Study Tours, Global Summer and Winter Programs and Global Work Integrated Learning and Placements are generally classified as short-term international study programs.

• For short-term international study programs, (other than semester abroad programs and intercampus exchange programs) a full-time load is determined using a formula provided by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training. This formula takes account of both the credit points you will be earning from your program and the length of time of your overseas study. Travel dates to and from the study program are not included in the calculation. In general, the following are regarded as full time study loads for OS-HELP purposes:
• For semester abroad programs and intercampus exchange programs, your study period is considered full-time provided you are studying overseas, which is determined to be the equivalent of at least 18 Monash credit points to be credited to your Monash degree.

Loan Amounts

Loan amounts outside Asia

If you are studying outside of Asia, you can apply for one of the following loan amounts.

Loan amounts in Asia

If you are studying in Asia, you can apply for the following loan amounts, and an optional Asian language supplementary loan* (conditions apply).

*Please note, if you apply for the NEW maximum loan amount for 2027, your application can only be assessed and paid in 2027.

For short programs commencing in January 2027 and finishing in January or early February 2027, there is no guarantee that Monash Abroad can arrange your loan payment in time prior to your program completion. Therefore, we recommend that you do not apply for the 2027 maximum loan amount. OS-HELP loans cannot be paid after the completion of the overseas program. You should apply for a lower loan amount or the 2026 maximum loan amount and be assessed and paid in 2026.

• You can apply for an extra loan amount if you study an Asian language in preparation for your overseas study in Asia.You cannot apply for the extra loan amount if your Asian language study is a part of your course or if you are already using a HELP loan to pay for those units.If you plan to study overseas in more than one country, you can apply for the extra loan amount for Asian language study if at least one of the countries is in Asia.In order to be assessed for a supplementary Asian language study loan, you must provide evidence of enrolling in the language study, the duration of your language study and the language course fees, and a signed declaration detailing you will be undertaking the language study.More information regarding OS-HELP loans, and which countries are included for the Asian language studies, can be found in the Higher Education Support (OS-HELP) Guidelines 2023.

Application Deadlines

There are six OS-HELP application deadlines in a 12 month period. The application deadline that applies to you, will depend on your overseas program commencement date.

Late applications will not be accepted.

Applications

If you meet the OS-HELP loan eligibility requirements, you can apply for an OS-HELP loan. Your loan application will only be approved, if you meet all the loan eligibility requirements at the time of your loan application assessment.

If you are undertaking a second six-month period of study that is a continuation of the first OR undertaking a new overseas program, you may apply for a second loan in the relevant OS-HELP term. The second six-month period of study commencement date must be at least six months after the first six-month period of study commencement date.

Submit your OS-HELP loan application online according to the OS-HELP Term for the overseas program commencement date.

Apply for OS-HELP loan

Students should submit their loan application by the application deadline of their OS-HELP Term according to the overseas program start date, even if they have not yet received their acceptance for the program.

Applications will not be accepted after the relevant OS-HELP Term deadline has passed.

1. Requirement for assessment

Your loan application will only be assessed when you have met these requirements:

• Supporting Documents your application is completed including all supporting documentation (if needed), by the application deadline. If further information is needed, we will contact the student during the assessment process.
• Monash Abroad Approval you have been approved by Monash Abroad for participation in an approved overseas study program.
• Host University Acceptance your acceptance has been received from the host institution (if applicable).
• Enrollment you are enrolled in the applicable unit(s) for the approved overseas study by your faculty/ies.

2. Selection Process

You will not be considered for an OS-HELP loan if;

• you have received two OS-HELP loans before, including from another higher education provider;
• your overseas study location is where the Australian Government smartraveller website has the advice at:
• you are encumbered; or
• you are on intermission.

Limited Loans

The Commonwealth Government allocates a limited number of OS-HELP loans to Monash each year. If there are insufficient loans available for eligible applicants, students will be selected using the following criteria:

• you have not previously received an OS-HELP loan;
• you have previously applied and been assessed ineligible for an OS-HELP loan, due to insufficient loans ;
• you are nearing completion of your studies;
• you can demonstrate significant financial disadvantage;
• you are applying for a smaller loan amount; and/or
• you have the highest Weighted Average Mark (WAM).

You may be awarded a loan less than the amount for which you applied.

Loan applications may be declined for students who are receiving scholarships, grants, subsidies or other forms of financial assistance that fully or partially fund their overseas study.

3. Application Outcome

You will be notified by Monash Abroad of the result of your application within two months of the term deadline. The outcome will be sent by email to your Monash student email address.

• Successful You will receive an email advising of the loan approval and the process for accepting your offer using the electronic Commonwealth Assessment Form (eCAF).
• Not Successful You will be advised of the reason for the rejection of your application.
• Appeal and Complaints Students dissatisfied with the outcome of their OS-HELP application may appeal the decision by email.

Loan Acceptance

To accept your loan, you must:

• Verification Verify your information and applied loan amount in the eCAF.
• Submit Electronic Commonwealth Assessment Form (eCAF) Submit the eCAF by the deadline only after you have successfully verified your USI and TFN.

On submission of your eCAF, a PDF receipt will be sent to the email address you nominated in the form.

Timing of the payment

Once Monash Abroad has verified that the above requirements have been met, you will receive an email from Monash Abroad confirming your loan payment is being scheduled. This is likely to occur approximately four weeks before your program commencement date.

Note that even if you are departing overseas early, the loan payment will still be timed according to your overseas program commencement date, not your departure date.

A legally binding debt to the Commonwealth of Australia will be incurred at the time the loan is paid into your nominated bank account, even if you do not proceed with the overseas study.

OS-HELP loans can not be paid after the completion date of your overseas program has passed.

Changing loan amount

• If you want to change the loan amount after you have submitted your application, you must write to Monash Abroad requesting the change.
• You may be permitted to change your loan amount provided your request is received before you submit your eCAF.
• Requests to increase loan amounts will only be granted if Monash Abroad assesses that sufficient funds are available for all eligible students who apply in that calendar year.
• If you want to apply for an increase in the loan amount, you will be advised whether your request has been granted as soon as practicable, but it may not be possible to assess the availability of funds immediately.

Loan Cancellation

If you wish to cancel your loan application, this will only be possible if your loan has not been paid. To do this, write to Monash Abroad requesting the loan application be cancelled.

Monash may withdraw a loan offer prior to the loan being paid, if:

• your circumstances change, rendering you unable to meet the OS-HELP eligibility criteria;
• it has been determined that you have provided false or misleading information;
• you will not, for any reason, be undertaking the overseas study;
• you have not completed and submitted an eCAF; or
• You have failed to verify USI and/or TFN verification in the eCAF.

Your OS-HELP debt will be included in your accumulated HELP debt. The loan cannot be repaid after it has been paid into your nominated bank account, except via the HELP repayment procedures set out by the Australian Taxation Office.

Following payment of your OS-HELP loan, you will receive a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) from Monash confirming the amount of your debt.

If you have not received a CAN within four weeks after receiving your OS-HELP loan payment please contact Monash Abroad immediately. If you receive an incorrect CAN, you must dispute the error in writing using the link provided on the notice in the Web Enrolment System (WES) and within 14 days of the date of issue.

Loan Policy

OS-HELP Loan Procedure