How to Apply Student Loans
1. Enrolment
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You must first apply for your course with Benchmark College and read the VET Information for Students. You must then advise Benchmark College that you wish to access a VET Student Loan for your approved course.
2. Eligibility
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Check that you are eligible for a VET Student Loan. You must also meet the Tax File Number (TFN) requirements.
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3. VET Student Loan eCAF
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If you are eligible for a VET Student Loan, Benchmark College will submit your request to the government via the Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF). The Government will communicate to you via your personal email, and provide you with an access code and link to eCAF. You must complete the Request for a VET Student Loan eCAF by the census date.
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If you do not complete the eCAF, by the required census date for your course, you will have to wait until the next part of your course /unit of study to request a VET Student Loan for future study.
Students under the age of 18
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If you are under 18 years of age, a parent or guardian must co-sign the eCAF form. However, this is not necessary if you have been assessed by Centrelink as meeting the requirements for receiving the independent rate of Youth Allowance under part 2.11 of the Social Security Act 1991. You will need to provide evidence of this assessment in the form of your Centrelink Income Statement, which you can request by logging into myGov and selecting your Centrelink online account. For more information, visit www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/request-document-using-your-centrelink-online-account.
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4. Contact from the Government
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The department will contact you to verify your enrolment in the course.