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New Student Service and Amenities Fee (SSAF) reporting requirements
Approved higher education providers (providers) who charge a SSAF are now required to provide a publicly available report on how SSAF funds have been allocated by institution.
The new reporting requirements are legislated under section 19(5) of the Higher Education Support (Student Services, Amenities, Representation and Advocacy) Guidelines 2022.
The SSAF Allocation Report for 2022 will need to be made publicly available on providers’ websites by either 30 June 2023 or 31 December 2023, whichever is applicable to your institution’s financial reporting period.
The new SSAF Allocation Report template requires providers to include new information that may require providers to capture new elements of data to meet the reporting requirements. The Department recommends providers review the template to ensure that they will be able to capture the information required in 2022 in order to meet their obligations within the required timeframe.
Please note that the SSAF Allocation Report does not replace existing SSAF expenditure reporting requirements as specified in the Financial Statement Guidelines for Table A and B providers. Requirements for reporting on SSAF expenditure are outlined in the Financial Statement Guidelines for Table A and B providers, and in the Financial Viability Instructions: Applicants and Providers of FEE HELP (FVI) for all other approved providers.
Unique Student Identifier (USI) requirements
A reminder that from 1 January 2023, all students accessing a Commonwealth supported place (CSP), or a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) are required to have a USI and provide it to their provider prior to census date.
Also from 1 January 2023, students having their award conferred will be required to have a USI. While most students who are graduating next year will already have a USI due to applying for a CSP or HELP loan, there may be some students who still need a USI.
To streamline the completion process for both students and providers, it is important that the student’s details in the USI record, their provider’s Student Management System and the Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI) all match. If one of the four data match points differs (USI, first name, last name, date of birth) TCSI will be unable to verify the record. Please remind your students to ensure their details are correct in both their USI and provider accounts.
If you require assistance or would like information to send to students, please visit the USI Resources for Providers page or get in touch by email stakeholders@usi.gov.au.
While the USI requirement includes international offshore students, the Department advises that work is underway to make provision, through legislative instrument, for an exemption from the USI conferral of award requirements for international offshore students from 1 January 2023, and those who may have completed courses of study onshore prior to 1 January 2023, have not been allocated a USI and have since moved offshore.
Cessation of the HECS-HELP Upfront Discount
As included in the Department’s June update, ending the 10% upfront HECS‑HELP discount is an election commitment for the Government. The discount is expected to cease from 1 January 2023, subject to the passage of legislation. Providers will receive more information as it is available through standard communications processes.
FEE-HELP Loan fee exemption
The FEE‑HELP Loan Fee Exemption Extension for 1 January to 31 December 2022 is a decision for Government and the measure is still subject to the passage of legislation. Until such time as legislation is passed, administrative arrangements remain the same.
Completion rate requirements
The Department continues to receive queries about the completion rate requirements that came into effect from 1 January 2022. A reminder that Appendix M of the Administrative Information for Providers (AIP) contains further information, including scenarios and examples, to assist providers in applying the completion rate requirements.
2023 Funding Clusters and Indexed Rates
The Funding Clusters and Indexed Rates are now available on the Department’s website. Consistent with the Higher Education Support Act 2003, the 2023 rates will take into account the change in the Consumer Price Index for the December quarter from 2020 to 2021.
Tertiary Access Payment (TAP)
The Tertiary Access Payment (TAP) helps students from inner and outer regional, remote or very remote areas who need to move for further study (Cert IV or above) in the year after finishing Year 12 or equivalent.
Please be advised the new TAP Program Guidelines (2022 ‑24) were published earlier in the year and provide clarification to eligibility criteria. This includes that a student may commence eligible studies at any point in the year following completion of Year 12 or equivalent and be eligible for the TAP, if all other criteria are met.
Providers should review any promotional TAP information to ensure there is consistency with the updated program guidelines, which can be found on the Program Guidelines 2022‑2024 page.
For information on how students can apply for the TAP, visit the Services Australia Tertiary Access Payment page.
Rural and Regional Enterprise Scholarships Program
The Rural and Regional Enterprise Scholarships (RRES) program is intended to improve access to, and completion of, tertiary education for regional and remote students across Australia. Scholarships are valued at up to $18,000 for eligible students to undertake studies from Cert IV to PhD with an additional $500 available to support an internship.
Round 6 of the program opened on 31 January 2022, with over 1,000 scholarships available for students commencing study anytime in 2022. A limited number of scholarships are still available, and providers are encouraged to promote this opportunity to regional and remote students.
The scholarships support flexible study arrangements. Students can be studying on campus or online (via distance education) from six months full‑time up to eight years part‑time.
Information and applications for the scholarships are through the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC). The application process includes special considerations for students, including:
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
- those from remote or very remote areas, or areas of high unemployment
- women studying in fields with low female representation
- people with disability
- those affected by natural disasters (such as drought, flood, or bushfire).
Students in these situations are encouraged to contact QTAC directly to discuss their circumstances and eligibility on 1800 290 979 or at scholarships@qtac.edu.au.
Provider electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) Stocktake Project
The Department is undertaking a project to ensure that provider eCAFs are aligned with the current approved Government eCAF (available on the Government eCAF website).
In order to complete this work we will be contacting providers and seeking information on eCAF and enrolment processes over the coming month. To support this work, the Department has developed an eCAF factsheet for providers with useful administrative information based on frequently asked questions from students and providers over the last 12 months. The eCAF factsheet will be sent to providers with the stocktake request, and will be made available on the Department’s website in the next couple of weeks.
2023 HELP Publications and eCAF
The Department is currently preparing the 2023 suite of HELP information booklets and A4 factsheets that accompany the Commonwealth assistance form in order for students to understand their obligations before accessing a HELP loan.
The Department advises that some content (such as the cessation of the 10% upfront discount) will be subject to the passage of legislation and may impact the timing of publication but is working towards electronic versions being available by the end of the year, ready for your new 2023 enrolments.
For reference, the 2022 HELP Booklets can be found on the HELP publications page of the StudyAssist website.
The Department is also commencing preparations for the 2023 eCAFs. The approved and updated eCAFs will be released into the Government eCAF training system in due course. We will be in contact with providers via the eCAF developers’ group to communicate the 2023 changes. A reminder that students enrolling for 2023 must complete a 2023 eCAF and read the 2023 booklet.
Please email HEenquiries@dese.gov.au if you require access to the training site or need to discuss anything eCAF related.
‘Census date’ webinar for providers
As previously communicated, the Department undertook user research with students to determine their understanding of the census date and its implications for being liable for fees and incurring HELP debt. The research resulted in a number of recommendations that apply to education providers and their communications to students about the census date.
The Department will share the key findings of the research via a one hour webinar with providers on 6 and 11 October 2022. The webinar will provide insights and practical tools that the research found could help students to better understand and engage with the census date. We anticipate that staff working in student services, enrolment, and administration as well as marketing or communications staff would be suited to attend the webinar. Further details and a registration link for the webinars will be sent to providers who are subscribed to the HELP Provider Communications Mailing list.
Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI) Update
The TCSI higher education update was recently published and included information on 2021 Student Data Verification, staff data collection and change to the display of SA‑HELP Loans. The August 2022 update can be found on the News and Media page of the TCSI Support website.
Services Australia ‑ student resources
Services Australia has updated its resources on avoiding a Centrelink debt for students, having invited feedback from higher education providers in June. Providers are encouraged to download the eKit from the Services Australia website and to share the resources with their students to help them avoid getting a debt if they receive a Centrelink payment.
The Financial Information Service is running a free webinar for students – Money Options for Students & School Leavers on Tuesday 27 September at 5pm. Students can find out about Centrelink payments, get tips on choosing a credit card or a mobile phone plan and find out where and when to go for financial help.