VET Student Loans (VSL) Provider Newsletter – April 2025

Welcome to the VSL Provider Newsletter – April 2025

Since 13 February we have sent several communications to the CEO and Primary Contact VET listed in HITS regarding technical changes to the eCAF system and TCSI. If you did not receive these communications please check and, if necessary, update your contacts in HITS. These important changes to the VSL IT systems will better protect student Tax File Numbers.

Thank you to the providers who gave feedback and who responded to the Qualtrics survey. If you are experiencing payment difficulties from the masking of TFNs in eCAF please email VFHVSLpayments@dewr.gov.au.

Avoiding and managing VSL pay run errors

Over the upcoming months, the VSL Payments team will reach out to providers to help reduce the number of pay run errors we are currently encountering. These payment exclusion errors prevent you from receiving payment for one or more units of study during a monthly pay run cycle.

We will initially contact providers who were identified as receiving some of the more common payment exclusion errors in the March 2025 pay run. In the interim, we recommend you review your Provider Payment report (which can be generated from the ‘Reports’ section in HITS) to determine the types of pay run errors your organisation is receiving.

If you have a question concerning a unit which has been excluded in a monthly pay run, or require further information regarding a specific payment exclusion reason, please contact the VSL Payments team at VFHVSLPayments@dewr.gov.au.

Annual financial statements

Approved non-listed VSL providers with a financial year ending on 31 December 2024 must submit audited general purpose financial statements by 30 April 2025. You should note that special purpose financial statements are not an acceptable form of submission.

The VSL Ongoing Financial Performance Requirements informs you of all required information. This includes providing a copy of your current workers compensation and public liability insurance policy. Please submit all documentation, including your financial statements via HITS.

Section 113 of the VET Student Loans Rules 2016 stipulates that you must provide audited general purpose financial statements for each financial year within 4 months of the end of the financial year. The department may take compliance action if you fail to do so. This could include suspending payments or revoking your approval as an approved course provider.

Please email queries relating to financial statements to VSLProgramintegrity@dewr.gov.au.

Providers with VSL approval lapsing on 31 December 2025

We will shortly be forwarding the application form and the request for relevant supporting documents to all providers whose VSL approval will lapse on 31 December 2025.

The VSL provider eligibility (refresher) quiz is a useful tool to refresh your knowledge of VSL program requirements. It will help you understand the information required when completing an application. We encourage you to take the quiz before completing the application form.

Please ensure your Key Personnel, CEO and Primary VET Contact are up to date in HITS and reflect your current arrangements. Your key personnel should also be familiar with the VET Student Loans Act 2016 and the VET Student Loans Rules 2016.

In addition to the documents that you are required to submit with your application, all relevant data submitted under data reporting requirements in TCSI will be considered in assessing your application. Therefore, your VSL data in TCSI must be accurate, current and up to date. You must also provide evidence of current Workers Compensation and Public Liability insurance.

We will send the VSL application pack to relevant providers in April and expect you to submit the completed application by 30 June 2025. This will provide sufficient time for us to assess your application. Any delay with the submission of a complete and valid application, including payment of the application fee, may impact the expected outcome date for the application.

2025 VSL Tuition Protection Levy

The Tuition Protection Service (TPS) is an Australian Government student tuition protection scheme for international and eligible domestic students studying at private education providers. Non-exempt VSL providers are required to pay the annual VSL Tuition Protection Levy, which funds the student placement and loan re-credit activities of the TPS for VSL students following a VSL provider closure.

The TPS has consulted with leviable VSL providers on the draft settings of the 2025 VSL Levy throughout March. These consultations will continue through April 2025. We will conduct a sector consultation webinar on 30 April 2025 to present a summary of the feedback received on the draft levy settings. This will be an opportunity to answer the frequently asked questions received during the consultation period.

Further information, resources and a registration link for the sector consultation feedback webinar are available at 2025 Domestic Tuition Protection Levies Consultation - Department of Education, Australian Government.

New eligibility criteria for the Tertiary Access Payment

First year tertiary students who take one or more gap years after finishing Year 12 or equivalent will be able to claim the Tertiary Access Payment (TAP) during their first year of study.

Previously, students could only claim the TAP if they were starting tertiary study within 12 months of finishing Year 12 or equivalent.

Now, if they start their course by 22 years of age and meet all other eligibility criteria, they’ll be able to get the TAP.

Students who have taken one or more gap years are eligible from 1 January 2025. However, they can apply after mid-June 2025 through Services Australia as the system needs to be updated.

The TAP is a non-indexed, means-tested payment of up to $5,000 to Year 12 graduates (or equivalent) from regional or remote areas who need to relocate for full-time, higher-level tertiary education (Certificate IV and above) at an education provider located at least 90 minutes by public transport from their family home.

Changes to the TAP are in response to feedback from regional stakeholders and the Australian Universities Accord Panel.

For further information about the TAP, visit the Services Australia website.

Subscribing to the VSL Provider Newsletter

The VSL Provider Newsletter is how we let you know about program updates and reminders about the program administrative requirements. Let your colleagues know they can subscribe to the newsletter in less than a minute at VET Student Loans – subscribe. You can access previous copies of the newsletter at VET Student Loans Provider Newsletter.