Australian Government OS-HELP Loan Scheme

Value and duration

The maximum value of the OS HELP loan in 2017 is AU$6,567 for non Asian destinations, AU$7,880 for destinations in Asia and AU$1,050 for the Asian language supplement.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this loan, you must:

• be an Australian citizen or hold a permanent humanitarian visa
• have not received OS-HELP on more than one previous occasion
• be enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate by coursework program at RMIT
• be a Commonwealth-supported student
• be eligible for HECS-HELP
• have successfully completed the equivalent of at least two full-time semesters of study (96 credit points) towards your RMIT program
• be studying full time while overseas for credit which counts towards your RMIT program
• have at least 12 credit points of study to complete your program at RMIT when you return
• provide a Tax File Number
• not receive an OS-HELP loan from another higher education institution for an overlapping period
• receive approval from RMIT Global Mobility for your overseas mobility activity
• not apply after the completion of your overseas mobility activity.

OS-HELP definitions of full-time study whilst overseas

To meet this eligibility criteria a full-time load is calculated by a formula that takes account of both the credit points and the length of time of the 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:

• 72 credit points over two semesters (26 weeks) of overseas study
• 36 credit points over a semester (13 weeks) of overseas study
• 24 credit points taken over no more than 8 weeks of overseas study
• 12 credit points taken over no more than 4 weeks of overseas study
• 6 credit points taken over no more than 2 weeks of overseas study

Study in Asia – Asian Language Supplement

A supplementary OS-HELP loan amount of up to AU$1,035 is available to assist with the cost of language study undertaken in preparation for overseas mobility activity in Asia. This study must be relevant to the mobility activity, not part of a student’s current RMIT award and taken at an appropriate level. The study can be taken at any institution, domestic or abroad and must be taken prior to the mobility activity. (Note: a supplementary loan amount is added to an OS-HELP loan for overseas study, and does not count towards the lifetime maximum of two OS-HELP loans).

Evidence such as receipts, enrolment records, or results must be supplied with your application.