VET Student Loans

VET Student Loans is an Australian Government loan scheme that helps eligible students enrolled in approved higher level vocational education and training (VET) courses at approved training providers pay their tuition fees in the form of a loan.

Australian Wings Academy is approved by the Department of Education and Training (DET) to offer the VET Student Loan Scheme to eligible students.

Information Booklet

Approved courses

Double Diploma

AVI50222 Diploma of Aviation (Commercial Pilot Licence – Aeroplane)
AVI50519 Diploma of Aviation (Instrument Rating)

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CPL - Aeroplane

AVI50222 Diploma of Aviation (Commercial Pilot Licence – Aeroplane)

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Multi-Engine Command Instrument Rating

AVI50519 Diploma of Aviation (Instrument Rating)

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CPL - Helicopter

AVI50319 Diploma of Aviation (Commercial Pilot Licence - Helicopter)

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Flight Instructor Rating

AVI50419 Diploma of Aviation (Instructor Rating)

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Entry Requirements

Citizenship

You must be an Australian citizen; OR

A permanent humanitarian visa holder who will be a resident of Australia for the duration of the unit of study; OR

Are a qualifying New Zealand citizen and met the requirements, which are:

hold a special visa category, such as the New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV);
has been usually resident in Australia for at least 10 years;
was a dependent child when he or she was first usually resident in Australia;
has been in Australia for periods totalling 8 years during the previous 10 years; and
has been in Australia for periods totalling 18 months during the previous 2 years.

Education

You must provide a copy of your Australian Year 12 High School certificate; OR

Provide evidence of successful completion of an Australian Qualifications Framework Certificate IV or higher qualification (where the language of instruction is English) or at a level in a framework that preceded the AQF that is equivalent to level 4 or above in the AQF; OR
Displaying competence at Exit Level 3 in the Australian Core Skills Framework in both reading and numeracy through an approved BKSB Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) test which is conducted at AWA. AWA must reasonably believe that you show competence in completing the course.

Medical

You must hold a CASA Class 1 medical certificate to commence your training.

Aptitude

The Symbiotics ADAPT assessment must be completed and passed prior to commencing your enrolment. The assessment is at a cost to you of $220 and takes approximately two hours to complete. AWA would need to arrange this for you.

Symbiotics do offer practice tests to familiarise you with the testing process and better prepare you for the ADAPT assessment.

Attendance

You must agree and commit to attending Australian Wings Academy as a full-time student for the duration of your training. There is no part-time course option.

TFN & USI

You must have met the tax file number (TFN) requirements and have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) or are otherwise exempt.

Statement of VET Tuition Assurance

Student Review Policy and Procedure

Complaints & Appeals Policy and Procedure

Student Withdrawal Policy

Student Handbook

Information Handling Procedure

Loan Details

General

If eligible, you can borrow funds up to your lifetime to the FEE-HELP limit. The maximum amount you can borrow in your lifetime (called the FEE-HELP limit) is fixed by the Australian Government.

Accommodation and living expenses are not covered by the VET Loan Scheme. The FEE-HELP limit for 2023 is $156,847

Click here to see if you are eligible for a VET Student Loan

You can choose to train at our Gold Coast or Archerfield Campus.

Loan Fee

There is a loan fee of 20% for full fee-paying students undertaking the VET Student Loan Scheme. This fee will be included in the VET Student Loan Scheme debt.

Payment Options

You do not have to use the VET Student Loan Scheme to pay your tuition fees, you can choose to:

pay all your tuition fees upfront to Australian Wings Academy
pay some of your tuition fees upfront and use the VET Student Loan scheme for the rest
use the VET Student Loan Scheme loan for all your tuition fees (up to your FEE-HELP limit)

Repaying

If you do choose to use the VET Student Loan Scheme loan then it is re-paid gradually through the tax system once your income is above the minimum repayment threshold that is set by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

You can make voluntary repayments to reduce your debt at any time – some voluntary repayments might attract a bonus, visit www.ato.gov.au for details.

Considerations

Before applying for a VET Student Loan you would need to consider the following facts:

it is a loan from the Commonwealth, and
the loan will remain a personal debt until it is repaid to the Commonwealth, and
the loan may, until the debt is repaid, reduce a student’s take-home (after-tax) wage or salary and may reduce the student’s borrowing capacity, and
a student may wish to seek independent financial advice before applying for a loan.

Course Cap Limit

Approved aviation courses have a maximum loan (CAP) amount of $83,949 per course under the VET Student Loan Scheme.

Responsibilities

It is your responsibility to be aware of your FEE-HELP balance and to advise Australian Wings Academy if you do not have sufficient balance to cover your tuition fees.

If your tuition fee exceeds your FEE-HELP balance you can only get a loan equal to your balance.

Ombudsman

The Commonwealth Ombudsman can now investigate complaints about the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Student Loans program and VET FEE-HELP scheme. If you, or someone you know, has an issue or complaint regarding your VET FEE-HELP or VET Student Loans training provider, contact 1300 362 072 or fill out our online complaint form.

The Australian Government established the new VET Student Loans program to replace the VET-FEE-HELP scheme from 1 January 2017. To complement the new program, the Australian Parliament passed the Education and Other Legislation Amendment Act (No.1) 2017 which established the VET Student Loans Ombudsman function within the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman to manage and investigate complaints regarding both the VET FEE-HELP scheme and the new VET Student Loans program.

Students can find out more information here.