You should use this form to apply for a compassionate withdrawal and re-credit of your FEE-HELP or HECS-HELP balance or refund of paid tuition fees if:
1 -  the Census Date for the subject/s has now passed but it is impossible for you to continue with your study because of special circumstances*; and
2 - you withdrew from or did not complete a subject/s, because of these special circumstances*, and for which you have paid upfront or incurred a HELP debt .

* Special circumstances may include medical, family or personal reasons. You will need to provide independent documentary evidence of your circumstances together with this application.

Your application must be received within 12 months from the day you discontinued your studies. If you have not discontinued your studies, your application must be received within 12 months from the end date of the subject/s of study for which you are seeking re-credit. 

 

Occur on or after the census date OR occur before the census date, but worsen after that day, OR occur before the census date but the full effect or magnitude does not become apparent until on or after that day;

 

 

* Impracticable is defined as "impossible in practice" as opposed to merely difficult

Your application for re-credit will be considered on its merits in conjunction with the supporting documentation you provide. Your supporting documentation should provide enough detail for Student Services to make an informed decision regarding your case.

It is very important that you provide independent supporting documentation to support your claims. It is not sufficient to provide only a personal statement outlining your special circumstances. Depending on your reasons for applying for re-credit you may also need to provide a statement from a doctor, counsellor, or your employer to verify your claims.

 

The person making the declaration must be aware first hand of the situation and the evidence must be contemporaneous. For example it is not considered acceptable evidence for a Doctor to write a letter stating that "6 months ago" you were suffering a certain condition, unless that Doctor actually examined you 6 months ago.

Statements made by parents, husbands/wives/partners, close relatives or friends are not considered to be “independent documentation” for these purposes.

 

To support your case, you will need to provide the following documentary evidence:

 

Documentation from a doctor, counsellor, employer or independent member of the community which states; 

1 - the date your circumstance/s began;
2 - if your circumstances changed after the Census Date, the date they changed and to what extent;
3 - how your circumstances made it impracticable* to study; and
4 - when it became apparent that you could not continue your studies

 

* Impracticable is defined as "impossible in practice" as opposed to merely difficult

Upon receipt of your application we will send you an acknowledgement. If you have not received an acknowledgement of your application within two weeks of submitting it, you should contact Student Services.

The decision to approve or not approve the request will be considered principally on the basis of your independent supporting documentation. It is your responsibility to ensure all relevant documentation is provided with your application.

You will be advised in writing of the decision made. If you are not satisfied with the decision, you may apply in writing for a review. Your request for a review must be sent to the Chief Financial Officer within 28 days of receiving the original advice. You must state the reasons why you are applying for a review. You will be notified in writing of the Chief Financial Officer's decision and the reasons for making the decision.

If, after completing all of the steps above, you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you may apply to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for a review within 28 days from the day you first received the Chief Financial Officer's notice of decision. A filing fee is normally required payable to the AAT.

Details for contacting the AAT in South Australia are found at:
Administrative Appeals Tribunal
http://www.aat.gov.au/ContactUs/SA.htm
11th Floor, Chesser House
91 Grenfell St,
Adelaide SA 5000