HECS-HELP and University Fees on a Partner Visa
Permanent partner visa holders (801 or 100) study at domestic fee rates but generally cannot defer them through HECS-HELP until they become citizens, while 820 and 309 holders are usually charged international fees.
A permanent partner visa holder in a Commonwealth supported place pays the student contribution upfront by each census date. HECS-HELP becomes available for units whose census date falls after citizenship. This page was checked against the Study Assist eligibility pages and the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth) on 23 September 2026.
Can you get HECS-HELP on a partner visa?
Not until you are a citizen. Section 90-5 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth) limits HECS-HELP to Australian citizens, permanent humanitarian and Pacific engagement visa holders, and some long-term New Zealand residents. A partner visa is not a humanitarian visa, so an 801 or 100 holder gets the subsidised place but not the loan. Study Assist puts it plainly: "PRs are not able to access a HELP loan."
| Your status | Fees | Commonwealth supported place | HECS-HELP | FEE-HELP | Pay upfront? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridging visa A while the 820 is decided | International | No | No | No | Yes, the full international fee |
| Subclass 820 | International | No | No | No | Yes, the full international fee |
| Subclass 309, in Australia | International | No | No | No | Yes, the full international fee |
| Subclass 300 | International | No | No | No | Yes, the full international fee |
| Subclass 801 | Domestic | Yes, for a course studied entirely while living in Australia | No | Only for a bridging course for overseas-trained professionals | Yes, the student contribution, by each census date |
| Subclass 100 | Domestic | Yes, for a course studied entirely while living in Australia | No | Only for a bridging course for overseas-trained professionals | Yes, the student contribution, by each census date |
| Australian citizen, after the partner visa | Domestic | Yes | Yes, for units with a census date after citizenship | Yes, if eligible | No, you can defer through HECS-HELP |
Sources: Study Assist eligibility FAQs and Commonwealth supported places page, and ss 90-5 and 104-5 of the Act.
Do partner visa holders pay domestic or international university fees?
It depends on the stage you hold on each unit's census date.
On the subclass 820 or 309
International fees. Study Assist states that temporary visa holders "are classified as international students and must pay the overseas student fees charged by their education provider". They cannot get a Commonwealth supported place or a HELP loan.
On a bridging visa while the 820 is decided
The same. A Bridging visa A is a temporary visa, so the international classification applies.
On the subclass 801 or 100
Domestic rates, if your provider offers you a Commonwealth supported place. Study Assist lists "an Australian permanent visa holder who will study the entire course while living in Australia" among those eligible. You pay the student contribution upfront by the census date, because the HELP loan is not open to you. The grant that changes your status is the partner visa subclass 801 or the subclass 100.
The right to study at all is covered on the page on partner visa work and study rights.
What happens to your fees when the 801 or 100 is granted during a course?
Status attaches to each unit, not to the course. Section 36-5 of the Act tests whether you are a Commonwealth supported student "at the end of the census date for the unit". A unit whose census date passes while you hold the 820 is charged at the international rate. For a later unit, whose census date falls after the 801 or 100 grant, the provider can offer a Commonwealth supported place.
Worked example. Priya is enrolled in a three-year degree as an international student on her 820. Her 801 is granted on 20 August 2025. A unit with a census date of 31 March 2025 stays at the international fee. For a unit with a census date of 31 March 2026, she can ask her provider for a Commonwealth supported place and pay the student contribution upfront. Tell your provider as soon as the permanent visa is granted, because the provider decides whether to offer the place.
When does HECS-HELP become available after a partner visa?
At citizenship, unit by unit. Study Assist says you may be eligible "for any units of study with census dates that occur after the day on which you obtain Australian citizenship", which "includes having completed the ceremony, taken the pledge of commitment". Approval alone is not enough. If Priya makes her pledge on 10 March 2027, a unit with a census date of 31 March 2027 can go on HECS-HELP, but a unit with a census date of 28 February 2027 cannot. The residence dates that decide when you can apply are on the citizenship after a partner visa page.
Which study loans can a permanent partner visa holder use?
- FEE-HELP, only for a bridging course for overseas-trained professionals, and only if you will be resident in Australia for the unit (s 104-5(1)(c) of the Act).
- SA-HELP, which is not available. Study Assist lists citizens, humanitarian and Pacific engagement visa holders and eligible New Zealand citizens, and not other permanent residents.
- VET Student Loans for vocational courses, which have their own citizenship and residence rules. Check the Study Assist eligibility tool before you enrol.
Does a HECS-HELP debt affect partner visa sponsorship?
No. The limits on approving a partner sponsor in regs 1.20J to 1.20KC of the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) cover earlier sponsorships, earlier partner visas and criminal records, not study debts. A HELP debt does not stop an Australian citizen or permanent resident from sponsoring you. A sponsor who moves overseas keeps the debt. Subdivision 154-AA of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth) makes overseas debtors liable to repay on their worldwide income, and the Australian Taxation Office administers those repayments.
What do TAFE and vocational courses cost on a partner visa?
It depends on your state or territory. Subsidised training places are funded by each state and territory, and each sets its own rule on which visa holders qualify. Check with the training authority in your state or territory, and do not assume one state's rule applies elsewhere.
Questions about university fees on a partner visa
Do you need a student visa to study on a partner visa?
No. All four partner visas allow study. The partner visa decides what you pay, not whether you may enrol.
Can you apply for domestic scholarships?
Each scholarship sets its own citizenship or residence rule, so read the conditions for each one before you apply.
Is English tuition free?
Yes, for eligible visa holders through the Adult Migrant English Program, as the page on AMEP for partner visa holders explains.
Do school-age children on the partner visa pay fees?
That is a state and territory question. The work and study rights page covers school-age children.
Studying after the grant, and the subclass 801
- The grant that moves you to domestic rates: partner visa subclass 801.
- What you may study and where fees fit on each stage: partner visa work and study rights.
- Free English tuition before or after the permanent grant: AMEP for partner visa holders.
- Work, travel and Medicare after the grant: after your partner visa is granted.
Fee status turns on dates: the grant date, each census date and the pledge date. The visa side of those dates, such as when the 801 can be granted or whether a separation affects it, is where a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner makes a successful application more likely. No adviser can guarantee a grant.
Questions people ask
Are permanent residents eligible for HECS-HELP?
Generally no. Study Assist states that a permanent resident can study in a Commonwealth supported place at the subsidised rate but cannot use a HELP loan to pay the student contribution. Section 90-5 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 limits HECS-HELP to citizens and to some humanitarian, Pacific engagement and New Zealand visa holders.
Do 820 visa holders pay international fees at university?
Yes, in most cases. Study Assist states that temporary visa holders are classified as international students who must pay the overseas student fees their provider charges, and cannot get a Commonwealth supported place or a HELP loan. The subclass 820 and 309 are temporary visas.
When can a partner visa holder get HECS-HELP?
After becoming an Australian citizen. Study Assist says you may be eligible for a HELP loan for units whose census date falls after the day you became a citizen, which means after the ceremony and the pledge.
Does a sponsor's HECS debt affect a partner visa?
No partner visa criterion and no sponsorship criterion in the Migration Regulations 1994 refers to a HELP debt. A sponsor who moves overseas still has a repayment obligation, because the Higher Education Support Act 2003 makes overseas debtors liable to repay on their worldwide income.
Sources
Primary sources this page was checked against on 23 September 2026.
- Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth), Federal Register of Legislation www.legislation.gov.au
- Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Federal Register of Legislation www.legislation.gov.au
- Home Affairs, Partner visa (subclass 801) immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Home Affairs, Partner visa (subclass 820) immi.homeaffairs.gov.au