Written by Charlotte Penhall
Most people in Australia know about HECS-HELP and SA-HELP before they go to university, but what exactly is a Commonwealth Support Place (CSP) and an eCAF? Well, let’s break it down.
What is a Commonwealth Support Place?
A CSP is a place where the government pays for a share of your study costs, and you pay the other share. Most people choose to use their HECS-HELP loan to pay their student contribution amount.
To accept a CSP and use HECS-HELP and SA-HELP, you must fill out an eCAF. You can request an eCAF on the student portal under ‘My Account’.
What is the eCAF form and do I need to fill it out?
First of all, what even is an eCAF? Well, eCAF stands for ‘electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form’. It is something that you will use to apply for HECS-HELP and SA-HELP.
Everyone must fill out an eCAF to indicate how they are going to pay their student contribution amount if they accepted a CSP, regardless if you are going to pay up-front or defer through HECS-HELP.
The eCAF must also be completed before the census date of your first session of study. For example, if you started university in Session 1, 2024 you would have had until March 22nd, 2024 to complete an eCAF. This date will change each year.
You only need to fill out an eCAF once during your degree.
What happens if I don’t fill out an eCAF?
If you do not fill out an eCAF, the Australian Government will ask Charles Sturt to remove you from your CSP (if you accepted one). Do not panic, at this point you will just have to re-enorl into your subjects for that session, and pay for them up-front in full.
You are allowed to enrol for a CSP again in the following session if you are eligible. However, if you fail to fill out an eCAF in the following session (twice in a row), you will be removed from your degree, and will have to re-apply to study at Charles Sturt.
This being said, don’t worry! Charles Sturt sends lots of reminders to fill out an eCAF! If you need help filling out your eCAF, make sure to reach out to Student Central.
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative
