A Preliminary Analysis of the Outcomes of Students Assisted by VET FEE-HELP

VET FEE-HELP is an income-contingent loan scheme that assists eligible students undertaking certain vocational education and training (VET) courses (diploma, advanced diploma, graduate certificate and graduate diploma) with an approved provider by paying for all or part of their tuition costs. The tuition costs are paid directly to the provider. Students' tuition costs (and a loan fee) are repaid to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) progressively once the student reaches a certain income level. VET FEE-HELP has been available to eligible students since 2009, with data on student enrollments and completions submitted annually to the Department of Education and Training by approved VET FEE-HELP providers. This report discusses the National Centre for Vocational Education Research's (NCVER's) analyses of the VET FEE-HELP Data Collection, which was used to investigate the following: (1) the characteristics of VET FEE-HELP assisted students; (2) which students are likely to access VET FEE-HELP; (3) whether the proportions of assisted students completing their training vary by provider; and (4) which students are likely to complete their training. The following are appended: (1) Terms and Definitions; (2) Raw Regression Output for Accessing VET FEE-HELP; and (3) Raw Regression Output for Course Completion. [For the summary of this report, see ED561219.]