UNE Student Financial Assistance Scheme
The University offers interest-free loans to students for enrolment related purposes such as textbooks, start up rent or bond and other personal education expenses.
The loans are usually limited to $500, but can go up to $1,000 in some circumstances and a guarantor is needed for amounts over $500. A small administration charge is added to the loan when approved - $10 for loans up to $500 and $20 for loans over $500. The General Service Fee must have been paid before the loan can be approved.
These loans can't be given for payment of Uni fees such as the General Service Fee, HECS or repayment of other loans.
Other conditions do apply so it's best to talk to the UNE Finance Office for more information.
If the purpose of the loan is to purchase textbooks through the campus bookshop, you can speed up the process by obtaining a quote from the bookshop for the texts and attaching it to your application. When the application is approved, UNE Finance can then direct credit the bookshop to allow you to pick up your books earlier.
There are also provisions for emergency short-term cash loans of up to $50.
Application forms can be downloaded here (PDF - 76K) or obtained from the UNE Finance in the TC Lamble Building.
Completed applications should be returned to:
Student Loans Officer
Finance Directorate
UNE Armidale 2351
(Fax 02 67733593)
Repayments are negotiated individually at the time the loan is approved.
Click here to see the full Regulations for the SFAS
Download the Loan Application Form (PDF Format - 76K)
NB: Part of the Application requires a Statutory Declaration to be signed and witnessed by a JP or similar. If you are handing in the application in person, the Finance Directorate has JP's who can do this. If you are posting your application, you can find local JP's through the Courthouse. For NSW residents you can do an on-line search at:
http://jp.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/public/welcomePublic.do
If you need a loan for substantially more than SFAS is able to provide, you may need to look at loans from one of the banks. All the major banks have loan products specifically directed at students, some of which have a scheme where repayments are deferred for varying periods. (While repayments can be deferred, the interest charges are not.)
Some web sites you could look at for more information are :
http://www.commbank.com.au/Personal/PersonalLending/StudentLoans.asp
http://www.westpac.com.au/internet/publish.nsf/Content/PBPLCR+Student+loan
http://www.anz.com.au/australia/persbnk/prdsrv/personal/graduate_loan.asp
http://www.national.com.au/Personal_Finance/0,,9712,00.html
Credit Unions are often easier to deal with than the large banks and can be easily joined. In Armidale there is the New England Credit Union: http://www.necu.com.au/
A more complete list of web sites of financial institutions can be found at :