Overview
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Objective
Upon Completion of this KB the User will understand how to submit an electronic Commonwealth assistance form (eCAF) request to the Government via Paradigm on behalf of a student.
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Student applies to study course, indicated that they wish to apply for Fee-HELP /HECS-HELP and provides evidence of Academic suitability - ATAR score, transcripts, SOA, or other documentation to prove eligibility. (These are required by the Government and providers are required to keep these documents as evidence of acceptance suitability)
Student is accepted then enrolled into units / subjects.
The provider then submits details to HEIMS that the student should be sent an invitation to complete an eCAF .
The student is then sent an email with an Encrypted PASS-KEY to complete the required information including a valid Tax File Number (TFN)
Key terms and concepts
Application process flowchart
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| Please note: A Student must be enrolled into a unit of study with a Census date in the future before an eCAF can be submitted to the Government. Students must return the completed form Prior to the census date to be a valid form / enrolment. |
The table below outlinesthe key fields that need to be filled forcompleted as part of the eCAF workflow:
Field Name | Description | Sample Data |
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ECAF | Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form, More commonly known as Fee-Help Form or HECS-HELP form | |
FEE-HELP | Fee-Help is a loan Scheme that assists eligible students to pay all or part of their tuition fees. This loan is subject to 25% Government loading | For more information on Fee-Help click here |
HECS-HELP | HECS-HELP is a loan scheme to help Commonwealth Supported students to pay their student contribution amounts through and loan or upfront discounts. This loan has no Government loading | |
API | Application Programming Interface. Part of a server that receives and requests and sends responses. Here it is a programmed link between Paradigm and the HEIMS / Government E-CAF System | Login details received from the Government to link Paradigm to the E-CAF portal |
HEIMS Census date | The date after which a student incurs a debt for the unit(s) of study in which they have been enrolled This date can not be set less than 20% of the duration of the teaching period as outlined in the HESA and AIP | |
HITS provider code | Each provider is given a Unique 4 digit identifying code that is used in HEPCAT / HITS, this data is stored in the provider tab in Paradigm. | |
Element Numbers | Unique identifiers of required data / questions asked by the Government in order to provide accurate data on Students, Courses, units and providers. These are used with in Paradigm and HEPCAT to help in ensuring data integrity across all providers. A full list can be viewed | A full list of these can be viewed here. Each Element number refers to a data field within Paradigm. However not every field has an elements. These fields contain non-reportable data. |
HEIMS Course code | E307 - The code assigned by the provider to uniquely identify a course of Study. This code is used in HEPCAT reporting | |
CHESSN Number | A commonwealth Higher Education student number (CHESSN) is a 10 digit number provided by the Australian Government to all students who are in receipt of either HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP. It is a unique number that remains with the student regardless of if they change institutions. This means that HELP debts can be tracked to ensure that the student does not exceed their allocation. |
Workflow
Application process flowchart
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How to Submit an eCAF for completion
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Paradigm has the capability of submitting an electronic eCAF on behalf of a student. This functionality requires a specific type of access to the eCAF website called "API System Access". Providers wishing to implement a direct integration between Paradigm and the government eCAF site must complete the following form:
https://docs.education.gov.au/documents/government-ecaf-api-system-access-request-form
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Note that the completed form should be emailed to HEenquiries@education.gov.au |
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