Finance for school and education fees, with the total cost clear up front.
- Indicative answer within 2 business days
- Loans from $5K to $250K
- Parents and guardians on salaried income, self-employed ABN holders, and irregular income
- Private school fees, university costs, and tuition paid direct or reimbursed
- Full-doc (tax returns), low-doc or alt-doc (BAS, bank statements or an accountant's letter instead) options across our 90+ lender panel
Private school fees arrive in large instalments at the start of each term, and they land at the same time as uniforms, camps, devices, and everything else. The total across a year is predictable, the cash flow is not. Education finance turns those large term invoices into one repayment you can budget for, and for families with several children or several years to go, the structure matters more than the rate. Joseph Farhat and his team will look at the whole picture rather than the next invoice.
Before you borrow: options worth checking first
Most schools have more flexibility than their invoice suggests. Many offer a direct debit plan spreading fees across ten or twelve months at no additional cost, which is cheaper than any loan and often not advertised, so it is worth asking the business office directly. Schools commonly have bursaries, scholarships, and confidential fee assistance for families experiencing hardship, and those are usually assessed quietly on application. For tertiary study, an eligible Commonwealth supported place or a HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP loan (the government study loans repaid through the tax system once your income passes a threshold) is almost always cheaper than commercial finance, and the provider or Study Assist can confirm eligibility. We will still be here if a loan is the right answer.
Who we can help access finance
- Parents covering private or independent school fees across one or several children.
- Families facing a large first-year cost, including enrolment, uniforms, devices, and building levies.
- Parents whose income is irregular, so the term invoice does not always line up with a good month.
- Self-employed borrowers and ABN holders whose income is real but takes longer to evidence.
- Families funding a boarding component, where the annual figure is substantially higher.
- Adults funding a postgraduate course, professional qualification, or trade certification not covered by HELP.
- Parents funding a school exchange, tour, or a year abroad.
- Families who have had a change in circumstances mid-year and need to bridge to the end of the school year.
How Education Finance Works
This is funded with a standard unsecured personal loan rather than a specialist education product, and the funds are paid to you so you can settle invoices as they arrive. The structural question is how far ahead to fund. Borrowing one year at a time keeps the balance low but means a new application each year, with a new enquiry and no guarantee of approval if circumstances change. Funding several years at once costs more in interest, because you pay interest on fees that are not yet due. For families with property, an equity release prices lower by rate, but over the remaining mortgage term it can cost more in total, and the debt is then secured against your home. Joseph Farhat and his team will price the realistic options against your actual schedule.
What Lenders Assess
Income and capacity
the repayment has to fit alongside your existing commitments, including any mortgage.
Credit profile
personal lending is risk-priced, so your file drives the rate you are offered.
Existing commitments
other loans, card limits, and buy-now-pay-later accounts all count.
Number of dependants
children are counted in the living expense assessment, which matters when you are borrowing because of them.
Amount and term
matching the term to the remaining years of schooling rather than the longest available.
Purpose
stated as education is sufficient. Lenders do not require the school's details or your child's enrolment record.
Equity available
for families with property, an equity release prices on a different tier, though the debt is then secured against the home.
The Process: What to Expect
- Talk to Joseph Farhat and his team about the annual fees, how many years remain, and your income. We will ask whether you have spoken to the school about a payment plan or fee assistance first.
- Provide the basics: identification, recent bank statements or payslips, and the fee schedule if you have it.
- We work out whether to fund one year or several, and price a personal loan against an equity release if you own property, with the total cost of each set out.
- We match your profile to the lenders most likely to approve it and lodge one application rather than several.
- Funds are released to you, usually within two business days, so you can settle each term invoice as it arrives.
Indicative Finance Options
| Route | Pricing | Typical Amount | Loan Term | Suits | Speed to Funding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School direct debit plan | Usually no additional cost | One year of fees | 10 to 12 months | Smoothing a single year | Immediate |
| Personal loan | Priced for flexibility | $5K to $75K | 1 to 7 years | One to two years of fees | Within 2 business days |
| Equity release | Sharpest available pricing | $20K to $250K | Remaining mortgage term | A multi-year commitment | 2 to 6 weeks |
Indicative figures only. Actual terms depend on your circumstances and lender assessment at the time of application. We quote your rate and comparison rate for your specific loan amount and term before you apply. Terms are subject to change.
Why borrowers choose Settled With Joe for education finance
We represent you, not the lender
Joseph Farhat and his team act in your interest, and on consumer lending that is a legal duty, not a slogan.
Ask the school first
a direct debit plan across the year usually costs nothing, and bursaries and fee assistance exist at most schools and are rarely advertised.
We look at the whole commitment, not the next invoice
with several years or several children ahead, the structure decides the total far more than the rate does.
Equity changes the arithmetic both ways
a lower rate, but a longer term and your home as security, so we compare the total cost across the years remaining.
One conversation, not five applications
funding year by year means repeated applications, and each one is recorded on your credit file.
No enrolment detail required
lenders fund the amount, not the school. We do not ask for your child's records and neither do they.
90+ lenders on one panel
bank, non-bank, and specialist, so a clean file gets a sharp rate and a complex one still has options.
Usually no direct cost to you
as a broker we are typically paid by the lender on settlement.
An honest answer early
if the fee commitment is not sustainable across the years remaining, we will say so rather than fund the next invoice.
Frequently asked questions
What is education and school fees finance?
It is funding used to cover school or course fees and the associated costs. In practice it is a standard unsecured personal loan, or for homeowners an equity release, rather than a specialist education product. The funds are paid to you so you can settle invoices directly as each term or semester falls due, and the loan is repaid over a fixed term with fixed repayments.
Should I ask the school for a payment plan first?
Yes, and it is the first thing worth doing. Most independent and private schools offer a direct debit arrangement spreading annual fees across ten or twelve months, frequently at no additional cost, which will beat any loan. Many also have bursaries, scholarships, and confidential fee assistance for families whose circumstances have changed, assessed on application through the business office. Schools generally prefer to keep a student enrolled on an arrangement, and the business office handles these requests confidentially.
Should I fund one year or several?
It depends on how many years remain and how stable your income is. Funding one year at a time keeps the balance low, but means a fresh application each year with a new credit enquiry and no guarantee of approval if your circumstances change. Funding several years at once costs more in interest, because you pay interest on fees that are not yet due. For families with property, an equity release prices lower by rate, but over the remaining mortgage term it can cost more in total, and the debt is then secured against your home. We will model all three on total cost.
Can I fund several children on one loan?
Yes. Lenders assess the total amount and your capacity to repay it, not how it is allocated between children. A single facility covering the household's fees is usually simpler than separate loans, and generally cheaper than several small ones because of how establishment fees work. It also means one repayment to budget for rather than several with different dates.
Does the school need to invoice the lender directly?
No. Funds are released to you and you pay the school as you normally would, which keeps you in control of the timing and lets you settle uniforms, camps, and levies from the same facility. It also means the school has no involvement in your finance arrangements at all, which many parents prefer.
Can I use this for university or a postgraduate course?
You can, but check the government options first, because they are almost always cheaper. An eligible Commonwealth supported place with HECS-HELP, or FEE-HELP for eligible full-fee courses, is indexed rather than charged commercial interest and is repaid through the tax system only once your income passes a threshold. Study Assist and the education provider can confirm your eligibility. Commercial finance generally makes sense for courses that fall outside HELP, such as some professional qualifications, short courses, and overseas study.
Will applying affect my credit score?
Every credit application is recorded on your file, and several in a short window read poorly to the next lender. This matters more than usual here because funding year by year means a fresh application annually, and those accumulate. If a home loan or refinance is on the horizon, that pattern of enquiries is visible to the mortgage lender. We work out the right structure and lender before anything is lodged.
What is a comparison rate, and why are no rates shown on this page?
A comparison rate combines the interest rate with the standard fees into a single figure so two loans can be compared honestly. It matters here because the routes on this page price on completely different tiers, from a school plan at no cost through to an equity release at mortgage rates, so a single headline number would be actively misleading. A comparison rate is also only meaningful for a specific amount and term. We quote your rate and comparison rate for your real structure.
Do you work with borrowers with bad credit?
Yes, we do. A default, an old arrears listing, or a thin credit file does not rule you out, and it is not something we will make you feel awkward about. Several lenders on our panel assess your current capacity rather than the credit file alone, and price for it rather than decline it. Telling us early lets us approach the right lender first instead of adding enquiries to your file.
Do you act in my best interests?
Yes. When we provide credit assistance on consumer lending we owe you a best interests duty. We make reasonable enquiries into your financial situation, requirements, and objectives, and we must not suggest or help you apply for a loan that is unsuitable for you. On this page that duty is why we point you to the school plan, bursaries, and HELP before we set out the loans, and why we look at the whole remaining commitment rather than the next invoice. Before we provide credit assistance you will receive our Credit Guide.
Why work with Settled With Joe for school fees?
Because the next invoice is not the problem, the next five years are. Most of the people we help are parents part-way through a schooling commitment, facing a term invoice that has arrived at an awkward moment, and thinking about it one bill at a time. There is no judgement in the conversation, and we only ask for what the lender needs: the fee amounts and how many years remain. What matters is the annual figure, your income, and whether you have equity, because the rate, the term and the security all change the total cost of a multi-year commitment. We will point you to the school plan and any bursary first, because those cost nothing. Our panel covers 90+ bank, non-bank, and specialist lenders. We are based in Sydney and work with borrowers Australia-wide. Joseph Farhat and his team will tell you honestly and early what is achievable.
Do you give financial advice?
No. We do not guide you on your finances, nor give financial advice. We focus on outcomes and solutions of presenting your unique scenario to the right lender so you can access funding in a timely and compliant manner.
Do you help with education and school fees finance outside Sydney?
Yes. Settled With Joe is based in Sydney and arranges education and school fees finance Australia-wide, covering both metro and regional areas. We work with clients in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra, as well as regional areas including Newcastle, Wollongong, Geelong, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Toowoomba. Lender appetite does not vary by location on this product, though school fee levels and available bursaries differ considerably between schools and states. Joseph Farhat and his team will identify which lenders on the panel are the best fit for your situation.
