Tertiary Education Loans Scheme (“TELS”) is a fund intended to provide finance to Fijian students who have qualified for higher education at approved institutions but are unable to support themselves financially.

The Scheme provides student’s zero or low interest loans to eligible Fijians to enable them access to higher education, in line with the Fijian Government’s vision of “Building a Smarter Fiji”.

For the new financial year (1 August 2021-31 July 2022), a maximum of 2000 students will be funded under the following TELS Schemes:

1. TELS New
2. TELS Existing
3. TELS Public Sector Employees.
4. TELS Private Sector Employees.
5. TELS for Accommodation Support scheme.

A new scheme has been announced for TELS for TVET students at the Fiji National University which has a quota of another 5000 sponsorship.

The quota will be reviewed on annual basis and the same will be published in the advertisements for the following year applications.

No. Each of the Tertiary Education Loans Scheme has its own set of eligibility criteria. Only students who meet the respective category of TELS eligibility criteria are approved for TELS.
It is important to note that each Higher Education Institution has its own eligibility criteria and based on the criteria, they may make offers to students. While an offer letter is a mandatory document for TSLS Offer under any scheme, the applicants first need to meet the eligibility criteria to qualify for TELS.

No. TELS is restricted to studies at an eligible program at any qualifying local higher education institution only.

Under no circumstances, TELS will be approved for any overseas studies. This applies to any Regional campuses of an Institution based in Fiji also.

Yes. Students can apply for upgrade of qualification up to Post Graduate Diploma upon bond service and repayment of study loan.

No. Foundation Studies or bridging programs/courses are not funded under TELS.

• Overseas Studies.
• Foundation Studies.
• Unclassified/Undergraduate Programs.
• Short Courses.
• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS).
• Bachelor or Oral Health.
• Bachelor of Oral Health and Dental Surgery.
• Programs not attracting sufficient cross credits for the next level of studies in the same program. This includes but is not limited to Pacific TAFE programs (Early Childhood program offered by Pacific TAFE is eligible for TELS funding).
• Post Graduate Qualifications.
• Franchise programs.
• Double Degrees.
• Pilot Training.
• Upgrade of qualification.
• Any programs or institutions not listed in the drop-down menu of the TSLS Online Application System.
• Professional Accreditation Courses e.g. FIA, CPA, CISCO etc.; and
• Program not registered/accredited with Fiji Higher Education Commission.

Currently there are 8 categories of TELS as follows with each category having its own eligibility criteria for application:

1. TELS for New Students.
2. TELS for Existing Tertiary Students.
3. TELS for Private Sector Employees.
4. TELS for Public Sector Employees.
5. TELS Accommodation Support Scheme.
6. TELS for TVET students at the Fiji National University.
7. TELS for Pilot Training (suspended from 2021 till further notice!!!).
8. TELS for Graduates Seeking to upgrade to MBBS (suspended from 2021 till further notice!!!).

1. University of Fiji.
2. Fiji National University.
3. The University of the South Pacific.
4. Corpus Christi Teachers College.
5. Fulton University College.
6. Sangam Institute of Technology.
7. Centre for Applied Technology and Development.
8. Pacific Flying School-Pilot Training.
9. Advanced Aviation Training-Pilot Training.

All applicants for this scheme must satisfy all of the following application eligibility criteria;

1. Must be a Fijian Citizen;
2. Must be an ordinarily resident in Fiji for at least three years before the loan commencement date.
3. Must have completed Year 13 in 2011 or thereafter locally and scored a minimum of 280/400 in the Fiji Year 13 Examination / Fiji Seventh Form Examination (FSFE) or it’s equivalence as determined by the Board; or
4. Completion of full Foundation Studies (bridging or completion of few foundation studies courses only does not meet the definition of full foundation studies) with a GPA of 3.15/4.5 or 3.50/5.0 or above;
5. Combined family income to be less than $100,000; and
6. Must have a final offer letter from a local qualifying HEI in an eligible program.

The list of documents required for TELS for Existing Students Applications are as follows:

All applicants for this scheme must satisfy all of the following application eligibility criteria:

1. Must be a Fijian Citizen;
2. Must be an ordinarily resident in Fiji for at least three years before the loan commencement date;
3. Applicant must be in employment at the time of application and remain in employment during the course of studies (Leave with/Without Pay letter from the employer is acceptable),
4. Applicant must not be earning a gross income of more than $25,000 per annum;
5. Combined family income to be less than $100,000;
6. Must be seeking to attain an academic qualification (first higher education qualification) or upgrade an existing qualification (in the same area of studies and only if the earlier qualification was not funded under TELS or any other Fijian Government Schemes) up to the maximum of first Bachelor’s degree at an eligible institution either as a part-time or full-time student.
7. Applicant must submit to TSLS current and past employment contacts (3 most recent), recent pays slip and FNPF statement showing the last three contributions by the current/former employer(s).
8. Applicants who resign from work post the approval of the scheme risk losing the financial support under TELS.

The list of documents required for TELS for Private Sector Employees Applications are as follows:

The list of documents required for TELS for Public Sector Employees Applications are as follows:

All applicants for this scheme must satisfy all of the following application eligibility criteria;

1. Must be a Fijian Citizen;
2. Must be an ordinarily resident in Fiji for at least three years before the loan commencement date;
3. Must be enrolled in either in Year 13/Full Foundation studies or such Equivalent Studies as determined by the Board at the time of applying. That is in the year before the award year;
4. Combined family income to be less than $100,000;
5. Must not be an Existing Pilot Training student.
6. Must have an offer letter either from either Pacific Flying School or Advanced Aviation Training Ltd.

The list of documents required for TELS for Pilot Training Applications are as follows:

All applicants for this scheme must satisfy all of the following application eligibility criteria;

1. Must be a Fijian Citizen;
2. Must be an ordinarily resident in Fiji for at least three years before the loan commencement date;
3. Must have successfully completed Fiji Year 12 (Fiji School Leaving Certificate Examination) locally and scored a minimum of 200/400 or completed Level 1 and II from TCF.
4. Combined family income to be less than $100,000; and
5. Must have an offer letter from Fiji National University for certificate Level III, Certificate Level IV and Diploma Level 5 programmes offered by TVET Pasifika.

The list of documents required for TELS for TVET Students application for eligible FNU programs offered under TVET Pasifika are as follows:

All applicants for this scheme must satisfy all of the following application eligibility criteria;

1. Must be a Fijian Citizen;
2. Must be an ordinarily resident in Fiji for at least three years before the loan commencement date;
3. Must have a relevant undergraduate degree qualification which is accepted as an entry qualification into the MBBS program by the Higher Education Institutions;
4. Combined family income to be less than $100,000; and
5. Must not be under any existing scholarship or loans bond. This is extended to donor funded scholarships as well; and
6. Must have an offer letter for MBBS from an eligible local higher education institution.

The list of documents required for TELS for Graduates Seeking to upgrade to MBBS application are as follows:

TELS Accommodation Support Scheme is the loan facility available for tertiary, vocational and technical eligible higher education institution students to meet other expenses such as accommodation and meals, bus fare and incidental & stationary.  This scheme does not cover tuition and general services fees etc.

To be eligible for TELS for Accommodation Support scheme, all of the following criteria MUST be satisfied:

1. Must be a Fijian Citizen;
2. Must be an ordinarily resident in Fiji for at least three years before the loan commencement date;
3. Must have a combined parental/guardian annual gross income of less than FJD$50,000; and
4. Must satisfy the various allowance eligibility as per the “Study Where You Live (Zoning) Policy.

Under Study Where You Live (Zoning) policy to qualify for TELS-Accommodation Support Scheme students seeking financial assistance from TSLS under TELS, must enrol at campuses within their locality.

A campus within their locality means that the program is offered by the institution of their choice at campuses close to their home on a full-time basis and they can commute from home to attend classes or can complete their studies via alternative mode of studies without having to re-locate.

Students enrolling at campuses within their locality may be eligible for bus fare and incidental allowances only. No Food and Rent/Hostel Allowance will be paid.

In case a student still prefers to move to the main campus regardless of the program being offered in their locality, the allowance eligibility will be restricted to bus fare and incidental only.

The Zoning Policy applies to all TELS Schemes on an equitable basis.

1. Hostel Fees with meals to a maximum of $2025/semester, $1688/trimester or $1013 per quarter.
2. Hostel Fees without meals to a maximum of $1125/semester, $968/trimester or $563 per quarter.
3. Rent- $250 per month.
4. Bus Fare- $30/week;
5. Food expenses- $50/week; and
6. Incidental and Stationary allowance- $1000/annum.

The best way to apply for this scheme is to apply for the same with whichever TELS scheme that you are applying for tuition. For example, if you are applying for TELS for New Students, combine this with TELS for Accommodation Support scheme.

What you need to do is in Step 3 of the TSLS Online Application System, where it requires you to select the scheme applying for, Select the second option “TELS TUITION AND ACCOMODATION SUPPORT SCHEME”.

By selecting “TELS Tuition and Accommodation Support Scheme” you will apply for both, Tuition and Allowances.

Yes. You can apply for TELS for Accommodation Support Scheme only if you can manage your tuition and other fees and charges either privately or some other form of funding. However, you must be enrolled for an eligible program and courses/units which is funded by TSLS at a qualifying local higher education institution.

To apply for TELS Accommodation Support Scheme only, you need to select “Accommodation Support Scheme” in Step 3 of TSLS Online Application System.

In addition to all the required documents for the specific TELS category that you are applying for, the following additional documents needs to be submitted:

Yes. You can apply for allowances after receipt of your TSLS provisional offer letter and bond form by following the steps below:

On your landing/profile page, Select the third Option “Reject and Request for Different Choice”;
Once you have clicked on this option, fill the requirements and upload mandatory documents;
Once you have completed the requirements, click “Save Alternative Choice”.

Your application will then be pushed back to the processing stage and once processed you can download your new TSLS offer letter and bond form. This may take 2-3 weeks as other new applications in the que will be priority over the applications marked as “Reprocessing”.

Yes. You can apply for the allowances after receipt of your TELS Confirmation Letter. However, all applications after the confirmation letter will be processed for the following academic term. For example, if you applied for tuition only for Semester 1, 2021 and have received confirmation letter for tuition only and the decide to apply for allowances, you will be paid allowances (if eligible) from Semester 2, 2021 only. You will miss out on allowance payment for semester 1.

You can apply using Form TSLS 04.

Strictly No. Allowances eligibility is restricted to full time students only.

You can only apply for allowances if you are enrolled as a full-time student, on full academic load and are on leave without pay.

In some cases, and at the discretion of TSLS, students enrolled a full-time student, on full academic load and are on annual earning of less than $25,000.00 may be considered for allowances.

No. TELS allowances are retracted for the benefit of the students only and does not extend to the families.

Applicable interest rates on all TELS borrowing are dependent on the combined parents/guardians/self-annual income of the applicant and the rates are as follows:

Loan repayment is subject to the TELS Accelerated Repayment Incentive (“ARI”) as announced in the 2018/2019 national budget.

TELS Accelerated Repayment Incentive is a heavily incentivized repayment scheme for TELS recipients who settle their loans early. Depending on the total amount owed, the length of time taken post-graduation and getting into paid employment, the scheme provides an opportunity for TELS recipients to have a significant portion of their student debt waived off by the Fijian Government.

TELS Accelerated Repayment Incentives are set in three steps, affording 10%, 25% and 50% discounts on the amount of the loan. ARI steps are determined based on the student’s total debt and how quickly their discounted portion of the loan is settled after their first day of employment post-graduation.
For example, if you are a new graduate with a student debt of less than $20,000 and settle 50% of the loan balance in less than 2 years, you will be entitled to a waiver of 50% (i.e., $10,000).

The following rates of repayments and discounts apply:

You need to check with FRCS on how exactly the discounts is calculated and the exact amount that you must pay to get the discount.

In case you cannot find any program/institution of your preference in the drop-down menu on TSLS Online application portal, it means that the program/instruction is NOT an eligible program/institution for TELS funding.

You may choose to select another program which is in the drop-down menu.

Yes. You can apply for change in either the Program/Major/Minor or Institution under TELS only once after the award confirmation letter has been issued using Form TSLS 04-02 provided you satisfy the following conditions:

1. Non-Medical Students and Medical Students not on annualized program.

• These are students who are enrolled who have been awarded in programs other than “Medical and Health” or for programs within the “Medical and Health” which are assessed and graded on a term-by-term basis instead of on an annualized basis.
• Students falling in this category are eligible to apply for change in either the major/minor/program and institution provided the request is made in writing to TSLS before the second year of the award. That is, you can request for the change either after one or two terms of studies under the award.
• No request for change will be considered after more than 2 terms of studies under TELS.

2. Medical Students on Annualized assessed programs.

• These are students who have been given the Loans scheme in the “Medical and Health” category and the courses that they are enrolled in are not graded at the end of each academic term but at the end of the annual academic year. E.g., MBBS program.
• Students falling in this category are eligible to apply for change in either the major/minor/program and institution provided the request is made in writing to TSLS before they commence the third year of the award. That is, you can request for the change either after year 1 or year 2 studies under the award.
• No request for change will be considered after more than 2 years of studies.

Strictly once only. Any application in excess of one prior approved application will be declined by TSLS.

This means that after the award confirmation letter has been issued, you can apply for either the program/major/minor/institution only once during the entire award period.  In cases where you have been approved for a change in either the program, /major/minor or institution, you can no longer apply for any further changes.

As an example, if you applied for and got the major approved once, you cannot further apply for any more changes to either the program/major/minor or institution.

Any application for change in either the program/major/minor or institution must be applied for using Form TSLS 04-02. The following mandatory documents must be submitted with the duly completed application form (TSLS 04-02):

1. Full academic transcript of current program.
2. Offer letter for new program/major/minor or institution.
3. Cross Credit document for new program/major/minor or institution.
4. Program structure for the new program/major(s)/minor or institution.
5. Request letter stating the reasons for the change requested.

All allowance payment is subject to the receipt of student’s enrolment report from their respective higher education institutions.

An enrolment report contains record of student’s enrolment/registration of courses/units for a particular academic term. It contains the course/unit codes that students are enrolled in and classifies the same as first attempt, second attempt, subsequent attempt and courses/units which are not part of the TSLS sponsored program.

Allowances will only be calculated and paid upon receipt of your enrolment reports. You can visit our website www.tsls.com.fj and check under “Student Notices” for your enrolment reports as submitted by the higher education institutions. In case your name does not appear in the list and if you have already enrolled for the courses/units, you need to check with your Institutions’ student services/academic office.

TSLS will pay the allowances progressively in two or more batches as enrolment reports are received. The first batch of allowances will be paid by the 4th week of lectures.

It is in your interest to enrol for the courses/units at least one week before the commencement of lecture to get your allowances by week 1 of lectures. For all enrolments after Thursday a week before the lecture commences, allowances will be paid in week 4 of lectures.

Allowances for each academic term will be calculated based on the academic load. An academic load is defined as the number of allowance eligible courses a student is enrolled for in a term divided by the total number of courses the student is required to enrol in as a full-time student.

A study load of less than 50% of the full load in an academic term is deemed to be a part-time load and may lead to the termination of the award and or payment of the allowances on a pro-rata basis. Students who fail to register for full academic load will be paid allowances on a pro-rata basis.

TSLS reserves the right to pay your allowance in one or more batches. For example, 50% before the mid-term break and 50% after the break.

For speedy payment of allowances, TSLS is encouraging students to register for M-Paisa and submit the M-Paisa number to TSLS.

The following formula is currently to calculate the allowances for TELS students.

ALLOWANCE CALCULATION FOR TELS STUDENTS

The following are not included as eligible course(s) for the purpose of calculating the Load Factor and allowance payable for each academic term:

1. Repeat courses failed before 1 August 2017 under any Fijian Government Scheme;
2. More than one repeat course(s) per annum for courses failed after 1 August 2017;
3. Foundation courses which are not part of the student’s TSLS approved program; and
4. Any courses which are not part of the TSLS approved program e.g., Free Courses offered by HEI’s (e.g., UU100A at USP), Professional Accreditation courses e.g., FIA Courses).

The current number of weeks by term and institution for which TELS Accommodation Support Scheme allowance is calculated and paid is as follows:

The maximum allowance payable for each academic term during the duration of the award depends on a number of factors such as:

1. The categories of allowances and the rate of allowances that you applied for;
2. The categories of allowances and the rate of allowances approved by TSLS;
3. Your load factor for each academic term;
4. The number of weeks for which the allowances is paid for each academic term; and
5. The bus fare allowance is also dependent on the amount of unutilized bus fare allowance on the last day of final examinations from the previous academic term.

As an example, if a semester-based student is on maximum rate of allowances (Food $50/week, Rent $250/month or $62.50/week and bus fare $30/week and incidental of $500/Semester) and maximum of 4 courses is allowed per term, the maximum TELS allowances payable for a Semester with 22 weeks’ payments based on the various load factor will be as follows:

In cases where the students are allowed to enrol for a maximum of three courses only, the following maximum allowances will be payable at various Load Factor using the same scenario as above will be as follows.

Visit any E-Transport Top-Up Agent/Vodafone Fiji outlet with your E-Ticket card to redeem your bus fare allowance.

Inform the Agent representative that you have received TSLS travel allowance which you need to be redeemed to your card.

The agent will press the “redeem” on option on the POS and you would be asked to tap and hold your card for few seconds to get the balance written on your card.

Once, the balance is transferred, you will receive a paper receipt that will advise you of the amount of allowance received from the TSLS and your new balance on the card.

You are now good to use the card on the buses.  Happy Ride!!

In case you have lost your E-Ticket card after redeeming the funds transferred by TSLS, you need to take the following steps:

1. Visit a Vodafone outlet nearest to you.
2. Report to Vodafone staff that your card is lost.
3. Vodafone staff will issue you with a replacement card (Check with the Vodafone on the cost of the replacement card).
4. After few days Vodafone will transfer the credit balance (if any) to your new card.
5. Fill Form TSLS 04 and submit your new E-Ticket card number to TSLS for your financial records to be updated and disbursement of all future bus fare allowance by TSLS.

It is important to note that neither TSLS nor Vodafone Fiji will be responsible for loss of any funds as a result of you losing your card and usage by someone else. Nor will TSLS be responsible for any delay in transfer of the funds from the lost card to the new card.

In case you have lost your E-Ticket card before redeeming the funds transferred by TSLS, you need to take the following steps:

1. Fill TSLS Form 04 with all the required details and the new E-Ticket card number and hand deliver to the TSLS Office nearest to you. TSLS will not accept and process any forms submitted email or fax.
2. TSLS staff will amend your record on TSLS system and provide you with an approved copy of your application.
3. Your new E-Ticket card number will be submitted to Vodafone for the transfer of your balance from your old/lost card to new number.
4. You will then need to visit any e-Transport Top-Up Agent/Vodafone Fiji outlet with your E-Ticket card to redeem your bus fare allowance.

The whole process of the transfer from your lost card to the new card may take 4-6 weeks and neither TSLS nor Vodafone Fiji Ltd will be responsible for the delay. It is your responsibility to store and keep your card safely to avoid the same being lost or damaged.

1. TSLS will process and pay your eligible food, rent and incidental allowance in the M-Paisa or Bank account submitted by you to TSLS either as part of your initial application or subsequent changes via the use of Form TSLS 04.

   TSLS will continue to disburse your allowances every academic term in the M-Paisa or Bank account nominated by you. As such it is important that you MUST ensure the following:

2. The M-Paisa number that you have submitted to TSLS is registered under your name and is always kept active. The number needs to remain active as you will receive SMS notification as soon as allowance is disbursed to your m-paisa account; or
3. The bank account details that you have submitted to TSLS is registered under your name and is always kept active. The account must remain active throughout the duration of your studies.
4. In case you have submitted to TSLS the M-Paisa or Bank Account that belongs to someone else, the impact will be as follows:
5. TSLS will still process and pay your allowances in this account as the number was submitted by you and TSLS will take no responsibility for the error or omission;
6. The funds will be transferred to someone’s account as per your nominations;
7. You will then need to contact the account holder on your own and request/him or her to transfer the funds to you. TSLS will not involve itself in any discussion or negotiations with the account holder.
8. In case the account holder refuses to transfer the funds to you, you will need to take appropriate action against the person.
9. TSLS will not process and pay another batch of allowance to you as reimbursement of the allowances paid to another person’s account which was provided to TSLS by you. However, the same will be added to your student account statement and recovered from you.
10. You will need to fill Form TSLS 04 and submit to TSLS for updating your finance records and processing of all future allowances.
11. In case you have submitted the M-Paisa or Bank Account number to TSLS which is not registered/active or is inactive/wrong/dormant, the following will be the consequences:
12. TSLS will still process and pay your allowances in this account as the number was submitted by you and TSLS will take no responsibility for the error or omission;
13. The funds may either be returned to TSLS account or remain in the bank or m-paisa trust account. As such TSLS may or may not be aware that your allowances have been returned to TSLS account.
14. In case TSLS is made aware of your allowances being returned to TSLS, we will contact you to fill Form TSLS 04 and submit to TSLS with your correct account details.
15. Once you have submitted the correct account details and only after the allowances have been returned to TSLS, your allowance will be re-processed and deposited to your correct account.
16. All fees and charges incurred by TSLS for the returns and re-processing will be deducted from your allowances before payments is made to you. This will also be added your account statement as well.
17. The whole process of re-processing the allowances may take between 4-6 weeks and TSLS takes no responsibility for the delay in receipt of your re-processed allowances.
18. In case TSLS is not made aware of your returns, you will fail to receive the allowances unless you flag the matter to TSLS. Once you flag the matter, TSLS will contact Vodafone or your nominated bank and seek clarification and if the funds are still sitting in their account, a request to transfer the funds to TSLS account will be sent.
19. After the allowance is refunded/rolled back to TSLS account, the same will be processed and paid to you within 4-6 weeks.
20. As such it is in your interest to provide correct account details to TSLS and ensure that the same remains active throughout your tenure as a TSLS sponsored student.

    Should you wish to change any of your finance details, you need to fill Form TSLS 04 and submit to TSLS. Completed Form TSLS 04 must be hand delivered to TSLS office nearest to you. TSLS does not accept emailed or faxed forms.

Yes. You can apply for an extension of the award should you fail to complete the program within the duration stipulated in your award confirmation letter.

Whether any extension is granted or not will be at the sole discretion of TSLS.

Any application for extension should be made using Form TSLS 04-01. Duly completed Form TSLS 04-01, with the following mandatory documents and must be hand delivered to the TSLS office nearest to you. Emailed and faxed copies of the application will not be processed by TSLS:

1. Full Academic Transcript;
2. Program Audit Certificate;
3. Program Outline for the remaining courses/units (Year and Term in which these will be offered, and how you plan to complete); and
4. Letter explaining the reason(s) for not completing the program within the sponsored duration, along with any evidences such as medical certificates/letter from university.
5. Request for extension may be granted on the following grounds:
   1. Change in either the program/major/minor or institution granted by TSLS;
   2. Medical grounds backed up with medical reports acceptable to TSLS;
   3. Delays caused by natural disasters or any other pandemic;
   4. Bereavement for an immediate family member; and
   5. Deployment for national duties.

Any request for extension where student negligence resulting in the program not being completed is established, will not be approved.

Any Extension granted by TSLS will be for no more than two academic terms. That is upon end of bond period any student eligible for extension must not have more than 8 units pending for graduation.

During the period of extension, you will be placed on a probationary period. Should you fail any courses/units during the period of extension, your award will be terminated and recovery action will commence.

TSLS reserves the right to request students to complete the period under extension on TELS.
There will be no automatic extension by TSLS at the end of the initial award duration. You must re-apply for extension at the end of the initial award duration before the due date published by TSLS for each academic term and year.

Whether or not any allowances will be approved during any period of extension will depend on the balance of any eligible allowances after the completion of the initial award duration.

As an example, if you are on maximum rate of allowances for food, bus fare, incidental and rent students on semester basis, the maximum payable allowance per term is $3635 for Semester 1 and $3065 for Semester 2.  This amounts to $7600 per annum.  In case a student is enrolled for a three-year program and TELS confirmation letter states that the award is for 3 years, this means that the student is entitled to a maximum allowance of $20,100 ($7600/annum * 3 years) in three years.

So, if the student has already been paid $20,100 in 3 years, then he/she may not be entitled to any further allowances but Tuition only. However, let’s say that in 3 years, the student was only paid $19,000 by TSLS, then allowance of $1,100.00 may be paid during the period of extension.

However, no new allowances will be approved during any period of extension.

All TELS loan will be reviewed on a term-to-term basis and the award will be immediately suspended or terminated if a student:

1. Fails to meet the required pass, which is a minimum of 50% in first year and 75% in subsequent academic years;
2. Fails to maintain and take full academic load as per the enrolment/registration criteria of the Higher Education Institute of your choice for each academic term within the duration of the program,
3. Fails to meet the minimum attendance required by the Higher Education Institutions for the sponsored program;
4. Is academically suspended/terminated by the Higher Education Institute;
5. Abandons his/her studies;
6. Is deregistered for any reason including disciplinary action instituted by the Higher Education Institute;
7. Changes his/her programme/majors/minor/institution without the prior written approval of TSLS;
8. Is convicted for any offence during the duration of the award;
9. Provides false and misleading information to TSLS with the objective of gaining financial advantages;
10. Fails to follow TSLS’s grievance resolution mechanism in airing any concerns/complaints or grievances;
11. Engages in any conduct during the period of sponsorship that brings disrepute to TSLS or the Fijian Government; and
12. Is required to repeat consecutively a term/years’ work in order to complete your programme.

Payment for any repeat course(s) under TELS will only be made if all of the below conditions are satisfied:

1. Only for one course per annum; and
2. Only for one course per annum for courses failed after 1 August 2017.

In deciding on which repeat unit to fund under TELS in case of multiple repeat courses of a student, TSLS will consider the cost of the repeat courses. Preference will be given to the lowest cost unit.

Any course(s)/unit(s) enrolled in by the students which are substitute courses(s)/unit(s) for failed courses would be deemed as repeat courses for the purpose of making a decision on tuition payment for repeat courses and any associated allowances.

For any more than 1 repeat course(s)/unit(s) per annum of subsequent repeat of course(s)/unit(s), the students will have to fund both, tuition and allowances privately or alternative funding arrangement.

For all new intakes effective from 2022 will be monitored and assessed annually while the existing students sponsored before 2022 will be monitored and assessed at the end of each academic term.

TSLS will directly obtain the details in relation to your attendance to lectures and tutorials, submission of assignments, quizzes etc., discipline and also all examinations from your course coordinators and the academic office.

After receipt of the required information from the institutions, the results, attendance and disciple matters etc. will be independently assessed by TSLS staff and those students identified and classified as “At Risk” will be subject to the procedures.

If your academic performance falls below the required average, the procedure detailed below will be followed:

1. If you applied for and were granted special consideration (or if other extenuating circumstances apply), and this was approved by TSLS, no action will be taken and you will receive your TELS payment as per usual;
2. You will be notified in writing by TSLS that your performance is under review and that you are on probation. You will be paid whilst you are on probation;
3. Should you meet the required minimum pass rate in the term you are on probation, the probation status will be removed in the following term and you will be paid.
4. Should you fail to meet the required minimum pass rate in the term on probation, the scheme will be suspended for the following term. You will not receive payments while on suspension.
5. Should you meet the required minimum pass rate in the term on suspension, the scheme will be reinstated for the following term and payments will resume? No retrospective payments will be made for the period of suspension.
6. Should you fail to meet the required minimum pass rate in the term on suspension, the scheme will be terminated and no further payments may be made.

A maximum of one probation and one suspension will be considered during the scheme duration as stated in the offer letter.

In case your TELS gets suspended due to poor academic performance you are eligible for reinstatement in case you undertake courses privately and meet the academic requirements for reinstatement within a period of one year since the suspension.

Yes. However, you need to first apply to Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (“FRCS”) for temporary overseas travel release before finalizing your travel.

You must obtain written clearance from FRCS by meeting all requirements should you wish to   travel abroad during the study or bond period by giving at least 7 days’ advance notice to FRCS.

In case you fail to apply for the travel release, you may be prevented from departing Fiji and neither TSLS nor FRCS will be responsible for any losses suffered.
In case you have fully served the bond period or paid off in lieu of the bond service period, you need to obtain the final clearance letter from FRCS and check that your name has been permanently removed from the Immigration Controversial List.

The following requirements needs to be submitted or sorted out by directly contacting FRCS.

1. Duly completed form IRS458 available on www.tsls.com.fj or www.frcs.org.fj.
2. Request letter addressed to CEO of FRCS.
3. Letter from TSLS to confirm outstanding loan or bond service amount.
4. Guarantee of Bond (Overseas Travel) Form – TSLS 11.
5. Guarantor’s TIN letters or photocopy of FRCS/FNPF Joint Card.
6. Guarantor’s recent pay slip or Bank Statements
7. For students in employment, a letter from the employer must be submitted.
8. Copy of the return air ticket with the travel itinerary.
9. Copy of the Passport.
10. Visa details.
11. The student may be required to pay a certain percentage of the dues to the Fijian government.
12. FRCS reserves the right to impose any other conditions.

You need to visit FRCS website https://www.frcs.org.fj for exact requirements and any changes that may be announced.

TELS can be terminated either by you or TSLS. You may terminate TELS by filling and submitting Form TSLS 04. You can terminate the scholarship with or without providing any reason(s) to TSLS. However, providing the reason will allow TSLS to discuss options that you may have in case you are terminating the same due to reasons that may be affecting your academic performance.

TSLS may terminate your TELS on the same grounds as those listed in Question No. 56.

Should the award be terminated by TSLS, or you wish to terminate the award, you will be required to repay the total monetary value the Fijian Government has expended upon your studies from the commencement date till date of termination of your award with the applicable penalty rate at the time of termination in one single payment or under any other arrangement with the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (“FRCS”). FRCS’s discretion is unfettered.

The current penalty rate for TELS termination is 10% of the total cost incurred by TSLS till the point of termination on your studies.

No. You can only apply for TELS again or any other Fijian Government or Donor Funded Scholarships administered by TSLS where your TELS has been terminated unless you have fully paid off the total amount due on termination with the appropriate rate of penalty.

To be eligible to apply you need to pay off your existing debt to FRCS and submit your FRCS bond clearance letter to TSLS with your application.

No, if in case your existing qualification was funded under any of the Fijian Government Scholarship or Loan Scheme. Starting from 2021, there will be no successive upgrade of qualifications. You may apply for a successive upgrade only if you have completely served the current bond or paid off in total of the amount that has been expanded on your studies. Once this is cleared, then only may you apply for a successive upgrade in the same area of studies, not prior to that. For example, a student funded by TSLS under TELS for Certificate in Accounting, can apply for TELS to continue his/her studies in Diploma in Accounting after completing the Certificate level program and either paying off for the amount utilized while completing the Diploma completing the bond service.

However, even after bond service and total amount clearance, TELS is not available for upgrade of following as follows:

1. Above Degree level qualification. That is post graduate qualification;
2. Another qualification at the same level. E.g., a person with a Diploma level qualification wishing to enrol for another Diploma level qualification;
3. Those wishing to teaching training qualification after completing a plain degree qualification such as Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science etc. Such courses include Graduate Certificate/Diploma in Education etc.; and
4. Professional accreditation courses such as FIA, CPA, CISCO etc. after or while doing a degree program.

After graduation, and getting into employment, you will have to repay the Fijian Government the actual amount paid for your tuition and allowances, together with any interest accrued at the rate of 20% of your Gross Income per annum. The total amount that you need to repay depends on how quickly you pay your debt and the amount of discount you get under the TELS Accelerated Repayment Incentive.

Remember it is your responsibility to notify FRCS about your employment details and start repaying your debt.

You will not be allowed to leave the country without the FRCS Travel clearance unless your determined debt is fully repaid and bond clearance letter issued.

No. Students are self-guarantors.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that any information submitted to TSLS/FRCS at any stage during the application, application processing, course of studies and post-graduation to provide true and complete information.

The False Information Act 2016 ('Act') establishes liability for the provision of false Information to any officer, agent or representative of the Government or an entity. Section 2 provides the definition of 'entity' as an organization that receives funding from the Government and which the Attorney-General prescribes by notice in the Gazette.

Section 2 also provides the definition of 'false information' as meaning information which is false, Incorrect, untrue or misleading in whole or part, substance or form.

Section 4(1) of the Act provides that a person must not knowingly make a false representation to any officer, agent or representative of the Government or entity for the purpose of obtaining a benefit. Section 4(2) further provides that any person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding $20000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or to both.

Section 7 of the Act further provides the meaning of 'knowingly' as if the person is aware that the information the person is providing false information, is aware that the information the person is providing is likely to be false information and is reckless in that regard or provides any information and is reckless as to whether that information is false information.
Section 8 of the Act provides that Part 7 of the Crimes Act 2009 apply to offences under this Act and section 9 of the Act provides that absolute liability applies to the offences under this Act in accordance with section 25 of the Crimes Act 2009.

Section 10 of the Act provides for the recovery of the benefit from a person convicted of an offence under the Act and section 11 provides for the recovery of the benefit from a third party.

TSLS /FRCS reserve the right to terminate the award and execute the recovery action should it be established that the student furnished false information at any stage of schemes application and benefit.

Application opening and closing date will be published in the local media, TSLS website and official social media after the budget announcement each year. This will normally be in July of each year.

Application closing date will strictly be 31 December of each year. TSLS will not receive or consider any late application for TELS under any circumstances unless the closing date is extended.

You need to apply using the TSLS Online application portal available on www.tsls.com.fj using the following steps:

1. Scan and get all the required documents ready before starting the process of applying online in the pdf, png, or jpg format. Scan and save each document separately and ensure that each scanned document does not exceed 5MB in terms of file size.
2. Visit www.tsls.com.fj and register for TSLS online application. Applicants cannot apply online unless registered first.
3. Once registered fill the appropriate information.
4. Upload all the required documents.
5. Submit the online application.
6. Applicants for NTS need not fill another TELS application as all unsuccessful applications for NTS will be considered for TELS if they have met the required marks/GPA in Year 13 or equivalent studies.
7. Students will not be able to submit the form unless all mandatory fields are filled with the exception of Year 13 results and final offer letter. Year 13 results and final offer letter from the institutions need to be uploaded before the application processing closing date.

You will be notified on the outcome of your application in January of the new year. The notification will be sent to the email address that you used to register and apply for the scholarship.

You must also login into your TSLS account on TSLS website www.tsls.com.fj and check on your application status on your home/landing page. In case your application was successful, your application status will change from “Processing” to “Approved” and you will be given the option to download your “TELS Offer Letter” and “Bond Form”.

In case you were not successful with the application, your application status will change Processing” to “Rejected” on your home/landing page.

After your application is processed and if you are successful with your TELS application, a copy of the personalized TELS Provisional Offer Letter and Bond Form will be available on your TSLS Home/Landing page.

You need to download and fill the documents as follows:

1. Offer letter- read and initial all pages on the bottom right-hand corner.  Then enter your details and sign off on the last page of the letter and get the same witnessed and scan and save the whole document (all pages). The offer letter can be witnessed by anyone elder than you who can read and understand English.
2. Bond Form – fill and sign only pages and 1 and 3 only. Do not fill anything on Schedules 1 and 2 of the bond form.

After filling and signing the bond form, scan and save the entire (all pages) of the bond form.
You need to upload the entire scanned copy of the bond form and offer letter (no more than 5MB for each) and upload on TSLS account on your landing/profile page.

Once you have uploaded your completed and signed offer letter and bond form, TSLS will carry out its assessment.

Upon assessment of your signed offer letter and bond if the documents are in order, you will receive another email to indicate that your award has been confirmed.

The application status on your landing page will change from “Approved” to “Confirmed”.

Log into your online application portal and download and print your confirmation letter from your profile page. This will be uploaded by TSLS at the same place where you downloaded your offer letter and bond form from.
Once this is done, your application processing is completed and there is no need for you to come to TSLS in relation to your application matters.

Enrol for courses in the program stated in your TSLS TELS Confirmation letter and start your classes at the institutions of your choice and TSLS will pay the allowances in the nominated bank account/m-paisa number and bus fare (TELS) in your E-ticket Card Number and Tuition directly to the Institution.

In case your university requires, provide a copy of your TSLS confirmation letter to the Finance Team of your University.

Your fees and/or allowances will not be disbursed until we receive your offer letter and bond document, duly and satisfactorily completed and the award confirmation letter is issued by TSLS.

The process of tuition and allowance payment is as follows and unless all steps are completed, neither tuition nor any allowances will be paid by TSLS:

1. TSLS issues the successful applicants provisional offer letter and bond form;
2. Successful applicants to complete the bond form and offer letter, sign the required pages, scan the entire documents, upload on their landing/home page on TSLS website www.tsls.com.fj.
3. TSLS staff assess the bond form and offer letter.
4. TSLS issues the award confirmation letter;
5. TSLS sends the tagging list (list of TELS sponsored students to the institutions);
6. Higher Education Institutions send the enrolment report to TSLS;
7. Based on the enrolment report received, TSLS staff process and pay your allowances;
8. Higher Education Institutions bill TSLS for your tuition and hostel fees if approved for Hostel;
9. TSLS processes and pays your tuition and hostel if approved for Hostel.

Upon completion of studies, the awardee must submit and keep TSLS updated on the following:

1. Program Completion Letter from the Higher Education Institution; and
2. Complete Academic Transcript and Certificate upon Graduation.

Upon receipt of the above documents, TSLS will change your student status from “Active” to “Graduate” and no further tagging will be sent to your institution and allowance paid.

You must also immediately submit to FRCS, a copy of the employment contract or appointment letter for the purpose of bond service monitoring.

Bond clearance letter will be issued by FRCS upon production of evidence by the awardee for the completion of the years of service required.

For any change(s) in employment, notification in writing must be submitted to FRCS.

Yes. You may work part-time while being on TELS upon prior written approval from TSLS. However, you cannot decrease your academic load (that is enrol for fewer courses/units) while working on a part-time basis. Also engaging in employment should not affect your academic performance as this may lead to direct termination of your sponsorship.

You must seek prior written approval from TSLS before engaging in any part-time employment during any academic term while under TELS. You must submit a letter of request to the Section Head of your respective university.

For TELS USP, SSingh@tsls.com.fj. For TELS FNU, email on SPrasad@tsls.com.fj.  For all other HEI’s email on JLal@tsls.com.fj.  In the letter of request, you must include the place of employment, days and hours of employment and the duration of employment.

You can engage in Part-Time employment during your Semester breaks without any written approval from TSLS. No full-time employment can be accepted while on TELS.

Exception to this rule applies to TELS for Private Sector or TELS for Public Sector Employees who are required to remain in employment during the entire course of TELS Funding (unless they have been granted leave of employment by the employers).

You may apply for postponement /deferment of the scholarship during the course of studies using Form TSLS 04 if the attendance at the Higher Education Institute is affected due to the following reasons ONLY:

1. Medical ground- supported by medical report (not sick sheets for few days only) by a registered medical practitioner;
2. Military/Security deployment;
3. National duties;
4. Death in immediate family (spouse, children, parents living with the students, siblings only); or
5. any other reason(s) as deemed appropriate to TSLS.

You cannot apply for deferment before commencing studies under TELS as all Loans Scheme are tenable from academic term one of the academic year for which the award has been approved.

No deferment of studies will be approved in a retrospective manner. All such applications will be treated as the case of abandonment of studies and will result in termination of TELS and loss of the funding.
For an award to be deferred, the awardee must attend at least one full-time year of studies prior to the proposed deferment and meet the minimum criteria for renewal of the award during the academic term (s) attended prior to the application for deferment.

Enrolment at any other Higher Education Institute or acceptance of another award during the deferment period will result in an automatic cancellation of the award unless prior written approval from TSLS is obtained.

Deferment of studies without prior written approval from TSLS will be deemed as abandonment of studies and will result in an automatic termination of the award by TSLS.
TSLS’s general policy is that awards may be deferred for a up to one academic and approval is dependent on the availability of remaining scholarship funds.

No deferment of studies will be allowed for vacation or employment purposes (unless employment of a national duty in nature).

The following is relevant in relation to your TELS due suspension or termination from the program of studies by your institution:

1. Suspension/Academic Exclusion- your TELS also gets suspended by TSLS without notice to you. During the period of suspension, you cannot change your program/major/minor or institution nor can you apply for another category of TELS. However, if the suspension exceeds one year, then your TELS will be terminated by TSLS.
2. Termination- termination by institution will result in automatic termination of your TELS by TSLS without any notice. You cannot apply for change of your program/major/minor or institution once your award is terminated. Upon termination, recoveries action by FRCS will commence. You cannot apply for another category of TELS or any other Schemes administered by TSLS unless you have full paid off your debt under existing TELS and produce a bond clearance letter from FRCS.

TSLS does not encourage withdrawal from course after the allowances or tuition or both have been paid unless the request for withdrawal is on grounds accepted to TSLS. The accepted grounds include medical, national duties, death of an immediate family member, extensive losses due to natural disasters or a national epidemic or pandemic that restricts a student from attending classes or no alternative mode of teaching or learning is available.

Any request for withdrawal must be made using Form TSLS 04 available on www.tsls.com.fj
Should you intend to withdraw from the HEI or from a course after payment of tuition and/or allowances for the academic term, the award will be withdrawn and the awardee will be required to refund the payments already made before any approval is authorized by TSLS. Remember for late withdrawals, your tagging for the course(s)/unit(s) will be withdrawn by TSLS and you have to pay of these courses privately with any later withdrawal penalty.

The following requirements must be submitted by you to TSLS if you wish to withdraw from a course(s) after the normal withdrawal period (without any penalty by the HEI) of the HEI’s:

1. Letter from the Course Coordinator/HEI which clearly highlights the academic progress till the point of planned withdrawal. The letter must include the course work marks/grades;
2. Medical Report indicating that the awardee is not able to continue with the studies if the planned withdrawal is on medical grounds; and
3. Any additional documents which TSLS may request on a case-by-case basis.

No withdrawal on the grounds of poor academic progress will be approved by TSLS.

TSLS relies solely on the reports submitted by the respective institutions for the processing of tuition and allowances. As such errors and omissions in processing and payment of allowances may result from errors and omissions in the report submitted by the institutions.

Common errors and omissions noted in the past includes:

1. Changes in the number of courses/units in the enrolment report largely attributed to students either adding or dropping courses after the receipt on initial enrolment reports;
2. Incorrect classification of courses/units in the enrolment in terms of first attempt courses, eligible repeat courses, subsequent repeat courses etc.;
3. Incorrect courses being tagged by HEI’s in contradiction to TSLS’s terms and conditions of tagging;
4. Change in program/major/minor/institution by students or HEI’s without prior written approval from TSLS.

In case(s) where either wrong allowances or tuition has been tagged/paid by TSLS, the following recoveries action by will be taken:

1. For Tuition, the institution will immediately be asked to un-tag the student from the ineligible course(s)/unit(s) and if any fees have already been paid to be reimbursed to TSLS and the student be billed privately for such course(s)/unit(s).
2. For allowances, instructions will be issued to the bank to put a hold to the allowances not yet withdrawn and only on TSLS’s instruction the funds to be released. Students will immediately be contacted to reimburse the excess allowance to TSLS by depositing the same in the official TSLS Scheme account. TSLS may also contact the institution and request that the students account be placed on TSLS hold.
3. Where the excess allowance payment cannot be recovered in a particular term, the recoveries will be initiated in the following academic term. That is any unrecovered excess allowances from the previous term will be deducted from the following term(s) allowances unless the full amount is recovered.
4. In case any excess payment cannot be recovered and the student has completed his/her studies, all excess payment will be added to your outstanding loan and recovered under the normal TELS recoveries process and criteria.

1. All new applications MUST be made using the TSLS Online Application Portal available on www.tsls.com.fj. Full information about the schemes, the eligibility criteria and required documents are available on our website. For any queries on the online application email on it@tsls.com.fj.
2. For all queries on allowances, tuition, tagging and any other general enquiries, students must use the TSLS Online Chat Services on TSLS website www.tsls.com.fj from Mondays to Fridays from 8. 00a.m to 5.00p.m.
3. For all other general queries and enquiries after 5. 00p.m from Mondays to Fridays and in the week ends, including Public Holidays, students/all other Fijians must email on enquiries@tsls.com.fj and we will respond on the next working day.
4. For all account statements, email on accounts@tsls.com.fj.

Yes. All TSLS sponsored students above the age of 18 must be vaccinated to continue receiving TSLS assistance. Student can also apply for exemption if they are not in the means to get fully vaccinated.