A Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) is a unique identifier provided by the Commonwealth government that was allocated to students who commenced  studies from 1 January 2015 onwards. The CHESSN was used by the University to report any HELP loan amounts you have used for your studies to the government, and can be found on your Commonwealth Assistance Notices (CAN) on studentConnect.

From 2021, the Australian Government is decommissioning the CHESSN and extending the USI throughout the higher education sector; therefore creating a single student identifier for your entire tertiary education journey. 

You can still use your CHESSN to access the myHELPbalance portal to keep track of your loan usage (how much more HELP or VSL assistance you can receive before you reach the HELP limit).

If you are a continuing student, you should get your USI as soon as possible. From 2023, all students, old or new, Australian or international, must have a USI to be able to graduate and receive their qualification.