Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan on Thursday announced university students who failed half of their first-year subjects would no longer be able to access a Commonwealth supported place, HECS-HELP, or FEE-HELP.

Mr Tehan said the changes would stop students from taking on a study load they couldn't complete.He said it would also ensure students wouldn't accumulate large debts that were unlikely to be repaid.

But a La Trobe spokesperson said the changes would not support students.

"We are concerned that the proposed changes may penalise students who struggle with the transition to university study or who change their mind about their choice of degree yet do not fit the criteria for 'special circumstances'," the spokesperson said.

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"Some of the proposed changes may deter students who are not entirely sure what they want to study, as there is a risk they may lose their access to government support should they perform poorly in as little as one semester of study.

"This is particularly the case for students who want to transfer degrees where one poor semester can limit their ability to transfer to another degree on a Commonwealth supported place.

"We can see this potentially penalising more students from regional and remote areas, those who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, are Indigenous, or are the first in their family to go to university."

Mr Tehan said students would be allowed to apply for special consideration if they could demonstrate that circumstances like illness or bereavement adversely affected their academic performance.

But the La Trobe spokesperson said the university already had processes in place to support students.

"La Trobe welcomes changes that create more opportunities for students to access higher education and support their professional learning and success," the spokesperson said.

"La Trobe already has well developed processes and supports in place that address the changes suggested in Minister Tehan's announcement."

The spokesperson said those processes included peer mentoring, wellbeing support, and proactive monitoring of student progression.

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