Austudy provides financial help if you are aged 25 years or more and studying or undertaking an Australian Apprenticeship full-time.

Eligibility

You may be eligible for Austudy if you are aged 25 or over and are:

• studying an approved full-time course at an approved institution, or
• undertaking a full-time Australian Apprenticeship.

Approved courses generally include full time secondary education courses, undergraduate courses, associate diplomas and some other diplomas, TAFE courses and some postgraduate courses. Since 1 January 2008 certain Master courses that are required for professional entry have also been approved. Doctorates are not approved courses for Austudy.
Unlike Youth Allowance, there is no independence test for Austudy. If you qualify for Austudy you are considered independent. This means the parental means test does not apply.

Your previous studies may affect your eligibility for Austudy.

Study Loads

If you receive Austudy, you are considered a full-time student if you are studying an approved course at an approved institution, and:

• your course is considered full-time where you study, or
• your tertiary course has a HECS loading of at least 0.375 for each study period, or
• you are doing at least 75% of the full-time workload.

The full time workload for some courses cannot be easily determined. In certain circumstances we may be able to assess your eligibility as a full time student based on your hours of study at the institution.

If you are studying by correspondence you must also be studying full-time.

You may be considered a full-time student if your workload is reduced to at least 66% of the normal full-time workload because of:

• the course requirements, or
• a specific direction in writing from the academic registrar or equivalent officer, or
• a written recommendation from your deputy principal, academic registrar or equivalent for academic or vocational reasons.

Recommendations for academic or vocational reasons can apply for no longer than half of the academic year.
You may be able to undertake a study load of 25% of the normal full-time load if you have a disability.
Part-time study means you have a study load less than 75% of a full-time workload. Your study load may become part-time even if you only drop one subject. You need to tell us about any changes to your enrolment in case your payment is affected.

Claiming

Centrelink recommends you submit your claim for Austudy as soon as possible, so that you can be paid from the earliest possible date. You can lodge your online claim up to 13 weeks before you start studying.

In order to claim, you need to register with Centrelink for Online Services, then login and submit your claim with supporting information and proof of identity.

More Information

To find out more, visit the Austudy section of Centrelink's website.