Support for students and apprentices

Youth Allowance for students and Australian apprentices

Youth Allowance (student) is a means tested payment for full-time students and Australian apprentices aged 16-24 years.

Visit the Services Australia website for more information about Youth Allowance for students and Australian apprentices.

Austudy

Austudy is a means tested payment for full-time students and Australian apprentices aged 25 years and over.

Visit the Services Australia website for more information about Austudy.

ABSTUDY

ABSTUDY is a group of payments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and apprentices.

Read the ABSTUDY policy manual for more information about ABSTUDY.

Visit the Services Australia website for more information about ABSTUDY.

ABSTUDY Safe Travel Plans

Safe Travel Plans help improve the safety and flexibility of travel arrangements for ABSTUDY students who need to travel away from home for school.

Learn more about completing a Safe Travel Plan.

ABSTUDY third-party scholarships

A secondary student may be approved for ABSTUDY Away from Home entitlements if they are offered a third-party scholarship.

Learn more about ABSTUDY third-party scholarships.

Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme

The Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme helps eligible parents and carers with the extra costs of educating their children if they can’t go to an appropriate government school.

Visit the Services Australia website for more information about the Assistance for Isolated Children.

Relocation Scholarship

This once-a-year payment can help if you move to or from a regional or remote area for higher education study.

Visit the Services Australia website for more information about Relocation Scholarships.

Fares Allowance

Fares Allowance helps with travelling costs between a student’s home and place of study.

Visit the Services Australia website for more information about Fares Allowance.

Student Start-up Loan

The Student Start-up Loan can help eligible students with the up-front costs of studying.

To be eligible, you will need to:

study an approved course
receive Youth Allowance (student), Austudy or ABSTUDY Living Allowance.

You are not eligible for Student Start-up Loan if you are already getting:

a Student Start-up Scholarship
ABSTUDY Student Start-up Scholarship
Commonwealth Education Cost Scholarship.

Visit the Services Australia website for more information about the Student Start-up Loan.

You will have to start paying back your Student Start-up Loan once you earn above the minimum repayment threshold. You should think about how this will affect you in the long-term before you apply. You need to understand that a Student Start-up Loan debt may affect your access to bank and home loans.
The Australian Taxation Office manages repayment arrangements for the Student Start-up Loan in the same manner as Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debts. You don’t need to start repaying the loan until you have completely repaid any HELP debt.
Visit the Australian Taxation Office website for the current loan repayment threshold and rates for Student Start-up Loan.
While the loan is interest free, Student Start-up Loan debts are indexed each year. This means the amount you repay in total will be more than the original amount of the loan.
From 1 July 2023, indexation arrangements for Student Start-up Loan have changed, and are based on the lower of either the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Wage Price Index (WPI). Visit the Australian Taxation Office website for more information.
Indexation is applied on 1 June to all debts that are 11 months or older. Any unpaid loan amount will increase by the indexation rate for each year, which means your debt is likely to grow. You can find current indexation rates on the Australian Bureau of Statistics website for CPI and WPI.
Any feedback or complaints about Student Start-up Loan policy can be lodged via:
- our online contact form
- Telephone: 1800 634 035 (AEST)
- Post: DSS Feedback, GPO Box 9820, Canberra ACT 2601.

Support for students during masters study

Students undertaking masters study may be eligible for payments if they are undertaking a Masters by Coursework program at an approved education institution listed in the Student Assistance (Education Institutions and Courses) Determination 2019 (the Determination).

The Determination allows prospective students to make informed decisions about what courses attract government support when undertaking study at a masters level.

Learn more about how courses are approved for student payments at the Approved institutions and courses for student payments.

Visit the Services Australia’s website for information about support for ABSTUDY students undertaking Masters and doctorate courses.

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DSS115 | Permalink: www.dss.gov.au/node/115

Last modified 12 Dec 2024.

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