Financial support
Key points
- The Australian Government offers financial assistance for Australian students, apprentices, job seekers and sometimes for people with a disability.
- Check eligibility and requirements carefully, ensuring you understand this before making important decisions.
- You can generally apply for financial assistance through Centrelink.
While you are studying or undertaking an apprenticeship, you may be eligible for certain payments from the Australian Government. Services Australia offer Online Estimator tools, such as the Payment Finder, to help you find financial options that may suit your circumstances.
Below are some of the options that may be relevant to your circumstances – make sure you check the eligibility criteria to see if you meet the requirements.
Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP)
If you want to study at university or TAFE, you may be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP). This means that the government pays for some of your fees. If you want to apply for a CSP, make sure you first:
- check the eligibility requirements
- check that CSPs are offered at your chosen education provider
- apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) if you haven’t already done so.
While this is a subsidy that covers part of your course, you’ll still need to repay the rest of your fees. To do this, many students use a loan scheme. Generally, this means that you won’t need to pay for your education upfront – instead, it will be taken out of your pre-tax income once you’re earning over a certain amount. You can also choose to make voluntary repayments at any time.
Some of the common loan schemes include:
Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
Formerly known as HECS. A HECS-HELP loan is available to students enrolled in a CSP (see above) to cover the additional cost of tuition not covered by the CSP.
FEE-HELP
A FEE-HELP loan is available for students not enrolled in a CSP to cover all or part of your tuition costs. There may be additional costs for using FEE-HELP.
VET Student Loans (VSL)
If you’re studying an approved VET course at a Diploma level or above, you may be eligible for a Vet Student Loan (VSL) to help cover some of your tuition fees.
While each of these loan schemes has a limit on how much you can borrow, the HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP limits are rather high. However, VSLs have a lower limit, which means that you’re likely to need to pay for some of your course out-of-pocket.
The Australian Government has a helpful website called StudyAssist to guide you through the types of HELP loans, how to apply, and an eligibility tool.
Other financial support
You can also apply for general financial support through Centrelink. This can help you with your day-to-day living expenses. Some of the common support schemes include:
Youth Allowance
You may be eligible for Youth Allowance if you’re aged between 16–24 years and are either studying full-time or in a full-time apprenticeship. This also covers you if you are 16-21 years and seeking work or temporarily unable to work.
Austudy
You may be eligible for Austudy if you’re 25 years or older and are either studying full-time or in a full-time apprenticeship. The amount of income you earn may affect your payment.
Abstudy
You may be eligible for Abstudy if you’re a student or apprentice of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background.
Jobseeker
You may be eligible for JobSeeker Payment if you’re aged 22 years or over and are either looking for work or unable to work. The amount of income you earn may affect your payment.
Rent Assistance
You may be eligible for Rent Assistance if you get any existing payment from Centrelink (such as one of those listed above) and need to move away from home to study or work.
Article updated 15/04/2025
