Financial assistance for university

There are many options when it comes to getting help with your university expenses.

The Australian Government provides financial help to eligible students through payments administered by Services Australia.

You may be eligible to get one of these fortnightly payments:

• Youth Allowance for students and Australian Apprentices, a payment for people aged 16 to 24 who are studying full time or doing a full-time Australian Apprenticeship
• Youth Allowance for job seekers, a payment for 16 to 21-year-olds who are looking for work, studying part-time and looking for work, or temporarily unable to work
• Austudy, a payment for people aged 25 or over who are studying full time or doing a full-time Australian Apprenticeship
• ABSTUDY, a group of payments for First Nations people studying or doing an Australian Apprenticeship. It can help pay for living and travel costs
• Pensioner Education Supplement, a regular extra payment to help with study costs if students also get certain payments from Services or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

If you’re moving for study, you may also be able to get:

• Tertiary Access Payment, a one-off payment of up to $5,000 to help students with the costs of moving from a regional or remote area for tertiary study within the year directly after completing Year 12
• Relocation Scholarship, a once-a-year payment to help students getting Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY who need to move to or from a regional or remote area for higher education study
• Fares Allowance, to help students with travel costs between their permanent home and their place of tertiary study in Australia.

You may also be able to get extra help, including:

• Student Start-up Loan, a voluntary loan available up to twice a year for eligible students who get Youth Allowance, Austudy or ABSTUDY Living Allowance. Students have to pay the loan back once they start earning a certain amount of income
• Education Entry Payment, a one-off payment that helps students with the costs of study or training if they have been on certain payments from Services Australia
• other concessions and allowances such as a Health Care Card and Rent Assistance.

You can claim most payments online 13 weeks before your course starts using your myGov account linked to Services Australia.

To find out more about payment eligibility and how to claim, visit the Services Australia website.

Equity Scholarships are awarded to tertiary students who demonstrate the greatest level of financial need. They help with the costs associated with higher education. Find out more and apply online.

UAC's participating institutions offer a range of merit scholarships.

Find out more about what each institution offers.

The Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS) program is funded by the Australian Government and provides opportunities for people from selected developing countries to study in Australia. These scholarships are awarded either on merit or on nomination by home governments. There are a limited number of undergraduate scholarships available.

Institutions offer a range of scholarships designed to help international students fund the cost of their study. These scholarships may be country-specific or targeted to particular areas of study.

Find out more about what each institution offers.

Sponsored students are those who receive financial support for their study and/or other agreed educational expenses from sources other than from their own funds. To be recognised by an institution as a sponsored student, you must be funded under an agreement with a sponsoring authority recognised by the institution.

Find out more about each institution’s requirements.