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You are here: ABSTUDY > 3 Eligibility and Awards > 3.2 Awards

3.2 Awards

• 3.2.1 Specific Eligibility Criteria
  • 3.2.1.1 Schooling A Award
    • 3.2.1.1.1 Eligibility
    • 3.2.1.1.2 Benefits
  • 3.2.1.2 Schooling B Award
    • 3.2.1.2.1 Eligibility
    • 3.2.1.2.2 Benefits
  • 3.2.1.3 Tertiary Award
    • 3.2.1.3.1 Eligibility
    • 3.2.1.3.2 Benefits
  • 3.2.1.4 Part-time Award
    • 3.2.1.4.1 Eligibility
    • 3.2.1.4.2 Benefits
  • 3.2.1.5 Testing and Assessment Award
    • 3.2.1.5.1 Eligibility
    • 3.2.1.5.2 Limit of Assistance
    • 3.2.1.5.3 Benefits
  • 3.2.1.6 Masters and Doctorate Award
    • 3.2.1.6.1 Eligibility Conditions
    • 3.2.1.6.2 Eligibility
    • 3.2.1.6.3 Approved Course
    • 3.2.1.6.4 Non Approved Courses
    • 3.2.1.6.5 Benefits
  • 3.2.1.7 Student in Lawful Custody Award
    • 3.2.1.7.1 Eligibility
    • 3.2.1.7.2 Benefits
  • 3.2.1.8 Concurrent Awards
    • 3.2.1.8.1 Number of Awards that can be held
    • 3.2.1.8.2 Benefits
    • 3.2.1.8.3 Example 1
    • 3.2.1.8.4 Example 2
• 3.2.2 Table of Available Benefits Per Award
  • 3.2.2.1 Benefits per Award Table
  • 3.2.2.2 How to use this Table

Introduction

ABSTUDY awards relate to students’ level of study and the entitlements and allowances for which students are eligible.

This chapter covers in detail the study awards available in ABSTUDY.

3.2.1 Specific Eligibility Criteria

There are seven awards available to eligible ABSTUDY applicants. They are:

• Schooling A,
• Schooling B,
• Tertiary,
• Part-time,
• Testing and Assessment,
• Masters and Doctorate, and
• Student in Lawful Custody.

This topic covers the specific eligibility criteria needed to qualify for each award. It also lists the benefits that the applicant may be entitled to under that award.

For full details of the benefits to which a student is entitled, see Part 7 of these Guidelines.

Eligibility

Students are eligible for an ABSTUDY award if they meet:

• the general ABSTUDY eligibility criteria; and
• the eligibility criteria for the type of award for which they are applying.

3.2.1.1 Schooling A Award

3.2.1.1.1 Eligibility

A student is eligible for a Schooling A Award if s/he meets the general ABSTUDY eligibility criteria (see 3.1.1), and:

• is 15 years or younger and is either living at home or is not approved for the living away from home or independent rates and is studying a full-time secondary course;

OR

• is a full-time primary school student and 14 years of age or more at 1 January in the year of study;

AND

• lives in Australia while studying or is eligible for assistance under the Overseas Study provisions (see Policy Manual 4.5).

Note: Students who cease to participate in full-time study for any part of the academic year, are no longer eligible for ABSTUDY living allowance. Students enrolled in full-time study for part of a school year are eligible for pro-rata entitlements (see also Policy Manual 4.2.2.1).

3.2.1.1.2 Benefits

A student approved for a Schooling A Award may be entitled to the following benefits:

• School Term Allowance;
• School Fees Allowance; and
• assistance with travel, meals and accommodation costs for distance education/correspondence students to attend residential schools.

3.2.1.2 Schooling B Award

3.2.1.2.1 Eligibility

A student is eligible for a Schooling B Award if s/he meets the general ABSTUDY eligibility criteria (see 3.1.1), and:

• is 16 years of age or older and is undertaking an approved course of full-time primary studies, or full-time secondary studies;

OR

• is under 16 years of age and has been approved for the away from home or independent rates of Living Allowance and Rent Assistance, Remote Area Allowance and Pharmaceutical Allowance, where applicable;

OR

• is 15 years and in State Care;

AND

• lives in Australia while studying or is eligible for assistance under the Overseas Study provisions (see 4.5).

Also see Part 4 for attendance requirements.

3.2.1.2.2 Benefits

A student approved for a Schooling B Award may be entitled to the following benefits:

• Living Allowance; or
• Pensioner Education Supplement;
• School Fees Allowance;
• Fares Allowance;
• Orientation and special purpose visits;
• Away-from-base assistance for distance education/correspondence students to attend residential schools; and/or
• Incidentals Allowance (where student is 18 years or over at 1 January in the year of study);
• Under 16 Boarding Supplement;
• Rent Assistance;
• Remote Area Allowance, where applicable; and/or
• Pharmaceutical Allowance, where applicable.
• Additional Assistance

Note: Students who are turning 16 years old during the year may be entitled to School Term Allowance under the Schooling A Award paid on a pro rata basis up to their 16th birthday.

3.2.1.3 Tertiary Award

3.2.1.3.1 Eligibility

A student is eligible for a Tertiary Award if s/he meets the general ABSTUDY eligibility (see 3.1.1), and:

• is studying a full-time post-secondary course;
• has reached the minimum school leaving age as defined by the relevant State/Territory education authority (or has provided evidence that s/he has been granted exemption from the State/Territory education authority in order to attend TAFE or another tertiary institution);
• is studying a full-time workload;
• is making satisfactory progress; and
• lives in Australia while studying or is eligible for assistance under the Overseas Study provisions (see 4.5).

3.2.1.3.2 Benefits

A student approved for a Tertiary Award may be entitled to the following benefits:

• Living Allowance; or
• Pensioner Education Supplement;
• Incidentals Allowance;
• Additional Incidentals Allowance up to $2,000 for a full year’s study;
• Fares Allowance;
• Rent Assistance;
• Remote Area Allowance, where applicable;
• Pharmaceutical Allowance, where applicable;
• Orientation and special purpose visits;
• Away-from-base assistance;
• Additional Assistance; and/or
• ABSTUDY Supplement.

3.2.1.4 Part-time Award

3.2.1.4.1 Eligibility

A student is eligible for a Part-time Award if s/he meets the general ABSTUDY eligibility criteria (see 3.1.1), and:

• is studying a post-secondary course; and
• is not studying a full-time workload;

OR

• is 18 years or older at 1 January in the year of study; and
• is studying a secondary course; and
• is not studying a full-time workload;

AND

• lives in Australia while studying or is eligible for assistance under the Overseas Study provisions (see 4.5).

3.2.1.4.2 Benefits

A student approved for a Part-time Award may be entitled to the following benefits:

• Incidentals Allowance (not including Additional Incidentals Allowance),
• Away-from-base assistance, and/or
• Fares Allowance to attend Away-from-base activities.

Note: A tertiary student approved for the Part-time Award may be entitled to living allowance if s/he loses her/his income while attending an Away-from-base activity (see 7.10.3.3).

3.2.1.5 Testing and Assessment Award

3.2.1.5.1 Eligibility

A student is eligible for a Testing and Assessment or Torres Strait Islander eligibility criteria (see 3.1.1), and:

• seeks to enrol in an approved tertiary course and is required to travel away from her/his normal place of residence to attend a selection test or an interview to determine suitability for, and acceptance into, the course, where such a test/interview is a normal requirement for admission to the course;
• is unable to be assessed from previous study (see 7.10.4.3); and
• is not receiving or will not receive any other significant form of financial assistance for the test/interview.

3.2.1.5.2 Limit of Assistance

Applicants may be assisted to attend a maximum of two testing and assessment programmes in a year.

3.2.1.5.3 Benefits

A student approved for Testing and Assessment Award may be entitled to the following benefits:

• Fares Allowance, and
• Away-from-base assistance.

3.2.1.6 Masters and Doctorate Award

3.2.1.6.1 Eligibility Conditions

The allowances for the Masters and Doctorate Award are based on those which apply for the Australian Postgraduate Award (APA).

3.2.1.6.2 Eligibility

A student is eligible for a Masters and Doctorate Award if s/he meets the general ABSTUDY eligibility criteria (see 3.1.1), and:

• is enrolled in an approved Masters degree or Doctorate (PhD) course;
• any employment undertaken by the student must not be to the detriment of her/his full-time study programme; and
• lives in Australia while studying or is eligible for assistance under the Overseas Study provisions (see 4.5).

Note: Part-time Masters and Doctorate students are entitled to apply for an ABSTUDY Part-time Award.

3.2.1.6.3 Approved Course

An approved course is a full-time course for which a Masters or Doctorate degree is offered by an approved higher education institution.

3.2.1.6.4 Non Approved Courses

Other postgraduate courses, such as the following, do not qualify for this Award:

• Masters qualifying course,
• Postgraduate Diploma, eg Diploma of Education, and
• Postgraduate Bachelor Degree, eg Bachelor of Letters.

Students in such courses may apply for benefits under the Tertiary Award or the Part-time Award.

3.2.1.6.5 Benefits

A student approved for an ABSTUDY Masters and Doctorate Award may be entitled to:

• Living Allowance or Pensioner Education Supplement;
• Incidentals Allowance;
• Additional Incidentals Allowance up to $2,000 for a full year’s study;
• Thesis Allowance;
• Assistance to pay Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) commitment or compulsory course fees;
• Relocation Allowance or Fares Allowance;
• Away-from-base assistance up to $2,000;
• Additional Assistance; and/or
• ABSTUDY Supplement.

3.2.1.7 Student in Lawful Custody Award

3.2.1.7.1 Eligibility

A student is eligible for this award if s/he meets the general ABSTUDY eligibility criteria (see 3.1.1), and:

• is in lawful custody for a period of more than two weeks (see 5.7.1.1 for definition); and
• is studying a suitably approved course (see 5.7.1.3).

3.2.1.7.2 Benefits

A student approved for the Students in Lawful Custody Award may be entitled to the following benefits:

• Lawful Custody Allowance; and/or
• Away-from-base assistance (where permission has been given by correctional institution for the student to attend).

3.2.1.8 Concurrent Awards

3.2.1.8.1 Number of Awards that can be held

Under normal circumstances a student can hold only one Award at any one time. However, a student may hold two awards concurrently (apart from a Testing and Assessment Award) providing only one of the awards pays living allowance or the Pensioner Education Supplement (see Policy Manual for Incidentals Allowance 7.7.3.1).

See also Coherent Course Sequence, 4.4.2.1.

3.2.1.8.2 Benefits

Benefits in respect of each Award are not affected by the concurrent award.

3.2.1.8.3 Example 1

3.2.1.8.4 Example 2

3.2.2 Table of Available Benefits Per Award

3.2.2.1 Benefits per Award Table

This table lists all the benefits that are available to eligible ABSTUDY students and to which award(s) they relate. It is designed to be used as a checklist to ensure that each applicant’s entitlement has been fully assessed.

Note: This does not mean that every applicant who is eligible for the particular award is automatically entitled to all the benefits listed for that award.

3.2.2.2 How to use this Table

There are two ways in which this table can be used:

• locate the award (along the top row) that the applicant is eligible for, then look down that column to find the benefits to which the applicant may be entitled.

Awards are: A for Schooling A, B for Schooling B, T for Tertiary, P/t for Part-time, T/A for Travel Allowance, M/D for Masters and Doctorates and S/LC for Students in Lawful Custody.

• locate the benefit (down the left column), then look across the row to find out to which award the benefit may apply.

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This page was last updated on Saturday, 23 April 2005
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