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In general, students will not be eligible for ABSTUDY allowances if they are receiving financial assistance from
another government department or authority. There are however, some exceptions such as students receiving pensions.
This chapter covers the eligibility or ineligibility of students in receipt of one or more of these other sources of
government financial assistance.
Chapter content
This chapter contains the following topics:
8.1 Approved Study
To be eligible for ABSTUDY assistance an applicant must be enrolled in and undertaking an approved course at an
approved education institution (see Chapter 45).
8.2 Government assistance causing ABSTUDY ineligibility
Students are generally ineligible for ABSTUDY assistance if they receive another form of Commonwealth Government
assistance to study, such as:
8.2.1 Training assistance and wage subsidies
Persons who are receiving training assistance for formal study or who are assisted through a
Commonwealth or State/Territory government wage subsidy by an employer, are ineligible for
ABSTUDY. This includes training schemes, scholarships, bursaries, cadetships and any similar assistance. Full-time
apprentices and trainees are not eligible for ABSTUDY assistance.
8.2.2 Full-time apprentices or trainees
A student cannot get ABSTUDY if s/he is:
8.3 Date of ineligibility for ABSTUDY
Students receiving study assistance from Commonwealth or State/Territory governments are ineligible for ABSTUDY
assistance, including Fares Allowance, from the date that assistance commences or an agreement is signed whichever is
the earlier.
8.4 Government assistance not affecting ABSTUDY eligibility
In the following circumstances students are eligible for ABSTUDY assistance even though they receive another form of
Commonwealth Government assistance.
8.4.1 Eligibility for other government income support
Student may not receive ABSTUDY Living Allowance and income support from another government source concurrently.
However, a student who is receiving assistance under a Commonwealth Government income support such as Youth Allowance or Newstart Allowance may meet the eligibility criteria for some ABSTUDY ancillary assistance. 8.4.2 Benefits not duplicated
Where a student is receiving other government assistance to study under a CDEP programme, cadetship, traineeship or
scholarship, ABSTUDY may be payable where the student is undertaking additional studies not related to the course for
which the student is receiving other government assistance to study. That is, if the studies are in addition to the
studies required under the traineeship CDEP etc, the student may be eligible for some ABSTUDY entitlements after
meeting the usual ABSTUDY requirements.
8.4.3 New Apprenticeships Access Programme
Full-time New Apprenticeships Access Programme participants are not excluded from ABSTUDY assistance because the
programme is mostly pre-vocational training, however they are not eligible for Incidentals Allowance, as participants
are not required to meet any course fees or charges.
8.4.4 Scholarships
Students holding government scholarships can receive ABSTUDY provided they are not an employee of the government agency
awarding the scholarship. This does not include periods for which the student is an employee for the purposes of work
experience. The value of the scholarship will, however, be counted as income when assessing the student's Living
Allowance entitlement. Tuition fees and HECS paid on a student's behalf direct to an education provider are not counted
as income. If they are paid direct to the student however, they are counted as income.
8.4.5 CDEP
Students receiving Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) assistance for employment may receive ABSTUDY
Living Allowance and supplementary benefits whilst receiving CDEP if the CDEP payment is solely for employment and not
for education and training. Full-time independent students in receipt of a CDEP wage for employment are income assessed
for ABSTUDY eligibility.
8.4.6 Part-time award
Family and Community Services (FaCS) income support payment recipients may be eligible for ABSTUDY part-time
entitlements if they are studying, provided that this study does not make up part or all of their activity test
requirements for the FaCS payment
8.4.7 Transferring from FaCS payment to ABSTUDY
See 95.2.3 for information about when ABSTUDY
commences for clients transferring from a FaCS income support benefit or allowance.
8.4.8 Pensioner education supplement
Pensioners studying full-time may retain their pension but are not entitled to ABSTUDY Living Allowance. They may,
however, qualify for a Pensioner Education Supplement.
Some part-time pensioner students may also be eligible for the Pensioner Education Supplement if the study load concession applies.
The assistance should be taken as commencing at the point at which the student begins study under the programme or the
date the agreement commences, whichever is the earlier.
For School Based Traineeships/Apprenticeships see 50.5.3.
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Note: Students may receive
assistance through either ABSTUDY or the training programme, but not both.