Austudy Payment is a
Commonwealth Government of Australia income support payment
Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. F ...
for
students
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject.
In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school ...
above the age of 25 years of age, paid under the
Social Security Act 1991. It commenced operation on the 1 July 1998. Students below the age of 25 years are paid
Youth Allowance. Austudy is adjusted on January 1 in line with 12-month changes in
inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...
.
In general, to qualify, one must be an Australian resident, over 25, and studying full-time at an approved education institution. However, students who were receiving Youth Allowance prior to turning 25 and are still pursuing the same course of study continue to receive Youth Allowance until they finish (or otherwise terminate) their course. Unlike Youth Allowance, Austudy Payment customers are considered independent from their parent/s and are not subject to the Parental Income Test, Family Assets Test and the Family Actual Means Test.
From 1 July 1998 to 31 December 2007, Austudy Payment recipients were not entitled to
Rent Assistance. As a result of the 8 May 2007 Federal Budget Announcement, the
Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...
legislated to provide
Rent Assistance as a supplementary payment to eligible recipients from 1 January 2008
Like most Australian Government
Department of Human Services (Australia)
Services Australia, formerly the Department of Human Services and before that the Department of Social Security, is an executive agency of the Australian Government, responsible for delivering a range of welfare payments, health insurance pay ...
payments, administered under the
Centrelink
The Centrelink Master Program, or more commonly known as Centrelink, is a Services Australia master program of the Australian Government. It delivers a range of government payments and services for retirees, the unemployed, families, carer ...
master program, Austudy Payment is subject to a personal and/or partner income and assets test.
From 1 April 2010, eligible higher education Austudy Payment recipients, became eligible for a
Student Start-Up Scholarship for each semester of higher education study, at an approved
higher education
Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education.
The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
institution in Australia. This scholarship has not been made available to students studying
Vocational Education
Vocational education is education that prepares people for a skilled craft. Vocational education can also be seen as that type of education given to an individual to prepare that individual to be gainfully employed or self employed with req ...
or
Secondary School
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
level courses.
Austudy recipients
The number of Austudy payment recipients has varied since the introduction of the payment in 1998. Overall, the total number of Austudy payment recipients halved between the introduction of the payment in 1999 and the most recent reported figures in 2024.
See also
*
ABSTUDY, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and apprentices
*
Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) for all domestic students, or the ATAR-based Combined Rank (CR) for all International Baccalaureate (IB) students,
*
List of universities in Australia
There are 44 universities in Australia out of which 39 are public universities and 5 private universities. The Commonwealth Higher Education Support Act 2003 sets out three groups of Australian higher education providers: universities, other ...
*
Youth Allowance (for below 25 years old)
References
{{Reflist
External links
Austudy Centrelink
The Centrelink Master Program, or more commonly known as Centrelink, is a Services Australia master program of the Australian Government. It delivers a range of government payments and services for retirees, the unemployed, families, carer ...
Welfare in Australia
1998 introductions
Education finance in Australia