Government Entitlements & Benefits

The government provides some financial assistance to students through its agency Centrelink. Allowances are usually paid fortnightly. There are a number of schemes that students may be eligible for including:

  • Youth Allowance - the most commonly received benefit for university students.
  • Abstudy – support for indigenous students
  • Austudy - support for students aged 25 and over
  • Rent Assistance

Eligibility and level of financial support depends on your situation. It is important to ascertain;

  • Whether your course is approved
  • What your workload is
  • How your parents' income and assets will affect your allowance.
  • How your income and assets will affect your allowance.
  • Whether you will need to pay tax on your allowance

For detailed information about eligibility and entitlement, students must apply directly to Centrelink.

In general, social security payments from Centrelink are only available to people who are either Australian citizens or holders of permanent visas.

Application forms can be submitted on any day of the year, but students can only be paid from the date of eligibility or the date of application, whichever is the later date.

More information is available from the University of Melbourne’s Financial Aid area.

http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/finaid/