Determining progress and duration of assistance for ABSTUDY 010-02080040

Item

Scenario

1

Assessing extent of assistance

Jan has applied for ABSTUDY in 2024 to study a Bachelor of Science at university. This is a three year course, therefore reasonable time would be five years (normal course duration plus two years). Jan's academic history is as follows:

• 2012 - paid ABSTUDY for whole year for study in a Bachelor of Law
• 2013 - deferred from course
• 2017-2018 - paid ABSTUDY for two years of a Bachelor of Arts
• 2019 - paid ABSTUDY for Certificate III in Office Skills
• 2020 - studied a Bachelor of Music full-time but did not apply for ABSTUDY as Jan's new partner was earning enough to support them both
• 2021 to mid-2023 - paid ABSTUDY for two and a half years for Bachelor of Business (deferred at end of semester 1 2023)

Jan has studied for seven and a half years in total but all that study can be disregarded for reasonable time. Years of study that can be disregarded (and the reasons why):

• 2012 - more than 10 years ago
• 2017 - 2018 - paid ABSTUDY at Bachelor level but not the same course
• 2019 - not at Tertiary level B (TGB)
• 2020 - was not paid ABSTUDY
• 2021 to mid 2023 - paid ABSTUDY at Bachelor level but not the same course

Whilst all the previous time spent in receipt of ABSTUDY can be disregarded for reasonable time, we need to look at limit of assistance. The method to determine reasonable time is also used for determining the upper limit to the duration of ABSTUDY LA/PES for study at the same level under the Limits of Assistance, so for a 3 year degree, the limit of assistance is 5 years. ALL time spent at Bachelor level needs to be taken into consideration for this assessment as follows:

• 2012 - more than 10 years ago, not included
• 2017-2018 - included
• 2019 - not at TGB, not included
• 2020 - was not paid ABSTUDY, not included
• 2021 to mid-2023 - included

This gives four and a half years of study undertaken at TGB level at the start of the 2024 academic year. As this is less than the five years, Jan will be eligible for ABSTUDY in 2024. Jan will NOT be eligible in 2025 as at that time Jan will have exceeded limit of assistance.

Note: while Jan will reach reasonable time by the start of semester two, 2024 Jan will remain eligible as previous study is only measured at the start of the academic year.

2

Assessing limit of assistance for a Bachelor student

Samuel has applied for ABSTUDY in 2018 to study a 4 year Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at university. Samuel's academic history is as follows:

• 2011-2012 - paid ABSTUDY Living Allowance for 2 years of a 3 year Bachelor of Education
• 2013 - paid ABSTUDY Living Allowance for a Cert 3 in Business
• 2014-2015 - paid ABSTUDY Living Allowance for 2 years of a 4 year Bachelor of Business
• 2016-2017 - paid ABSTUDY Living Allowance for 2 years of a 4 year Bachelor of Arts

Samuel has studied for seven years in total, but all that study can be disregarded in the reasonable time assessment for his new claim. Years of study that can be disregarded (and the reasons why):

• 2011-2012 - paid ABSTUDY at tertiary level B (TGB) level but not the same course
• 2013 - not at TGB level
• 2014-2015 - paid ABSTUDY at TGB level but not the same course
• 2016-2017 - paid ABSTUDY at TGB level but not the same course

Whilst all the previous time spent in receipt of ABSTUDY can be disregarded for reasonable time, we need to look at limit of assistance. The method to determine reasonable time is also used for determining the upper limit to the duration of ABSTUDY LA/PES for study at the same level under the Limits of Assistance, so for a 4 year degree, the limit of assistance is 6 years. ALL time spent at Bachelor level needs to be taken into consideration for this assessment as follows:

• 2011-2012 - included
• 2013 - not at tertiary level B, not included
• 2014-2015 - included
• 2016-2017 - included

This leaves six years of study undertaken at TGB level at the start of the 2018 academic year, which count toward limit of assistance. Even though Samuel has not actually completed a Bachelor course, as the time spent is equivalent to one completed Bachelor course, Samuel is no longer eligible for ABSTUDY under the limits of assistance rules.

3

Assessing limit of assistance for a Masters student

Alec has applied for ABSTUDY in 2018 to study a 2 year Master of Professional Engineering (Chemical) at university. Alec's academic history is as follows:

• 2010-2013 - paid ABSTUDY Living Allowance to complete a 4 year Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
• 2014-2015 - paid ABSTUDY Living Allowance for 2 years of a 2 year Master of Engineering Management but did not complete the course
• 2016-2017 - paid ABSTUDY Living Allowance for 2 years of a 2 year Master of Professional Engineering (Software) but did not complete the course

Alec has studied for eight years in total but all that study can be disregarded in the reasonable time assessment for his new claim. Years of study that can be disregarded (and the reasons why):

• 2010-2013 - not at Masters level
• 2014-2015 - paid ABSTUDY at Masters level but not the same course
• 2016-2017 - paid ABSTUDY at Masters level but not the same course

Whilst all the previous time spent in receipt of ABSTUDY can be disregarded for reasonable time, we need to look at limit of assistance. The method to determine reasonable time is also used for determining the upper limit to the duration of ABSTUDY LA/PES for study at the same level under the Limits of Assistance, so for a 2 year Masters course, the limit of assistance is 4 years. ALL time spent at Masters level needs to be taken into consideration for this assessment as follows:

• 2010-2013 - not at Masters level, not included
• 2014-2015 - included
• 2016-2017 - included

This totals four years of study undertaken at Masters level at the start of the 2018 academic year, which count toward limit of assistance. Even though Alec has not actually completed a Masters course, the time spent is equivalent to one completed Masters course. However, as study at Masters and Doctorate level is limited to the following:

• one (or time equivalent to one) completed course at Master level and one (or time equivalent to one) completed course at Doctorate level
• two (or time equivalent to two) completed at Masters level, or
• two (or time equivalent to two) completed at Doctorate level

Alec still has another Master or Doctorate course available under the limit of assistance rules. Therefore, while Alec has met his limit of assistance for one Masters course, Alec is eligible for ABSTUDY as the current course can be considered to be the second Masters course under limit of assistance rules.

4

Assessing reasonable time and limit of assistance for a Masters student

Rylan has been receiving ABSTUDY to study a 2 year Master of Environmental Management at university for the past four years, and has called at the start of 2023 to confirm whether ABSTUDY payments can continue. Rylan's academic history is as follows:

• 2016-2018 - paid ABSTUDY Living Allowance to complete a 3 year Bachelor of Environmental Science
• 2019-2022 - paid ABSTUDY Living Allowance for 4 years while attempting to complete a 2 year Master of Environmental Management but did not complete the course

Rylan has studied for seven years in total but some of that study can be disregarded in the reasonable time assessment at the start of 2023. Years of study that can be disregarded (and the reasons why):

• 2016-2018 - not at Masters level

Although the Bachelor level study can be disregarded, Rylan has been paid Living Allowance for four years for studies in the current Master of Environmental Management. As this is a 2 year course, the total duration of reasonable time allowed is 4 years. At the start of the academic year in 2023, Rylan has met the reasonable time for this course and is no longer eligible to receive ABSTUDY for this course.

Rylan then enrols in a Master of Finance instead. In the reasonable time assessment for this course, the years of study that can be disregarded (and the reasons why) are:

• 2016-2018 - not at Masters level
• 2019-2022 - paid ABSTUDY at Masters level but not the same course

Rylan therefore has not met or exceeded reasonable time or limits of assistance for the current course. Rylan completes the Master of Finance in 2 years from 2023 to 2024.

Rylan then decides to enrol in a Master of Social Work at another university commencing in 2025. In the reasonable time assessment for this new course, the years of study that can be disregarded (and the reasons why) are:

• 2016-2018 - not at Masters level
• 2019-2022 - paid ABSTUDY at Masters level but not the same course
• 2023-2024 - paid ABSTUDY at Masters level but not the same course

Whilst all the previous time spent in receipt of ABSTUDY can be disregarded for reasonable time, we need to also look at limits of assistance. Study at Masters and Doctorate level is limited to two (or time equivalent to two) completed courses at this level.

While Rylan has only completed one Masters level course, we also need to determine the upper limit for the duration of ABSTUDY LA/PES for study at the same level under the Limits of Assistance.

The method used to determine this is the same method used to determine reasonable time. Therefore, for the proposed Master of Social work, a 2 year Masters course, the reasonable time duration is 4 years. For the previously completed Master of Finance, also a 2 year Masters course, the reasonable time duration was 4 years. This gives an upper limit for the duration of study at this level under the Limits of Assistance rules of 8 years total.

ALL time spent at Masters level needs to be taken into consideration for this assessment as follows:

• 2016-2018 - not at Masters level, not included
• 2019-2022 - included
• 2023-2024 - included

This totals six years of study undertaken at Masters level at the start of the 2025 academic year, which count toward Limit of Assistance rules. As Rylan has only completed one Masters level course, and has 2 years of time remaining under the Limits of Assistance rules (8 years upper limit of assistance less 6 years already studied at that level), Rylan is eligible for ABSTUDY to be paid for the Master of Social Work in 2025.

Rylan continues to receive ABSTUDY Living Allowance for the Master of Social Work throughout 2025 and 2026 but has not completed the course.

At the commencement of the 2027 academic year, Rylan has studied in the Master of Social Work for 2 years, and would normally have 2 years of reasonable time remaining for this course. At this point Rylan has also only completed one of the attempted Masters courses. However, Rylan has now been paid Living Allowance for a total of 8 years at Masters level, and has therefore met the upper limit for the duration of study at the same level under the Limits of Assistance.

Rylan will therefore no longer be eligible to receive ABSTUDY for this course under the Limit of Assistance rules, unless eligible for an extension due to disability or circumstances beyond the student's control.

5

Assessing limit of assistance for a Bachelor student who was previously a part time student

Mylee has commenced a 3 year full time Bachelor of Arts course in 2018 and is applying for ABSTUDY Living Allowance. Mylee's academic history is as follows:

• 2012-2017 - paid ABSTUDY under the Part-time Award to complete a 6 year Bachelor of Education

Whilst Mylee has completed a Bachelor degree within the last 10 years, this can be disregarded as ABSTUDY Living Allowance was not paid for the course, therefore Mylee is eligible to ABSTUDY.

6

Assessing limit of assistance for a Bachelor student applying for the Part-time Award

Rhys has commenced a 6 year part time Bachelor of Arts course in 2018 and is applying for the ABSTUDY Part-time Award. Rhys's academic history is as follows:

• 2013-2016 - paid ABSTUDY Living Allowance under the Tertiary Award to complete a 4 year Bachelor of Engineering

Whilst Rhys is not applying for ABSTUDY Living Allowance, Rhys has completed a Bachelor degree for which ABSTUDY Living Allowance was paid within the last 10 years, therefore Rhys is not eligible to ABSTUDY as the limit of assistance has been reached.

Item

Scenario

1

Dividing a course into academic periods

Most courses are divided into academic periods. The standard divisions are:

• whole years
• semesters (that is, 2 periods per year), or
• trimesters (that is, 3 periods per year)

It is easy to look at each period separately in these cases, but some courses, particularly those offered by private providers, do not have any divisions. These types of courses often have a rolling start date (for example, the course starts on any given Monday after enrolling) and will finish a set number of weeks later. In these cases, the course is looked at as a whole.

2

Disregarding previous study in the current course

The general rule for ABSTUDY is that a student can continue to be paid up to the point at which they should have completed the course. See Determining allowable time/reasonable time for a course of study for each courses reasonable time assessment.

All time spent in the course is taken into equal account, regardless of the study-load, however the following periods can be disregarded:

• periods of study for which Living Allowance or ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) was not paid, regardless of the reason why these were not paid
• periods of study in courses other than the one for which reasonable time is being calculated,
• studies undertaken more than 10 years before the year for which assistance is being claimed

3

Measuring the academic periods to determine percentage workload

To calculate the total amount of study for several academic periods, it is easiest to measure each period as a percentage of a whole academic year. Therefore, a semester's worth of study equals 50% of a year, a trimester's equals 33.3% and so on.

4

Assessment when the student ceases mid semester

The calculation of reasonable/allowable time for when a student ceases mid-way through a semester follows the same rules as above.

If a student ceases study 4 weeks into a 16 week semester, the student will be attributed 12.5% of study for reasonable time calculations, rather than the 50% they would have been if they completed the semester.

5

Calculating the end date of reasonable time and limits of assistance

The result of the calculation of satisfactory progress can be used to determine when the time allowed to complete the course is expected to end and entitlement cease.

A student's eligibility under reasonable time rules is measured at the start of the academic year for which assistance is being sought, or the date on which the student first applies for ABSTUDY in a year (e.g. the student may only commence study in second semester). At that time, the student must have studied less than the maximum time allowed.

This means that at the start of the academic year, a student who has any reasonable time remaining (however little) may be paid up to the end of that academic year, even where reasonable time will be met or exceeded during that year.

A student could therefore be told, for example, that they may be eligible for Living Allowance for the next two years but after that, further payment may not be made for the current course.

6

Example 1

Yuki is completing a two-year TAFE course, which has a reasonable time of 4 years (minimum time plus 2 years).

Each year of study can be thought of as 100% of an academic year for reasonable time calculations. The course is delivered in trimesters, therefore each trimester is considered 33.3% of reasonable time weight for the calculations.

Under reasonable time, Yuki can study 4 years (or 12 trimesters) before reaching their limit (400% of reasonable time weight). Yuki has been assessed as studying 10 trimesters of this course while on ABSTUDY (equivalent to 333.3%). At the start of this academic year, the time already spent studying this course is less than the reasonable time limit, so Yuki continues to be eligible for ABSTUDY for this year of study.

This year Yuki studied for 1 full trimester (33.3%), then dropped out halfway through trimester 2 (half of a 33.3% trimester equals 16.6%). The total time Yuki has now spent in study for this course will be 11.5 trimesters or 383.2%, which is still under the calculated reasonable time limit.

At the beginning of the next year of study Yuki re-enrols into the same course. Whilst Yuki will exceed reasonable time during the year, Yuki remains payable until the end of that academic year as there is reasonable time remaining at the start of the academic year.

7

Example 2

Charlie is undertaking a Bachelor of Arts degree at university, which has a minimum duration of 3 years and a reasonable time of 5 years (minimum time plus 2 years).

Each year of study can be thought of as 100% of an academic year for reasonable time calculations. As Charlie's reasonable time limit is 5 years, this can be thought of as 500%.

Charlie's university delivers courses to an academic calendar based on 2 semesters per year, therefore each semester is considered 50% of reasonable time weight for the calculations.

Charlie was studying the course full-time for 3 years, needing to repeat some subjects. At this point, the total time that contributes to Charlie's reasonable time calculation in the course is 3 years, or 300%.

At the start of year 4, Charlie decided to reduce to a part-time study load and was therefore no longer paid Living Allowance. Half-way through Semester 2 however, Charlie increased to 75% of a full-time study load, and Living Allowance resumed.

At the end of the fourth year, the total time spent in the course that contributes to Charlie's reasonable time assessment is the first 3 years (300%), and half of semester 2 in the fourth year (half a 50% semester equals 25%) which totals 325%. The part time study is disregarded in the calculation as Charlie did not receive Living Allowance.

If Charlie returns to full-time study in the following year, as the reasonable time limit has not been reached, Charlie will continue to be eligible for ABSTUDY Living allowance.