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Approved courses of study for ABSTUDY, ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) 010-07010200



This document outlines how to determine an approved course of study for Services Australia administered student payments - ABSTUDY, ABSTUDY PES and AIC.

On this page:

Initial check of approved courses

Course approvals

Course not approved

Course approval outcomes

Initial check of approved courses

Table 1: course approval decisions for ABSTUDY are normally made by the Level 3 ABSTUDY Policy helpdesk with advice from a Course Assessment and Liaison Officer (CALO).

Step

Action

1

Course of study + Read more ...

Is the customer/student undertaking or planning to undertake a course of study?

  • Yes, go to Step 2
  • No, the customer is not a student for Services Australia's purposes and cannot be paid as such. Any claim that has been lodged for some type of student assistance must be rejected. Identify if the customer is eligible for other Services Australia administered payments, such as JobSeeker Payment (JSP). Record outcome on a DOC. Procedure ends here

2

ABSTUDY definition of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander + Read more ...

See Aboriginality or Torres Strait Islander status for ABSTUDY purposes.

Does the student or Australian Apprentice meet the ABSTUDY definition of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander?

3

Enrolled, or planning to enrol + Read more ...

Is the customer/student enrolled, or planning to enrol, at an education provider?

Note: this includes people claiming ABSTUDY under the Lawful Custody Award who are not undertaking their study at an education provider. It also includes AIC students undertaking ungraded study or living skills training who live in a residential institution that caters for children with disabilities, psychological, emotional or behavioural problems.

4

Course and provider approval + Read more ...

For a course of study to be approved, both the course itself and the provider offering the course must normally be approved.

State/territory government high schools and special schools, Institutes of Technical and Further Education (TAFEs) and government universities are approved providers for all payment types.

State/territory primary schools are approved providers for ABSTUDY Schooling A (School Term Allowance and School Fees Allowance) and ABSTUDY Schooling B Award or the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme.

Note: if an approved VET course (diploma level and above) or higher education course becomes unapproved (with the exception of complete by and enrol by date issues), customers will continue to receive ABSTUDY or ABSTUDY PES until they finish their course, as long as:

  • they were studying an approved course which has subsequently become unapproved under the Determination part-way through their course
  • they meet other eligibility requirements, and
  • there is no break in their payment entitlement

ABSTUDY only approved courses:

Correctional services authorities and providers provide 'in-house' courses or study programs to Aboriginal and Torres Islander people in lawful custody.

Under ABSTUDY, students in lawful custody may be entitled to assistance under the Lawful Custody Award for courses or programs of study that are approved courses at an educational provider or approved by a correctional services authority. This second type of course/study program, that needs to be an Indigenous special course, is not accredited or approved in the normal way. Nor is the correctional services authority or the correctional provider (that provides the course) necessarily a registered training organisation or otherwise an approved educational provider in accordance with the Ministerial Determination.

This type of course can only be approved for ABSTUDY purposes. For the purposes of ABSTUDY, the correctional services authority is an approved education provider.

See How to determine if a course is approved for ABSTUDY purposes for advice on approving these courses.

AIC only approved courses:

An approved course for AIC can include ungraded level study (including 'living skills' training) approved by state or territory education or health authorities. These courses would normally be outside the scope of the Ministerial Determination. An approved provider (where these courses are undertaken) includes a residential education provider or non-residential special school that caters for children with disabilities, psychological, emotional or behavioural problems. The education provider must be approved by state or territory education or health authorities.

The AIC Smart Centres are responsible for processing AIC claims and for recording the approval (for AIC purposes) of the education or training programs for these students.

To determine whether a provider is an approved education provider use the Education Institution Summary (EIS) screen (which is accessed from the Reference Data Enquiry (CODES) screen) in Customer First.

In Process Direct search codes in left of the Education Institution ID in EDS field.

If the provider is not listed, refer to the National Course Approvals sub-site, on the Resources page.

Is the education provider approved?

5

ABSTUDY or ABSTUDY PES + Read more ...

Is the customer/student applying for ABSTUDY or ABSTUDY PES?

6

Excluded courses + Read more ...

Is the course an excluded course for ABSTUDY purposes?

  • Yes, go to Step 7
  • No, course is considered a mainstream course and can be approved, see Table 2

7

Indigenous Special Course + Read more ...

Indigenous special courses are courses developed with a course content for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Is the course an Indigenous special course?

8

Home tuition or home-based schooling + Read more ...

9

Full time primary or secondary level course + Read more ...

Is the course a full-time primary or secondary level (or equivalent ungraded level) course which has been approved formally by the relevant State/Territory education authority as being an accredited course or is a satisfactory alternative to a State provided education?

Note: if YA, ABSTUDY, ABSTUDY PES or PES is being claimed the authority must confirm that the study is full-time and conforms with, and will be credited towards, the primary or secondary qualification accredited by that authority.

10

Student in lawful custody + Read more ...

Correctional services authorities and providers provide 'in-house' courses or study programmes to Aboriginal and Torres Islander people in lawful custody.

Under ABSTUDY, programmes of study for students in lawful custody approved by a correctional services authority can be one of the types of Indigenous special courses that can be an approved course. This type of Indigenous special course is not accredited in the normal way. Nor is the correctional services authority or the correctional provider (that provides the course) normally a registered training organisation or otherwise an approved education provider in accordance with the Ministerial Determination. This type of course can only be approved for ABSTUDY purposes.

See How to determine if a course is approved for ABSTUDY purposes.

Is the programme approved by a correctional services authority for a student in lawful custody?

Course approvals

Table 2: course approval decisions for ABSTUDY are normally made by the Level 3 ABSTUDY Policy helpdesk with advice from a Course Assessment and Liaison Officer (CALO).

Step

Action

1

Type of education provider + Read more ...

Is the course offered by a government approved or funded educational provider (that is, a university, other higher education provider, TAFE or school) or an approved private provider?

If the provider is a:

Note: state/territory schools are approved providers and so the courses they offer, including the International Baccalaureate are also approved. See Step 5 in Table 4

2

Approved university and other higher education courses + Read more ...

Single Bachelor degrees

All single Bachelor degree courses at government supported universities and other recognised higher education providers (that are not excluded course for ABSTUDY purposes) are approved courses.

Combined Bachelor degrees

Combined Bachelor degrees are approved if they appear in the university's handbook. Handbooks can be found online at the university internet sites. See the Resources page for a link to these sites.

Some universities are delivering combined Bachelor degrees, Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma courses with Masters degrees. The Bachelor degree, Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma component will be an approved course with the Masters degree also being approved for YA, Austudy and PES if it is listed in Schedule 3 of the Course Determination Instrument. For a list of approved Masters courses (for YA, Austudy and PES), see the Resources page. All Masters components of courses combining Bachelor and Masters degrees (that are not excluded courses for ABSTUDY purposes) are also approved courses for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY PES.

Masters by course work

Some Masters by coursework programs at government supported universities are approved courses for YA, Austudy and PES. See the Resources page for further information about approval of these Masters courses. For ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY PES, all accredited Masters and Doctoral courses (that are not excluded course for ABSTUDY purposes) are approved courses.

Master Level course

All students undertaking Masters courses on the approved course list are normally considered to be undertaking approved study for the purposes of ABSTUDY, ABSTUDY PES, Austudy, YA and PES. All other Masters courses at government supported universities are also normally approved courses for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY PES.

Masters degree and Doctoral level courses are normally approved for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY PES if they appear in the university's handbook. Only where the Masters or Doctoral course is an excluded course would it not be approved for ABSTUDY.

Handbooks can be found online at the university internet sites. See the Resources page for a link to these sites.

Startup Year Courses

Startup Year Courses that offer STARTUP-HELP loans are approved courses. To be eligible for a student payment the customer must also be:

  • enrolled in their Startup Year Course, and
  • selected by their education provider for a STARTUP-HELP loan

See Startup Year Courses for further information about these courses.

Combined courses with Startup Year Course in final year

Combined courses with Startup Year Course in final year can be approved for the duration of the bachelor degree component if the bachelor degree is an approved course. A student's entitlement to a STARTUP-HELP loan must be verified for the Startup Year Course to be approved.

If the combined course delivers the Startup Year components as a subject:

  • the course is considered to be an approved course, and
  • the student does not need to be selected for a STARTUP-HELP loan to qualify for a student payment

See Startup Year Courses for further information about these courses.

Doctorate level course

A customer who is undertaking a doctoral level course (such as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is not eligible for assistance under any payment type other than ABSTUDY or ABSTUDY PES. Some courses may appear to be doctoral level courses from the title, but are approved as Masters courses (for example, Juris Doctor). If required check the current approved Masters list. The Resources page contains a link to this list.

If there is any doubt about a course, create a referral to a Course Assessment and Liaison Officer. See Referrals to Course Assessment and Liaison Officers (CALOs). This would also apply where there is doubt about a course that does not operate as a Commonwealth Supported Course (previously HECS). University courses for which full fees are paid should always be checked. Care also needs to be taken with university courses at levels other than at the Bachelor degree level.

Is the course approved?

3

Approved TAFE and Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses + Read more ...

To be an approved course of study for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY PES, Vocational Educational Training (VET) courses that are at diploma level or higher must be:

  • a course approved for the VET Student Loan (VSL), and
  • undertaken with a provider approved to provide VSL courses

For a higher education course to be approved for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY PES it must be approved to offer the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP).

Note: AIC, Indigenous Special Courses and ABSTUDY Lawful Custody award are excluded from the VSL and HELP requirement.

There are no TAFEs in the Northern Territory. TAFE/VET type courses are instead offered by Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Charles Darwin University and private providers. To determine whether these courses are approved, go to Step 5.

All TAFE/VET courses that lead to an award are approved courses in New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania.

For all other States and Territories, use local procedures to determine course approval - see Course approval procedures table on the Resources page.

Is the course an approved course?

4

Approved courses at non-government schools + Read more ...

Non-government schools can offer a variety of courses. If the course is an accredited secondary course (that is, it has an accredited curriculum as approved by the authority in that State/Territory), or is the International Baccalaureate, the course is approved.

If unsure, use local procedures to determine course approval - see Course approval procedures table on the Resources page.

Is the course an approved course?

5

Approved courses offered by private providers + Read more ...

Private providers offer a wide variety of courses. Many providers will run some courses that are approved for Services Australia purposes and some courses that are not. This means that each course must be checked individually using local procedures - see the Course approval procedures table on the Resources page.

Is the course an approved course?

Course not approved

Table 3: course approval decisions for ABSTUDY are normally made by the Level 3 ABSTUDY Policy helpdesk with advice from a Course Assessment and Liaison Officer (CALO).

Step

Action

1

Check status of the course + Read more ...

There is often a delay between a course/provider being approved and it appearing in online listings. If there is any doubt staff should create a referral to a Course Assessment and Liaison Officer to confirm the status of the course. See Referrals to Course Assessment and Liaison Officers (CALOs).

Note: do not send CALO referrals for Master courses. The Master courses spreadsheet is updated regularly and without delay. If the course is not on the approved Masters courses spreadsheet on the Resources page, the course is not approved. Reject the claim.

Is the course approved or about to be approved?

2

Date when a customer or the person for whom AIC applicant is claiming can be considered a student + Read more ...

The customer or person for whom the AIC applicant is claiming cannot be considered to be a student prior to the course being approved.

The date from which the course is approved is the date the customer or AIC student may be considered to be a student in an approved course.

Generally, the course approval will be backdated to the date the course is accredited from. This means that the course would be considered to be approved from the date the customer or AIC student commenced the course, provided the course receives accreditation in the same calendar year and before the student completes the course. The customer or AIC applicant may be eligible for assistance provided a claim has been lodged.

Inform the customer or AIC applicant accordingly and advise that a claim should be lodged. Record details of the intent to claim on a DOC. See Contact in relation to an intended claim (CLK).

Note: a person under the age of 22 may be paid Youth Allowance (YA) as a job seeker with part-time or full-time study as an approved activity while the course approval process is in progress.

There is no set procedure for dealing with a claim for a course that is yet to be approved. It would depend on the likely duration of the delay and other factors. Options would include:

  • holding the claim (suitable for short periods)
  • rejecting the claim and setting up a manual follow-up (MFU) for the anticipated approval date (suitable for periods less than 13 weeks)
  • rejecting the claim and asking customer or AIC applicant to contact again in the future when the course may be approved (suitable only in the very rare case of a very long anticipated delay in approval), or
  • maintaining a manual list of applications for a particularly popular course so that they may all be reassessed promptly once approval is granted. In the meantime, the claims would either be rejected or held

Whichever option is chosen, it is important to keep the customer or AIC applicant informed. A DOC must also be recorded.

Procedure ends here.

3

Education provider applied for approval for the course before + Read more ...

Has the education provider ever applied for approval for the course?

4

Refer to Course Assessment and Liaison Officer + Read more ...

As the provider has never applied for approval, no official decision has been made about the course. The customer should be advised to contact the education provider to discuss the situation.

Create a referral to a Course Assessment and Liaison Officer. See Referrals to Course Assessment and Liaison Officers (CALOs).

Can the course be approved?

Course approval outcomes

Table 4: course approval decisions for ABSTUDY are normally made by the Level 3 ABSTUDY Policy helpdesk with advice from a Course Assessment and Liaison Officer (CALO).

Step

Action

1

Course approved + Read more ...

What level of study will the student be undertaking?

  • If primary (including equivalent ungraded) level study, go to Step 2
  • If secondary (including equivalent ungraded) level study, go to Step 5

2

Determine assistance for primary level study + Read more ...

The customer has met one of the criteria to be paid ABSTUDY Schooling A (School Term Allowance and School Fees Allowance) or the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme. Assistance under the Schooling B Award may also be available for primary students in certain circumstances.

No other type of student assistance payment can be made for this level of study. Instead, identify if eligible for other Services Australia administered payments, such as JobSeeker Payment (JSP).

Record outcome on a DOC.

Procedure ends here.

3

Course not approved - identify other assistance + Read more ...

The customer is not undertaking approved study. They cannot be paid by Services Australia as a student.

Identify if the customer is eligible for other Services Australia administered payments, such as JobSeeker Payment (JSP).

Reject or cancel the customer's benefit using the Benefit Action (BA) screen with the code 'NAC' - not an approved course.

If the customer is already receiving ABSTUDY for another course, send a Q999 letter advising the customer the course is not approved.

Record outcome on a DOC.

Procedure ends here.

4

Bachelor degree and the Masters degree are both approved courses + Read more ...

ABSTUDY students

ABSTUDY customers can receive different rates of Living Allowance for the Bachelor degree (undergraduate component) and the Masters component. It is, therefore, necessary for coding on the Education Course Details (EDC) screen to display the 2 separate components. This will ensure the higher Masters rate of Living Allowance is paid from the start of the Masters component.

For coding of the EDC screen, see:

5

Course approval criteria met + Read more ...

The customer has met one of the criteria to be paid a Services Australia student assistance payment. The course approval may apply to:

  • Mainstream courses and accredited Indigenous special courses for ABSTUDY, AIC as well as all other student assistance payments
  • YA, Austudy, PES and/or AIC only (where the course is an excluded course for ABSTUDY purposes)
  • ABSTUDY only (where the course is an approved Indigenous special course on the basis that it is a program of study provided by a correctional services authority for Indigenous person in lawful custody)

Record details on a DOC.