Not qualified for ABSTUDY if receiving other assistance to study or as an Australian Apprentice 010-02030040

The effect on ABSTUDY eligibility depends on the type of assistance received:

• income support
• other forms of Australian Government assistance to study
• training assistance
• scholarships

A student or Australian Apprentice receiving other assistance for study or training would not qualify for ABSTUDY from the earlier of the:

• point when the student begins study under the programme, or
• date the agreement starts

ABSTUDY may be payable if the student is undertaking additional studies not related to the course for which the student is receiving other assistance to study

Students and Australian Apprentices are not eligible for ABSTUDY assistance if they get another form of Australian Government income support to study or undertake the Australian Apprenticeship. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Youth Allowance (YA) (where study in the course makes up part or all of the activity test requirements)
• Austudy
• Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme
• Language, Literacy and Numeracy Supplement (LLNS)
• Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)
• Veterans' Children Education Scheme (VCES)
• Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme (MRCAETS)
• Living Away from Home Allowance (LAFHA)

The exception to the above is where an ABSTUDY payment is intended to supplement a primary payment (such as PES for a Parenting Payment recipient, including where the study is a compulsory activity for the primary payment).

A student or Australian Apprentice may remain eligible for ABSTUDY, but are precluded from Living Allowance entitlements if they receive:

• Australian Government income support for reasons other than study
• other forms of Australian Government assistance that are paid to a student for a different course of study, such as Self Employment Allowance

Customers receiving another form of Australian Government assistance for a different course, may access the non-means tested components of ABSTUDY for a course of study or an Australian Apprenticeship. See ABSTUDY Incidentals Allowance.

This does not impact customers who choose to cancel their income support payment to claim ABSTUDY Living Allowance.

Students receiving the following are not entitled to ABSTUDY Living Allowance:

• a social security pension
• Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Service Pension or Veteran Payment

Students receiving one of the above, may qualify for ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement, or have entitlement under the Part-time Award.

Students receiving the DVA Disability Compensation Payment are not precluded from Living Allowance.

Generally, students receiving training assistance for formal study, including assistance from an employer, are not eligible for ABSTUDY.

Examples of training assistance include, but are not limited to:

• Living Away From Home Allowance (LAFHA) for Australian Apprentices
• Assistance from an employer for work or job-related training (through an approved course) including:
• paid study leave
• payment of course fees/training costs, or
• the combined payment of travel, meals and accommodation costs associated with doing the course or training away from the home location

The following types of assistance do not preclude ABSTUDY eligibility, but are assessed as income under the personal income test:

• School based traineeships or apprenticeships
• Scholarships
• Cadetships
• Northern Territory Government Aboriginal Employment Program (AEP)
• Part-time apprenticeship or traineeship
• Full-time Australian Apprenticeship
• Internships
• Employees of organisations that are registered by the:
• Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission, and/or
• Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations

Australian Apprentices receiving training assistance for formal study, may be eligible for ABSTUDY if they meet the criteria under the Tertiary Award for Australian Apprentices.

The following types of assistance available to Australian Apprentices does not affect ABSTUDY eligibility:

• Indigenous Apprenticeships Program (IAP) jointly administered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations - participants are employed by Australian Government departments and agencies as Australian Apprentices. IAP participants can apply for the full range of ABSTUDY benefits available under the Tertiary Award. The Resources page contains a link to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website for more information about IAP
• Indigenous Apprenticeships Programme (IAP) participants are employed by Services Australia and other Australian Government departments and agencies as Australian Apprentices. IAP participants can apply for the full range of ABSTUDY benefits available under the Tertiary Award. See the Resources page for a link to the Indigenous Apprenticeships Programme (IAP) intranet page

In general, students are eligible for ABSTUDY if they participate in a scholarship, cadetship or internship program that:

• includes a paid placement with a government department, and
• may also lead to paid employment with a government department on completion

Students are not eligible for ABSTUDY where a government department offers a cadetship/scholarship to its employees which is not open to people outside the organisation or public service. For example, the Sir Roland Wilson or Pat Turner Scholarships for Australian Public Servants.

Most students who receive a scholarship are eligible for ABSTUDY. Most scholarships are assessed as income under the personal income test.

A student is not eligible for ABSTUDY or any supplementary assistance under the ABSTUDY Scheme if they:

• are employed by a government agency and
• receive a scholarship from that agency for secondary or tertiary level studies

Note: a student is not considered an employee of a government agency if they are an employee for work experience purposes only.

Most state or territory governments provide assistance for school students, for example school subsidy schemes. This can include assistance for low income and isolated families with bursaries for additional educational expenses like living away from home allowances. This also includes payments made to the school or parent under the Secondary Assistance Scheme. This assistance does not affect ABSTUDY eligibility or entitlements.