Assessing satisfactory progress and allowable time for tertiary students for Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) 010-05110050

PES is paid to eligible tertiary students for a limited period while they are studying. To receive PES, students must be making satisfactory progress by not exceeding the allowable time for their course.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) students who meet all the following criteria will never reach the allowable time for their course as all previous study is disregarded:

• receive Austudy or PES
• studying a VET course that has a full-time duration of 1 year or less (generally at Certificate level via TAFE or a VET provider), and
• have only ever studied tertiary level VET courses with a full-time duration of 1 year or less

Eligible full-time and 25% concessional VET students can continue to receive Austudy or PES for these courses.

Allowable time is measured against the time allowed to study a course based on the normal duration to study that course (sometimes called minimum time). Deduct time already spent in study (including any non-compulsory study periods) at the same level from this limit to check if the customer is still undertaking qualifying study. Study load concessions may extend the payment duration.

Customers can study a second course at the same level within the allowable study time rules. They:

• can use any additional time available to them to start a second course at the same level, and
• will lose qualification once they exceed the allowable time for one course

On the relevant date:

• make a decision about the student's progress. If the student is making satisfactory progress on this date, continue PES payment until the student exceeds the allowable time for the course
• if the time already spent on courses at the same level (as the current course) exceeds the allowable time for the current course, consider if some or all the earlier study can be disregarded

Current full-time students

If the previous study was undertaken as a full-time study load, only take the normal minimum duration of a completed course into account, whether or not the student studied for longer than that.

Where study load aggregation has been applied to satisfy full-time study requirements, count all study periods included in the aggregation assessment as full-time.

Treat any previous study undertaken as a 25% concessional study-load student as equal to the minimum amount of time that a full-time student would have taken to complete the previous study. For example, a student completed 4 years as a 25% concessional study-load student and is now a full-time student. Count their previous study as one year because this is how long a full-time student would have taken to complete the same study.

Current 25% concessional study-load students - measuring previous study

To measure previous study for a current 25% concessional study-load student:

• treat and count previous study as full years (regardless of whether study was 25% concessional, 66% concessional study-load or full-time, or if PES was paid)
• take into account that PES is payable for twice the length of time it would take a full-time student to complete the current course being studied. For example, if the current course is 3 years full-time, PES is payable for 6 years
• subtract any study previously undertaken at the same level, from the allowable time for the current course

It is not relevant if the previous study was full-time, 25% concessional or if PES was paid.

For example, a 25% concessional study-load student starting a 3 year course previously undertook 3 years study at the same level (as both a full-time and 25% concessional study-load student). PES was paid only for one year. Count the 3 past years of previous study as 3 years, so the student can be paid PES for another 3 years if they continue as a 25% concessional study-load student.

A customer cannot qualify for PES if they have completed:

• a Masters or Doctorate level course in Australia, or
• an overseas qualification of the same standing