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Allowable non-award study for Youth Allowance (YA) 010-06070030

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This document outlines how Services Australia will pay financial assistance for study only to those customers who are enrolled in and undertaking an approved course of study.

Approval of a course

A general requirement for the approval of a course is that it leads to some sort of award (e.g. Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor, etc.). A person who is undertaking non-award study would therefore not normally be eligible for one of the student payments delivered by Services Australia.

For a course to be approved, both the course content and the institution providing the course, must meet certain requirements. These requirements are determined by the relevant State or Territory authorities.

YA to be paid under certain conditions

One of the exceptions to the non-award study rule is to allow YA to be paid under certain conditions.

This may occur when a higher education institution has allowed a student to be enrolled on a non-award basis in subjects that are normally part of an approved course.

This situation may arise:

  • due to a technicality within the institution that means the student’s formal enrolment is deferred,

or

  • where the student is guaranteed a later course enrolment (with the current study credited towards their degree) upon successful completion of the study

In either case, the studies may be counted as part of the YA study load and can count towards satisfying the full-time study requirements. The student would need to provide evidence of the situation. This would be in the form of a statement from the educational provider.

Approved courses of study for Centrelink administered payments for students

Assessing study load requirements

Youth Allowance student full-time study requirements

Allowable non-award study for Austudy and Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)