What Are Centrelink Approved Courses?

Centrelink approved courses allow you to receive payments from Centrelink while you study your chosen field.

Payments You May Be Eligible For with Centrelink Approved Courses

The Department of Human Services delivers payments to students and Australian apprentices who are studying or training. Some of these are regular payments and take care of day to day costs others are paid less often and only cover specific costs.

3 of the main payments for students include:
Youth Allowance
Austudy
ABSTUDY

These 3 payments are paid regularly while you are studying or training. So which one is right for you?

If you are below the age of 25 then Youth Allowance is the payment for you while you study. If you are 25 or older then Austudy is the payment for you.

Both of these payments generally need you to be studying a Centrelink approved course full time. If you are only studying part-time you may need to look into payments for job seekers.

These payments include:
– Newstart Allowance.
– Youth Allowance as a Job Seeker.

Both of these payments have separate eligibility requirements and focus more around finding work.

The third main payment for students is ABSTUDY. You should consider ABSTUDY if you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Australian. Unlike the other payments, ABSTUDY is available even if you are only studying part-time.

Once you are on 1 of these 3 main payments, other additional payments may be available to you.

These include:
– The Student Start-up Loan
– Fares Allowance
– Relocation Scholarship
– Rent Assistance

If you are on ABSTUDY even more additional payments may be available including:
– Incidentals Allowance
– Residential Costs Option
– School Fees Allowance + More

For more info on payments with Centrelink approved courses, head to humanservices.gov.au/students

Student Start-Up Loans with Centrelink Approved Courses

If you get Youth Allowance, Austudy or ABSTUDY Living Allowance and study full-time at University, you may be eligible for the Student Start-up Loan.

To get the loan you must meet certain study requirements. This includes things like study load, studying a Centrelink approved course and remaining in study.

The loan is not paid automatically. If you want one, you‘ll need to apply. You can do this using your Centrelink online account through the myGov website. Applying for the loan is voluntary. If you‘re eligible for the loan, you’ll be paid $1035 twice a year after 1 January and 1 July.

It’s important to know that if you get the loan, it will be added to your HELP-HECS loan. This means you’ll need to pay it back once you start earning a certain amount of money.

You also need to let Centrelink know if things change, like if you move house or change courses. You can do this using the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app or your Centrelink online account through myGov. If you don’t tell Centrelink, you might be overpaid and have to pay the debt back sooner.