From January 1 each year, students can claim the Tertiary Access Payment, to help with the cost of moving from regional or remote areas for tertiary study.
This year, the eligibility criteria has been expanded to offer support to school leavers moving from inner regional areas.
Services Australia encourages school leavers pursuing further study or training straight after year 12 (or equivalent) to check their eligibility for the Tertiary Access Payment by submitting a claim now.
Students can claim this payment in addition to other financial support, like Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY. Students who aren’t eligible for other student payments may still be eligible for the Tertiary Access Payment.
How much can students get?
There are two rates of the Tertiary Access Payment available to eligible students.
- Students relocating from an inner regional area may be eligible for a one-off payment of $3,000.
- Students relocating from an outer regional or remote area may be eligible for a one-off payment of $5,000, made in 2 instalments:
- $3,000 during the first half of the year, and $2,000 in the second half of the year, as long as they’re still enrolled in full-time study.
Eligible students can only get this payment once and only in their first year of study. This payment is not taxable.
Who is eligible for the 2022 Tertiary Access Payment?
This payment is available to Australian residents from inner regional, outer regional or remote areas. Students can find out if their home address is in an eligible area using the Student Regional Area Search tool.
Students must be moving away from home to study at a vocational educational and training (VET) provider, university or higher
education provider.
Students will also need to:
- Study a certificate IV or above.
- Study at least 75% of a full-time study load over an academic year.
- Start their study in the year immediately following completion of year 12 (or equivalent) with no gap year.
- Be aged 22 or younger on the day they start their tertiary course.
- Have parents or guardians whose income is under the current combined parental income limit of $250,000.
They do not need to be claiming an income support payment, like Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY, to be eligible for the Tertiary Access Payment.
How do students claim?
Students can claim using their Centrelink online account through myGov.
If they don’t have a myGov account, information about how to set one up is available on the Services Australia website.
Students will need to provide proof of the address of their family home in a regional or remote location.
They will also need supporting documents ready to help answer some of the questions in the claim, including their study details and details of their parents’ or guardians’ income.
What other support is available to regional and remote students? Students in regional and remote areas may also be eligible for:
Youth Allowance, a fortnightly payment if they’re 24 or younger and a student or Australian Apprentice.
ABSTUDY, a group of payments for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students or apprentices. Rent Assistance, a fortnightly payment if they are living away from home and paying rent.
Fares Allowance, to help with travel costs between their permanent home and place of tertiary study in Australia.
Student Start-Up Loan, a voluntary tax-free loan of $1,132 claimed up to 2 times a year, once each loan period, to help with study costs.
Relocation Scholarship, financial help if students have to move to or from a regional or remote area to study.
- $4,788 in the first year
- $2,395 per year in the second and third years if the family home is in a regional or remote area
- $1,196 per year after that
For more information on the support available to students leaving secondary school, visit Services Australia here.
