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Who can get help
Prospective secondary school students can get help with travel when one of the following apply:
- they’re required to attend an interview or other selection process before they’re accepted at the boarding school or hostel
- they’re boarding away from home for the first time, and from a remote community or location
There’s no limit to how many orientation trips a student and their parent or guardian can get help with. They can go to multiple orientations at different schools.
When they’ve chosen a school, ABSTUDY can pay for more visits to the same school. This is only if the student is moving away from a remote town or community for the first time. This could also be to take part in a transition program.
Other approved travellers, like a family member or supervisor, can also get help if they travel with the student.
How to book travel
To get ABSTUDY Fares Allowance for orientation travel, the student needs to have already claimed and be eligible for ABSTUDY.
If they haven’t done so already, the parents or guardians should claim ABSTUDY by calling the ABSTUDY line. Learn more about helping families claim ABSTUDY.
We’ll let the family know when we’ve assessed them for ABSTUDY. We’ll let you know once we’ve assessed their claim. Then you can request orientation travel on their behalf.
You’ll need to both:
- make sure the student has a Safe Travel Plan
- follow the steps to book travel.
Once we approve the request we’ll:
- make the travel and accommodation bookings
- send the itinerary and booking details to you to pass onto the student’s family.
Learn more about the important role you play in arranging ABSTUDY’s help with orientation visits.