Supporting ABSTUDY students in higher education

How you can help

To support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, you can:

• encourage them to find out what ABSTUDY support they may get
• provide them with supporting documents to help with their claim
• remind them to tell us when their circumstances change so they can avoid a debt.

If you run activities involving short-term student travel, you can also claim Away from Base Assistance on their behalf.

What ABSTUDY help is available

Various ABSTUDY payments are available to help the following types of students:

• full time higher education
• part time higher education
• masters and doctorate
• Australian Apprentices.

What you may need to provide to support ABSTUDY claims

Students may need details and documents from you to support their ABSTUDY claims. This includes:

• planned and previous course details
• scholarship details
• enrolment details or fee receipts
• course acceptance notices
• academic transcripts.

If we ask students for proof of enrolment, they may need to provide documents from you that:

• give the name of the course
• are official documents from you as their education provider
• state the period they’re enrolled in.

Students requesting the Residential Costs Option

Some students getting ABSTUDY Living Allowance can choose the Residential Costs Option. This helps pay residential costs while they live away from home to study.

When students choose this option we pay you directly for certain residential costs including:

• accommodation
• meals
• laundry charges
• other compulsory fees.

The Residential Costs Option doesn’t cover rental bonds or other types of refundable fees.

Students requesting this option will need to give us their residential costs invoice from you for each billing period. You can also provide it to us by emailing the National Business Gateway with the students Customer Reference Number.

Students claiming Additional Incidentals Allowance

Some higher education students can get ABSTUDY Additional Incidentals Allowance if they have high essential course costs.

When students apply for this, they need to give us either:

• the ABSTUDY Additional Incidental claim (SY031) form signed by the head of their education institution
• a letter from the head of their education institution confirming the items are essential course costs for all students.

Students claiming ABSTUDY Fares Allowance

You may need to help students give us proof of the reason they need to travel. Learn more about the documents you may need to provide.