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To get School Fees Allowance higher rate, students must be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australian and either:
- a full-time high school student, or
- a full-time student who needs to live away from home to repeat the final year of primary school before high school.
They can be one of the following:
- dependent and living away from home
- dependent and living at home
- independent
- in state care.
Students may also get a higher rate if they live away from home to do an approved special course.
Dependent and living away from home
If a student is dependent we must approve them for one of the higher rates when living away from home.
Dependent and living at home
We’ll pay School Fees Allowance higher rate if a student is dependent and needs to attend a private school. They must not be able to attend a government school because of either:
Independent
We’ll pay School Fees Allowance higher rate if you’re independent because of one of the following reasons:
- you’re an orphan
- your parents can’t take care of you
- it’s unreasonable to live at home.
If you're independent for any other reason, you must also be getting the ABSTUDY Living Allowance higher rate.
In state care
If a student you're caring for is in state care, you can get the School Fees Allowance higher rate if both of the following apply:
- you don’t get a regular foster care allowance for them
- we pay the ABSTUDY Living Allowance higher rate for them.