Attributed to Matthew Cubillo-Jones, Services Australia spokesperson.
If you’re finishing school, it’s worth taking the time now to find out what financial support you could get next year so you can focus on study.
You can even claim before the new year starts and might get paid over the Christmas holidays.
What’s ABSTUDY?
ABSTUDY isn’t just one payment - it’s a group of payments that may help students or apprentices ease the financial pressures they may feel while studying or training.
You can get it from secondary school right through to the end of TAFE and University courses.
It can help with the costs of rent, food, bills, study materials and travel while you’re studying.
If you’re planning on doing higher education, you need to be studying an approved course at university, TAFE or another approved higher education provider.
If you’re planning on being an apprentice, you must be doing a full time Australian Apprenticeship or traineeship to get ABSTUDY.
We’ll also take your income, your partner’s income (if you have one) and your parents’ income into account when we’re assessing how much payment you can get.
What help can you get?  
The main payment to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with living costs while you are studying is ABSTUDY Living Allowance.  
If you get this payment, you may also be eligible for Student Start up Loan and Rent Assistance. If you’re in severe financial stress, ABSTUDY Additional Assistance is also available. 
There is also ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) if you meet study rules and get certain payments from Services Australia or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. 
ABSTUDY Incidentals Allowance is another payment which can be paid on its own or as an extra if you get Living Allowance or ABSTUDY PES. This is a one-off payment to help with the costs of starting or continuing study. 
ABSTUDY also recognises the importance of connection to Country, community and family – allowing students to claim Fares Allowance if they’re returning home for cultural or family reasons.  
The earlier you claim, the sooner you get paid  
Get ahead of the game before Christmas comes. Claiming before the new year means that you could have some extra money in your account over the Christmas holidays.  
Before you claim, you can find out more about eligibility for each ABSTUDY payment and how it all works at our Services Australia website - servicesaustralia.gov.au/ABSTUDY.
Or if you’d like to chat to a staff member, you can call the ABSTUDY line on 1800 132 317, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm.