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Relocation Scholarship

An annual payment to help students in higher education who live away from their family home while studying.

ABSTUDY and Youth Allowance

ABSTUDY allows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to get special help with the costs of studying or of undertaking an Australian apprenticeship.

Youth Allowance provides financial help for young people who are studying full-time, undertaking a full-time Australian apprenticeship, training, or looking for work or are sick.

To find out whether you are eligible for either service, contact Freecall™ 1800 132 317 (ABSTUDY) or 132 490 (Youth Allowance and Austudy).

If you have to live away from your family home to study at a higher education institution (e.g. university), you may be able to get financial help through the Relocation Scholarship.

This is available if you are getting ABSTUDY Living Allowance or Youth Allowance as a full-time student.

You also need to be:

studying full-time in an approved scholarship course, and either
be a dependent person who has to live away from home to study or
meet specific scholarship independence criteria

You do not need to make a separate claim. When you claim a Centrelink payment, your eligibility for the Relocation Scholarship is assessed at the same time.

You need to know

Eligibility for Relocation Scholarship

Relocation Scholarship is an annual payment for eligible people on Youth Allowance and ABSTUDY Living Allowance who have to live away from the family home in order to study.

Approved scholarship course for the Relocation Scholarship

An approved scholarship course is an accredited higher-education course that is undertaken at a higher-education institution (e.g. university).

Higher-education courses include preparatory courses (e.g. enabling or foundation courses) that are undertaken at a university or another approved higher-education provider.

Vocational Education and Training courses at TAFE do not attract a scholarship. If a TAFE is registered as a higher-education provider and it delivers an accredited higher-education course (e.g. an associate degree or bachelor degree), this course will be an approved scholarship course.

Payment rates for the Relocation Scholarship

The amount of Relocation Scholarship a student can receive each year depends on their circumstances.

First steps

Claiming Relocation Scholarship

You do not need to make a separate claim in order to receive these scholarships. When you claim a Centrelink payment, your eligibility for the Relocation Scholarship is assessed at the same time.