Who is Austudy for?
Austudy is for people aged 25 years or more who are studying full time or training full time as an Australian Apprentice. It is an income support payment, which means it is also means tested: your income, your partner's income, and your assets all affect whether you are paid and how much you receive. Meeting the age and study conditions alone is not enough — you must pass the tests as well.
The five conditions, in order
| Condition | What it means |
|---|---|
| Age | 25 years or older when you claim. Under 25s are generally covered by Youth Allowance instead. |
| Study or training | Full-time study in an approved course at an approved education provider, or a full-time Australian Apprenticeship with a current Commonwealth registration number. |
| Residency | An Australian resident, living in Australia on the day you claim. |
| Income | Your personal income, and your partner's income if partnered, must be under the cut-out points. |
| Assets | Your assessable assets, and your partner's if partnered, must be under the assets test cut-off. |
Students
As a student you must be enrolled in and undertaking an approved course on a full-time basis, and you must keep making satisfactory progress within the allowable time for that course. You cannot be paid Austudy indefinitely for endless study, and you cannot qualify if you have already completed a doctorate-level course. If illness, disability, or another approved reason means you cannot carry a full-time load, Services Australia may grant a concession to study a reduced load and still be paid — ask about this before you drop subjects, because dropping below full time without a concession can stop your payment.
Australian Apprentices
As an Australian Apprentice there is no "undertaking full-time study" requirement in the same form, but your apprenticeship must be full time and must hold a current Commonwealth registration number. If you are employed full time as an apprentice or trainee but you are not a registered Australian Apprentice, you cannot qualify on that basis. Keep your registration current and tell Services Australia promptly if your apprenticeship changes, pauses, or ends.
Residency and independence
You must be an Australian resident and in Australia on the day you claim. Newly arrived residents can face waiting periods for some payments, so check your own situation rather than assuming the rule for someone else applies to you. One feature surprises many mature students: Austudy customers are treated as independent from their parents. There is no parental income test, no family assets test, and no family actual means test for Austudy, even if you still live in the family home. Your own income and assets — and your partner's — are what count.
Sources: Services Australia, Austudy pages (income tests for Austudy; assets test for allowances); Department of Social Services, Guide to Social Policy Law (Austudy current rates, last reviewed 2 January 2026).