Austudy, in plain English
Austudy is an Australian Government income support payment for full-time students and Australian Apprentices who are aged 25 or over. It is paid by Services Australia through Centrelink, fortnightly in arrears, to help with living costs while you study or train. If you are under 25 and studying full time, a different payment — Youth Allowance — is usually the one that applies, and this site explains that boundary in plain text on its own page.
Austudy in one paragraph
You must be 25 or older, an Australian resident living in Australia on the day you claim, and enrolled full time in an approved course at an approved education provider — or undertaking a full-time Australian Apprenticeship with a current Commonwealth registration number. Your payment is then shaped by three tests: your own income, your partner's income if you have a partner, and your assets. Austudy recipients are treated as independent of their parents: there is no parental income test for Austudy, which is one of the clearest differences from Youth Allowance for younger students.
The maximum basic rates in force at 20 September 2026
Austudy rates are indexed to the consumer price index each 1 January, not in September, so the rates applying on 20 September 2026 are the January 2026 rates published in the Department of Social Services guide. The maximum basic rates per fortnight are $677.20 for a single person with no dependent children, $854.20 for a single person with dependent children, $677.20 for a partnered person with no dependent children, and $733.20 for a partnered person with dependent children. A special rate of $799.70 per fortnight applies to a single person with no children who is a long-term income support recipient starting full-time study. These are maximums, not what everyone receives: the income and assets tests can reduce them, and extra help such as Rent Assistance or the Energy Supplement may apply on top for some recipients.
How this site is organized
Start with who Austudy is for for the full eligibility picture, then payment rates for the rate table and what can sit on top of the basic rate. The personal income test works through the $539 free area and the taper step by step, the partner income test explains the 60-cent reduction, and the assets test gives the cut-off points where payment cancels. Study load and approved courses covers full-time study, concessions, satisfactory progress, and allowable time. The age-25 boundary explains who stays on Youth Allowance after turning 25 and who moves to Austudy. How to claim is the practical step-by-step guide, reporting and overpayments explains fortnightly reporting and what happens if you are paid too much, and Austudy vs other payments sets Austudy beside ABSTUDY and JobSeeker so you can see which payment fits which situation.
Three misunderstandings, cleared up at the start
Austudy is not a loan. It is income support you do not repay — unless you are overpaid, in which case the overpaid amount becomes a debt. Austudy is not only for university students. Full-time Australian Apprentices aged 25 or over can qualify too, and vocational and secondary-level approved courses can count. Turning 25 does not automatically move you to Austudy. If you were already receiving Youth Allowance and you are still doing the same course, you generally stay on Youth Allowance until you finish or leave that course.
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).