​​​​​​​Centrelink offers a voluntary Start-Up Loan and a Relocation Scholarship to help students with the cost of their higher education.

The Start-Up Loan

Recipients of Youth Allowance, Austudy and some Abstudy Living Allowance recipients are eligible to request the loan.

You decide if you sign up for it or not. 

Loans are tax free and you don’t need to declare them to us as income for your regular student payment.

You have to pay back the loan once you start earning a certain amount of income, as a part of a HELP loan repayment terms. 

The Start Up Loan will give you funds, transferred to your nominated bank account with Centrelink, which you may consider for additional course-related and living costs as an enrolled student. You should think about how this will impact you in the long term before you apply. The repayment terms of this loan is the same as the government HELP loan programs (see: HECS/FEE/SA HELP Loans for details). The Start Up Loan does not charge interest, but is aligned to the Consumer Price Index. 

The value of the Start-Up Loan is:

2024$2,546
paid in two installments of $1,273 each, at the start of Autumn and Spring sessions

Note: Students currently receiving the Commonwealth Education Cost Scholarship (CECS) administered through UTS Scholarships Office, or either an Abstudy Residential Cost Option or Veterans Affairs Student Start-Up Scholarship are not eligible for the Student Start-Up Loan.

For more details visit the Services Australia website on Student Start-up Loan (opens an external site).

If you are already in receipt of a benefit from Centrelink, you may also request a loan/advanced payment (opens external site).

The Relocation Scholarship 

See Services Australia for eligibility and additional information for Abstudy and Youth Allowance students who need to move from regional and remote classified areas to do higher education studies.

First year of study and living away from home$5,385 per year
Years 2 and 3 of study and living away from home $2,693 per year 
Per year thereafter$1,345 per year

Centrelink identifier for regional and remote areas

Find out more (opens external site)

Tertiary Access Payment

A payment to help students with the cost of moving from regional or remote areas for tertiary study. The Tertiary Access Payment (TAP) is a one off payment of up to $5,000. It’s to help eligible students with the cost of moving to study. This is for study after you’ve finished year 12 or equivalent.

To get the payment you need to meet some rules.

Equity and merit-based scholarships 

  • Check the ruling for 'non-remunerative lumpsums' to see if a grant or scholarship is exempt from means testing
  • Equity and merit-based scholarships offered at UTS and outside UTS. Find out more on the Other Scholarships page.

More information

For more information about Centrelink scholarships, application information or latest updates, please contact Centrelink directly.