Assistance and support

As mentioned before, the cost of education is not cheap and you may need assistance with paying your way through study. Luckily, there is a diverse range of support and assistance you can be eligible for to alleviate the living costs while studying.

Visit Centrelink or phone 13 24 90 for further eligibility and benefit details.

You can also find specialised support units or services at most universities and TAFE colleges. These include counselling services, support officers for people with a disability, support for people from a non-English speaking background and special help with reading, writing and numeracy skills.

For those with a disability, the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET) provides assistance for moving from school into training or higher education.

Don’t forget there are also scholarships available that you can apply for and will help to pay for all or part of your study. Individual institutions offer scholarships for students who have excelled or to assist students with special needs, including rural students or students from low income families.

Last of all, some employers offer cadetships. A cadetship will allow you to:

• combine 'theory and practice' at the workplace while earning an income and completing your course
• receive support and encouragement from your employer to achieve work and study goals
• attend lectures and study for and attend exams on paid leave
• undertake tasks and projects within your area of specialisation, often at a graduate-level, which can help you out with your course subjects
• build a relationship of trust and loyalty with your employer
• gain a knowledge of your employer's expectations and gain the chance of on going full time employment on completion of your course
• experience the diversity of extra-curricular activities offered to full-time students.

Cadetships are often advertised through schools and in newspapers between July and September each year.

Indigenous Cadetship Support (ICS) is an Australian Government initiative that improves the professional employment prospects of Indigenous Australians. It links Indigenous tertiary students with employers in a cadetship arrangement involving full-time study and work placements.

The ICS is part of the Australian Government’s Indigenous Employment Policy (IEP).

The IEP aims to generate more employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians. Information for cadetships and links to employers for Indigenous students studying full time at the university can be found at Indigenous Cadetship Support webpage.