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Home > At School 5-18 > Life at School > Financial Assistance

At School 5-18

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• Leaving School Before End of Year 12

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is available for parents and students, including Education Maintenance Allowance, Youth Allowance Scheme, ABSTUDY and student scholarships.

School Start Bonus

The School Start Bonus was introduced by the Victorian Government in 2006 to assist parents/guardians of Prep and Year 7 students in meeting the start-up costs of sending their child to school. The initiative provides financial assistance to families for expenditure on school and sporting uniforms, school bags, books and related expenses. The Bonus is $300 per annum and will be paid during the first term of the school year.

For more information, see: School Start Bonus - Frequently Asked Questions

Education Maintenance Allowance

If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16 years of age and receive an eligible Centrelink benefit and a Health Care Card or pension card, you may be entitled to an Education Maintenance Allowance from the Victorian Government.

The amount received for a secondary school student is $430 and the amount received for a primary student is $215. This amount is split evenly between the parents and the school.

The parent portion is often used to help with uniforms or excursions, while the school’s portion may be used on textbooks, stationery and school camps for your child.

Your school can provide you with the application form and details about deadlines.

For more information, see: Education Maintenance Allowance

Youth Allowance Scheme

Youth Allowance helps if you are a young person who is studying, undertaking training or a New Apprenticeship, looking for work, or sick.

For further information, see: Centrelink - Youth Allowance Scheme (http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/payments/youth_allow.htm)

ABSTUDY

If you are an Indigenous secondary or tertiary student or a full-time New Apprentice, ABSTUDY may help you stay at school or go on to further studies. It consists of a fortnightly living allowance as well as additional components to help with the costs associated with attending school.

For more information, see: Centrelink - ABSTUDY (http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/payments/abstudy.htm)

Student scholarships

Thirty different scholarships are made available to nurture the talents of young people. This equates to around 175 awards, as some scholarships have more than one award.

Scholarships are offered to primary and secondary students and range in value from $250 to over $2000. They can be applied for online between November and December each year.

Scholarships are generally awarded on the basis of:

• excellent academic achievement
• outstanding participation in the school and local community
• financial need (determined by parents being eligible recipients of the Education Maintenance Allowance).

For more information, including closing dates or online applications, see: Student Scholarships (http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/scholarships/default.aspx)

Child Care Benefit and Family Assistance

For information about Child Care Benefit and Family Assistance, contact Centrelink (http://www.centrelink.gov.au)