Am I Eligible for Government Funded Study?

You’ve found a course that looks perfect—it’ll give you the skills you need, help you get a better job, maybe even launch a whole new career. Then you see the price tag and your heart sinks. But wait—you’ve heard something about government funding making courses cheaper or even free. The big question is: do you actually qualify? Or are you about to waste time applying for something you’re not even eligible for?

Here’s the good news: way more people qualify for government-funded study than realise it. The requirements aren’t as strict as you might think, and there are different types of support with different rules. Some are pretty much available to anyone who’s an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Others have more specific criteria around age, income, or what you’re studying. This guide breaks down exactly who qualifies for what, so you know whether you can access cheap or free training before you get your hopes up.

The Main Types of Government Support (And Who Gets What)

Before we dive into eligibility, you need to understand that “government-funded study” isn’t one thing—it’s several different programmes with different rules. The main types are:

HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP: Government loans that let you defer uni fees until you’re earning decent money. You pay them back automatically through tax once you’re earning over about $54k per year. These are for university degrees (undergrad and postgrad).

State-subsidised training: Where your state government pays most or all of the cost for TAFE certificates and diplomas in priority areas. This varies heaps by state—what’s free in Victoria might cost thousands in Queensland.

VET Student Loans: Similar to uni HELP loans but for vocational Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas. You defer fees and repay through tax.

Income support payments: Centrelink payments like Youth Allowance or Austudy that help cover living costs while you study. These are means-tested (based on your income and family situation) and require full-time study.

Each has different eligibility rules, which is why “am I eligible?” doesn’t have one simple answer. But we can break down the common criteria across all of them.

Age, Residency, and Citizenship: The Big Three

Citizenship and Visa Status

Pretty much all government study support requires you to be either an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen with a special category visa who meets residency requirements. If you’re on a temporary visa—student visa, working holiday visa, skilled worker visa that’s not permanent—you generally won’t qualify for government funding or loans. There are very limited exceptions for humanitarian visa holders, but temporary residents are mostly out of luck.

This is the hardest eligibility barrier to overcome because there’s no workaround. If you’re not a citizen or permanent resident, you’re looking at full international student fees or full-price domestic training without government help. The only real option is waiting until you get permanent residency or citizenship, which obviously isn’t quick.

Residency Requirements

Being an Australian citizen isn’t always enough by itself—you usually need to be living in Australia while studying. If you’re an Aussie citizen but currently living overseas, you generally can’t access HELP loans or subsidised training, even if you’re studying online with an Australian provider. The idea is government support is for people actually living and working in Australia who’ll contribute to the Australian economy.

For state-subsidised training, you also need to be a resident of that specific state. Victorian subsidies are for Victorian residents, NSW subsidies for NSW residents, etc. They verify this through your driver’s licence, bills, or electoral roll registration. You can’t live in Queensland and claim Victorian Free TAFE just because Victoria’s subsidies are better.

Age Restrictions (Sometimes)

Age requirements vary depending on what you’re applying for. HELP loans (HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET Student Loans) have no age restrictions—whether you’re 18 or 68, you can access these loans if you meet other criteria. Same with most state-subsidised training—plenty of subsidised TAFE courses welcome students of any age.

Where age matters is income support payments. Youth Allowance is for students aged 16-24. Once you hit 25, you need to apply for Austudy instead, which has different rules. Some state subsidised training programmes offer enhanced subsidies or priority enrolment for specific age groups—often under-25s or 45+ workers retraining. But these are bonuses rather than hard cutoffs.

Previous Study and Qualification Limits

This is where heaps of people get tripped up. Many state subsidised training programmes restrict funding to your first qualification at each level. So if you’ve already completed a Certificate III in one field, you might not get subsidised training for a Certificate III in a different field—even though the subjects are completely different.

The logic is government doesn’t want to keep paying for people to collect multiple qualifications at the same level without progressing or entering work. But there are exceptions: if you’re retraining because your previous industry has declined, if the new qualification is in a designated skills shortage area, or if there’s been significant time since your previous qualification, many states will still subsidise you.

For uni HELP loans, previous study is less restrictive. HECS-HELP doesn’t care how many degrees you’ve done—you can defer fees for another undergrad degree if you want (though Commonwealth Supported Places might not be available if you’ve already completed one bachelor’s degree). FEE-HELP has lifetime limits around $113k for most people, but that’s total borrowing amount not number of qualifications.

Always check your state’s specific rules about previous qualifications. Contact the training provider directly if you’ve studied before—they can tell you whether your previous qualifications disqualify you or if exceptions apply to your situation.

Quick Check: MyGov and Study Assist

Your myGov account linked to the ATO shows your current HELP debt and how much of your FEE-HELP limit you’ve used. This tells you if you’re approaching the borrowing cap. For state subsidies, there’s no central database showing whether you’ve exhausted funding limits—you’ll need to check with training providers or your state training authority when you enquire about courses.

Employment Status: Does It Matter?

For most government study support, whether you’re currently employed doesn’t matter. HELP loans don’t care if you’re working full-time, part-time, or unemployed—you can access them either way. State subsidised training similarly doesn’t usually require you to be unemployed (though some programmes offer enhanced subsidies for people who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment).

Where employment status really matters is Centrelink income support. Youth Allowance and Austudy have strict income tests—both your personal income and your parents’ income if you’re under 22 and classified as dependent. If you or your family earn above certain thresholds, you won’t qualify for payments regardless of other factors. These programmes are means-tested specifically to help people who can’t afford to study without income support.

Some state training programmes specifically target priority groups: long-term unemployed, people at risk of redundancy, workers in declining industries, or people with disabilities. Being in these groups can make you eligible for courses that aren’t subsidised for everyone, or give you free training instead of just reduced fees.

Upfront Costs vs Deferred Payment: What You’ll Actually Pay

Understanding eligibility also means understanding what you’ll actually pay, because “government-funded” doesn’t always mean free.

Deferred Through Loans (HELP)

If you’re using HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP, you pay $0 upfront. The government pays your fees to the uni, and you accumulate a debt you repay later through tax. You don’t need money now—you need eligibility to access the loan, which is mainly citizenship and residency. This is why uni is financially accessible even though it costs tens of thousands—you’re not finding that money upfront.

Subsidised But Not Free

State subsidised TAFE/vocational training often isn’t completely free—it’s just much cheaper than full price. A course costing $8,000 at full price might cost $1,500 if you’re a general subsidised student, or $500 if you hold a concession card (health care card, pensioner card, etc.), or $0 if you’re in certain priority groups or the course is designated Free TAFE.

So eligibility might get you the subsidised rate, but you still need to pay that subsidised amount upfront (or through payment plans if the provider offers them). This is why checking the actual cost, not just eligibility, matters. Some subsidised courses are still several thousand dollars—cheaper than full price but not pocket change.

Completely Free Training

Free TAFE programmes (mainly Victoria, but other states have some free courses too) mean literally $0 for eligible students. If you meet the criteria—usually being a Victorian resident, Aussie citizen/permanent resident, and enrolling in your first qualification at that level in a priority area—you pay nothing. That’s the best-case scenario and worth actively seeking out if you qualify.

Quick Ways to Check Your Eligibility

Rather than spending hours researching, here are the fastest ways to figure out if you qualify:

For University HELP Loans

Check Study Assist and use their HELP eligibility tool. It asks basic questions about citizenship and residency and tells you immediately if you can access HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP. Takes about 2 minutes.

For State Subsidised Training

Go to your state’s training website (Google “[your state] subsidised training list”). Most have eligibility checkers or clear criteria listed. If you meet the basics (citizenship, residency in that state), contact the specific training provider offering the course you want. They’ll ask a few questions and tell you definitively whether you’re eligible and what you’ll pay.

Seriously, just call or email them. Training providers answer eligibility questions all day—it’s literally their job. You’ll get a clear answer in one conversation instead of trying to interpret confusing government policy documents. Have ready: your citizenship status, where you live, any previous qualifications you’ve completed, and whether you hold any concession cards.

For Centrelink Payments

Use the Payment and Service Finder on the Services Australia website. It asks about your age, income, family situation, and study plans, then tells you which payments you might qualify for and estimates amounts. You can also call Centrelink (yeah, prepare for hold times) or visit a service centre if you want to talk through your specific situation.

Check MySkills.gov.au

MySkills lets you search courses and see which providers offer them, whether they’re subsidised, and approximate costs. It’s not perfect but it’s comprehensive. Once you find a course and provider, go directly to that provider’s website or contact them for detailed eligibility info.

What If You Don’t Qualify?

If you’re not eligible for government support, you’ve still got options:

Full-fee study with payment plans: Many providers let you pay in instalments rather than lump sums, making full-fee study more manageable even without government help.

Employer sponsorship: Some employers pay for job-relevant training. If your study directly benefits your current work, ask if they’ll cover fees.

Alternative qualifications: If you don’t qualify for subsidised Cert III because you’ve already done one, could you do a subsidised Cert IV or Diploma instead? Sometimes going up a level works when sideways movement doesn’t.

Wait and requalify: If you’re just under the age limit for certain programmes, or about to become a permanent resident, or moving to a state with better subsidies, timing your study differently might help.

Just Ask—Seriously

The biggest mistake people make is assuming they don’t qualify without actually checking. Eligibility rules have more exceptions and flexibility than the official websites make clear. Someone at a training provider or Centrelink might say “actually yes, you qualify because of this exemption” that you’d never find reading policy documents online.

Government study support exists to make education accessible. If you’re an Aussie citizen or permanent resident, living in Australia, and wanting to gain skills for work, there’s a decent chance some form of support applies to you. Don’t let assumption or intimidation stop you from exploring what’s actually available.

Ready to see what courses you might qualify for? Start exploring online courses and take the next step in your career.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get government support if I’m working full-time?

Yes, absolutely. HELP loans and most state subsidised training don’t care about your employment status—you can access them whether you’re working full-time, part-time, or unemployed. The only government support that gets tricky when you’re working is Centrelink income support payments (Youth Allowance, Austudy), which have strict income tests. If you earn above certain limits, you won’t qualify for those payments, but you can still access HELP loans to defer uni fees or subsidised TAFE training. Many people work full-time while studying part-time using HELP loans or subsidised courses—it’s super common and totally allowed.

What if I already have a qualification—can I still get funding for another one?

It depends on what you’ve studied and what you’re wanting to do. For uni HELP loans, having previous degrees doesn’t stop you accessing HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP (though you might not get another Commonwealth Supported Place if you’ve already done one bachelor’s). For state subsidised vocational training, many programmes restrict funding to your first qualification at each level—so if you’ve already done a Certificate III, you might not get subsidised training for another Certificate III in a different field. However, you can usually get subsidised training for qualifications at higher levels (like if you’ve done Cert III, you can get subsidised Cert IV or Diploma). Plus there are exceptions for retraining in skills shortage areas or if your previous industry has declined. Always check with the specific training provider—they can tell you if exemptions apply to your situation.

Do I need to be unemployed to qualify for government-funded training?

No, most government study support doesn’t require you to be unemployed. HELP loans are available regardless of employment status. State subsidised training is generally accessible whether you’re working or not (though some programmes offer enhanced subsidies for people who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment as priority groups). The myth that you need to be on benefits to access government-funded training probably comes from confusion with Centrelink income support payments, which are means-tested based on income. But loan programmes and subsidies themselves don’t require you to be unemployed—they’re designed to help people upskill while working, not just people who are out of work.