Study after year 12

Hello!

Help! My twins are both looking at moving away from home to study interstate after year 12. The problem is how to afford it. University fees aside 1 years rent is going to be about $15,000, then there are other food / bills etc. on top. Staying home seems the only option and that means not doing the course they want (also staying home still means more than an hour and half commute on public transport to the closest campus that may not be where they need to go… so they might just have to move closer anyway). I just don’t see how they can afford it without parents taking on the debt. What help is there for this situation?

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10 replies
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- - Ellen, QLD said
  - 23 Jul 2021
    7:49 am
We live in Queensland and to support Queensland’s year 12 graduates to successfully transition into employment, a range of certificate III level qualifications can be undertaken at no cost to the student. The Fee-free training is accessible under the Queensland Government’s Certificate 3 Guarantee program.
Don’t know what state you’re in ?
- - mom160421, QLD said
  - 16 Mar 2021
    4:37 pm
I believe the government does pay students a living away from home allowance, they could work part-time, and perhaps apply for scholarships. If they stay home, a lot of the courses are now mostly online because of covid last year, so if they arrange their timetable effectively, they may not need to attend campus more than a day or two per week.
- - Andy, QLD said
  - 28 Nov 2020
    12:46 am
Seek scholarships, I also believe when I went to uni I did a gap year and worked full time and then the government subsidies you. I believe we called it a gap year. Also a lot of study is online which saves a lot of time going into uni.
- - ozstarlett, QLD said
  - 04 Sep 2020
    7:16 am
Have a look into scholarships and grants. Universities offer them and there are also some private ones out there. Depending on the industry there may be specific scholarships to study as well. Good luck.
- - jenniw, QLD said
  - 22 Aug 2020
    3:18 pm
University is pretty flexible now.. consider online or flexible courses where there are blocks of time on campus. Also, university hours are flexible, they should be able to get jobs in order to support (or at least partly) support themselves
- - Zmijka86, QLD said
  - 21 Aug 2020
    6:30 pm
Its possible for them to work?
- - ashna9, QLD said
  - 21 Aug 2020
    6:25 pm
Can they get part time jobs to help with some of their living expenses?
- - mom176887, QLD said
  - 21 Aug 2020
    7:35 am
Seems if kids hang about for 18months and average 15hours work per week over that time they are eligible for government help without any means test on parents. One girl did a gap year in UK, traveled and then got everything paid for by government at top inter-state university but friends who started straight away had to live at home and go to local university with no help… so worth looking into. They seem to encourage travel and a little low-paid part-time work before giving assistance.
- - mom90758, QLD said
  - 19 Aug 2020
    2:48 pm
Depending on where they want to go, they could be eligible to a scholarship to live on campus.
- - Ellen, QLD said
  - 19 Aug 2020
    4:40 am
I would have a chat with Centrelink and see if they’re eligible for Youth Allowance or some other form of financial support.