The new three-session teaching calendar provides you with the flexibility to spread your full-time study load over three sessions if you choose. This does not mean that you have to enrol in all three sessions to qualify for income support. There are many combinations of study that satisfy the eligibility criteria for income support. You will still be able to study your full-time load over Session 1 and 2 and take Session 3 as a break. It is an optional study period. Schools will be offering units during Session 3 that will enable you to accelerate your learning or spread your study load. You will need to check the schedule of units for that study period to see what is available to study.

Centrelink considers you to be a full-time student if you are doing a HECS loading of at least 0.375 for each study period OR you are doing at least 75% of the full time workload. At Southern Cross University one single-weighted unit of study has a HECS loading of 0.125. So you need to demonstrate to Centrelink that you are studying at least 3 single weighted units in each study period OR at least 6 single weighted units over the full teaching year in order to be entitled to income support.

Note: If you are enrolled in less than 3 units in Session 1 and receiving income support payments, Centrelink will write to you and ask if you intend to be enrolled as a full-time student over the remainder of the teaching year. To prove to Centrelink you will be a full-time student you will need to enrol in your units over the remainder of the year and send that study plan advice to Centrelink. You don’t necessarily need to enrol in both the remaining sessions to make up your full-time study load. There is no obligation to study in all three sessions of the Teaching Calendar.

Centrelink requirements regarding full-time study can be found on their page Study Loads for Austudy.

Updated: 07 November 2011