Tertiary Access Payment

In the 2024-25 Mid-Year Economic Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), the Government announced it is removing the TAP eligibility requirement to commence tertiary studies within 12 months of completing Year 12. All other criteria remain in place, including the student being up to 22 years of age at the time of commencement of the course. Removing the access limit period will ensure more regional students are incentivised to pursue a tertiary education and can benefit from this cost of living support. This will enable more students to access the TAP and responds to feedback from regional stakeholders and the Accord Panel.

The changes to TAP eligibility require updates to the application and supporting systems. The Government is working to make these changes to enable first-year students who have taken one or more gap years following Year 12 (or equivalent) and are aged up to 22 to apply for the TAP. 

Students who have taken a gap year are eligible from 1 January 2025, however they cannot apply until mid-June 2025 through Services Australia as the system needs to be updated.

Background

The objective of the TAP program is to bridge the gap between metropolitan and regional tertiary education attainment as identified by the Australian Universities Accord Final Report.

The program aims to increase the number of regional and remote students accessing tertiary education by contributing towards the costs of relocating to undertake further studies. 

The program is also expected to contribute to the Government’s Closing the Gap targets, by improving participation rates of Indigenous students from regional and remote areas through providing improved financial support for further study.
 

Who is eligible to apply for the TAP?

To be eligible for the TAP you must:

• be from an inner regional, outer regional, remote, or very remote area as defined by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard - Remoteness Area classification
• have completed Year 12 or an equivalent level of education and commenced your first year of study in a qualifying tertiary course which is a Certificate IV or above qualification, with a minimum course duration of one academic year 
• have relocated to study at an education provider, which includes: (1) a vocational education and training (VET) provider that offer higher-level tertiary education courses (Certificate IV or above), (2) a non-university higher education provider (NUHEP), or (3) university, at least 90 minutes by public transport from their family home, OR have relocated to study at an education provider and you are registered and accessing a Regional University Study Hub or Suburban University Study Hub at least 90 minutes by public transport from their family home 
• be enrolled in at least 75 per cent of your course’s normal full-time study load, or an approved concessional study load
• be studying face to face, or in dual delivery method, for at least part of the course, 
• show that parent(s) or guardian(s) have a combined income of $250,000 or below in the relevant tax year or be exempt from providing parental income; and
• meet Australian citizenship or residency requirements.

How to apply

Students relocating to study at a university, non-university higher education provider (NUHEP) or a vocational education and training (VET) provider must apply through Services Australia within their first year of tertiary studies and have completed Year 12 (or equivalent).

The payment

The TAP is a payment made in a student’s first year of eligible study. Students will only be eligible for the TAP once.

Successful applicants from outer regional and remote areas will be paid up to $5,000 in their first year of study. The payment is made in two instalments. The first payment is made six weeks after the qualifying tertiary course start date.

Successful applicants from inner regional areas will be paid a single payment of $3,000 after confirmation of enrolment in your first year of study.

The payment is made six weeks after the qualifying tertiary course start date.

Program Guidelines

Detailed information on the TAP, eligibility criteria, how to apply and how payments are made are outlined in the Tertiary Access Payment Guidelines.

Student experience videos

Watch the videos below to learn about how the Tertiary Access Payment is helping students. 

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