Financial support can help young people manage the costs of education and training, especially those experiencing economic disadvantage. Yet knowing that assistance exists is only one step towards using it. Young people also need to understand whether they might qualify and decide to apply.
Building on an earlier data story exploring young people’s awareness of different types of financial support, this data story uses Wave 3 (2024) of the GENERATION study, a nationally representative longitudinal study of young Australians, drawing on a sample of 3,910 individuals (Edwards et al., 2024). It examines whether Year 12 (or equivalent) students who believed they were eligible intended to apply, how intention differed by the socioeconomic status of their area, and awareness among those reporting cost as a barrier to further study.
Financial supports covered in the survey include Youth Allowance/ABSTUDY, travel, accommodation, study-cost assistance, and scholarships.
Eligible young people studying full time or undertaking an Australian apprenticeship can receive financial support through Youth Allowance, with eligibility and payment rates depending on individual circumstances such as age, residence, income and dependency status, while First Nations students may instead receive ABSTUDY (Services Australia, 2026a-d). Further assistance is available to help eligible students with the costs of accessing education, including travel and accommodation (Services Australia, 2026e-g), and scholarship programs such as the Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship help eligible students meet the costs of tertiary education (Department of Education, 2026).
About a quarter of Year 12 (or equivalent) students believed they were eligible for scholarships and intended to apply.
One in five Year 12 (or equivalent) students believed they were eligible for Youth Allowance/ABSTUDY and intended to apply.
Among Year 12 (or equivalent) students who believed they were eligible or were unsure, 73% from low socioeconomic status areas would apply for study-cost assistance, compared with 61% from higher socioeconomic status areas.
A quarter of Year 12 (or equivalent) students reporting cost as a barrier to future study were aware of accommodation assistance, compared with 44% among their peers.
In Wave 3, perceived eligibility for scholarships (30%) was the highest proportion across the five types of financial support, followed Youth Allowance/ABSTUDY (27%), study-cost assistance (24%), accommodation assistance (21%) and travel assistance (19%).
Many of these students also said they intended to apply. Across all Wave 3 participants, 21% both believed they were eligible for Youth Allowance/ABSTUDY and intended to apply. The corresponding figures were 26% for scholarships, 18% for study-cost assistance, 16% for accommodation assistance and 14% for travel assistance. For every financial support type, those intending to apply accounted for most of those who perceived themselves as eligible.
In 2024, among Year 12 (or equivalent) students who believed they were eligible or were unsure about their eligibility, those attending schools in low socioeconomic status areas were more likely to intend to apply for all five types of financial support than those in high socioeconomic status areas. The largest differences were for study-cost assistance (73% versus 61%) and accommodation assistance (68% versus 56%). Differences were also evident for travel assistance (65% versus 55%) and Youth Allowance/ABSTUDY (70% versus 59%), while scholarships had the highest intention to apply in both groups (76% versus 72%). Although not depicted in the figure, women also reported higher intention to apply than men across all five types of financial support.
These findings suggest that financial support may be particularly important for students from low socioeconomic status as they plan their post-school pathways. This pattern may also reflect eligibility requirements for some supports. For example, students from higher SEIFA areas may be less likely to qualify for some supports due to parental income means testing for payments such as Youth Allowance and ABSTUDY (Services Australia, 2026h).
Among Year 12 (or equivalent) students, respondents who reported not studying due to cost had lower awareness than respondents overall for four of the five types of financial support. Awareness was lower for accommodation assistance (25% vs 44%), travel assistance (21% vs 34%), study costs (30% vs 41%), and Youth Allowance/ABSTUDY (46% vs 49%). Scholarship awareness was the exception, at 64% compared with 58% overall. Given that many young people who perceived themselves as eligible for financial support intended to apply, young people who may particularly benefit from financial assistance may be less aware of the supports available.
Overall, financial support is an important part of post-school planning for many young people. Many students who perceived themselves as eligible intended to apply, with higher rates among students from less advantaged areas. However, students who reported cost as a barrier to further study were less aware of most types of financial support. These findings underline the importance of clear, accessible information about both available assistance and eligibility, particularly for young people weighing the financial costs of their next steps.