Extending your Student Allowance limit

Extending your 200 week limit for tertiary study

You may be able to get the Student Allowance beyond 200 weeks for tertiary study if:

• you need extra time to finish because of special circumstances. Special circumstances generally means situations that were not expected and were beyond your control (such as an illness, injury or accident), that prevented you from completing your programme within the 200 week limit.  

Note: The special circumstances exemption does not include any change to the policy as a special circumstance.

From 1 January 2014, The Student Allowance 200-week limit will reduce to 120 weeks (approximately three years of study) for students aged 40 years or over on the date they start study.

This change applies to all new Student Allowance applications for study that starts on or after 1 January 2014. An application period is an approved Student Allowance application for an enrolment period of up to 52 weeks.

This means that students who

• have an application for cross-year study that started in 2013 and carries over in to 2014 will be assessed under the 200-week limit for the duration of that application period
• need to make a new application for their 2014 study will be assessed under the new limit.

Students who studied and received a Student Allowance in 2013 and apply for an allowance for study starting on or after 1 January 2014 can continue to receive Student Allowance for up to one year (until 31 December 2014) or until they reach their previous 200-week limit (whichever comes first).

Students who studied in 2013 and were approved an extension to their 200-week limit will continue to be eligible for the application period that was approved.

Please talk to us if you've already received an allowance or are close to receiving it for 200 weeks.

You need to pass more than half your course to get a Student Allowance again.

We may ask you to complete the form below.

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Extending your 92 week limit for secondary school studies

You can usually get a Student Allowance for a maximum of 92 weeks for secondary school studies. This is equal to around two school years.

This entitlement is in addition to the 200 week entitlement available at tertiary level.

The 92 week limit includes all secondary study the student has had a Student Allowance for since 1 January 1999.

Once you have used up your 92 weeks, you will no longer be eligible for a Student Allowance for secondary school studies.

In special circumstances you may be granted an extension beyond the 92 week limit, if personal circumstances prevented you from completing your study within the 92 week limit. 

These circumstances generally only apply to situations that are beyond your control, for example, there has been an illness, injury, accident, bereavement, or personal difficulty.

Please talk to us if you've already received an allowance or are close to receiving it for 92 weeks.

We may ask you to complete the form below.

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