Eligibility for a government subsidised place (TAFE)

Discover your eligibility for subsidies and concessions for TAFE (VET) skill sets, certificates, diplomas, or advanced diplomas.

Funding rules can be a bit tricky, but don’t worry – once you’ve chosen a course and shared your relevant documents with us, we’ll confirm exactly what funding and concessions you qualify for.

Check your eligibility for subsidies & concessions

'Skills First' is a Victorian Government program that provides access to government-subsidised TAFE courses. You can check if your course is funded through Skills First on the course page under 'Fees'.
Eligibility
You need to be in Victoria and meet the following citizenship, enrolment and application criteria to be eligible for a Skills First–subsidised place.
Citizenship / residency status
You must be one the following:
Australian citizen
Australian Permanent Resident (holder of a permanent visa)
New Zealand citizen
Asylum Seeker (referred or direct enrolment)
referred Victim of Human Trafficking.
Eligible courses
You must be applying for one of these course types:
Foundation course*
VCE or VCAL (Intermediate/Senior)
apprenticeship (not a traineeship)
Skills First–funded (see fees on the course page).
*Foundation course applicants can not hold a diploma or higher qualification, be receiving core skills training in other sectors, or participating in the Skills for Education and Employment program.
Current enrolment in courses
You must not be currently enrolled or starting:
two or more government-subsidised courses in the same year
a secondary school course in the same year.
Evidence
Acceptable evidence includes:
Australian or New Zealand birth certificate (not birth extract)
current Australian or New Zealand passport
naturalisation certificate (including Australian or New Zealand Citizenship Certificate)
a current green Medicare card
a referral to government-subsidised training – Asylum Seekers’ form or valid visa as listed under the Asylum Seeker VET Program
formal documentation issued by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship that confirms your permanent residence.
Concessions are available for Certificate IV level and below courses, and skill sets; check your course page under 'Fees' to confirm. This rate is 20% of the VET tuition fee in a government-subsidised place.
Eligibility
You may be able to access a concession rate for your fees if you are a:
government-subsidised student (see 'Skills First' tab)
enrolled in a course at Certificate IV level or lower
concession-card holder.
Eligible concession cards:
Commonwealth Health Care Card (holder or named dependent)
Pensioner Concession Card (holder or named dependent)
Veteran Gold Card (holder).
You can't apply for a government concession if you are enrolling into a course as a full-fee or international student.
You will also get the concession rate for Student Services and Amenities Fees if it has been applied to tuition fees. Concessions are not available for materials fees.
Applying for a fee concession
To receive a concession on your tuition fees, you need to provide a copy of your current certified concession-card as outlined below:
Go to AskVU and click ‘email us’. Attach certified copies of both sides of your concession card and send it to us.
The date of the card must cover the start date of the course (first unit start date).
The concession card must be provided by the invoice due date or the first unit start date, whichever date is later.
If you don’t have a concession card at the time of application, you have up to 28 days after your course commences to provide a certified valid concession card to access the concession rate. If a card is not presented within 28 days after course commencement, the standard fee rate applies.
Other concessions
The Victoria Government also offers concessions for groups that have experienced hardship or are under-represented, including First Nations, young people who have been in care, and asylum seekers. See 'other funding schemes' below for more information.
Check your course page to see if your course is part of the Free TAFE program. If it is, you may be eligible to pay no tuition fees for the full course duration. You'll still need to pay the SSAF (student services and amenities fees), and any materials fees.
Accessing Free TAFE
It is important to choose carefully because in some course areas, you can only access the initiative once, even if you don't finish your course.
Multiple Free TAFE enrolments are permitted in specific Free TAFE pathway groups, including accounting, allied health, building and construction, civil construction, community services, early childhood, education support, nursing and personal care, and IT.
For multiple enrolments:
you can only complete an additional Free TAFE course within the same pathway group
you must complete your qualification before you can access another Free TAFE place.
For more information, refer to the Victoria Government's Free TAFE Pathways information page.
Eligibility
Any Australian citizen/permanent resident or New Zealand citizen is eligible to take Free TAFE within Victoria, within course limits.
Asylum seekers might be eligible for Free TAFE under the sylum Seeker VET Program (see below).
Positions are available subject to availability of TAFE places and prioritised based on need.
Explore Free TAFE courses

'Skills First' is a Victorian Government program that provides access to government-subsidised TAFE courses. You can check if your course is funded through Skills First on the course page under 'Fees'.

Eligibility

You need to be in Victoria and meet the following citizenship, enrolment and application criteria to be eligible for a Skills First–subsidised place.

Citizenship / residency status

You must be one the following:

Australian citizen
Australian Permanent Resident (holder of a permanent visa)
New Zealand citizen
Asylum Seeker (referred or direct enrolment)
referred Victim of Human Trafficking.

Eligible courses

You must be applying for one of these course types:

Foundation course*
VCE or VCAL (Intermediate/Senior)
apprenticeship (not a traineeship)
Skills First–funded (see fees on the course page).

*Foundation course applicants can not hold a diploma or higher qualification, be receiving core skills training in other sectors, or participating in the Skills for Education and Employment program.

Current enrolment in courses

You must not be currently enrolled or starting:

two or more government-subsidised courses in the same year
a secondary school course in the same year.

Evidence

Acceptable evidence includes:

Australian or New Zealand birth certificate (not birth extract)
current Australian or New Zealand passport
naturalisation certificate (including Australian or New Zealand Citizenship Certificate)
a current green Medicare card
a referral to government-subsidised training – Asylum Seekers’ form or valid visa as listed under the Asylum Seeker VET Program
formal documentation issued by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship that confirms your permanent residence.

Concessions are available for Certificate IV level and below courses, and skill sets; check your course page under 'Fees' to confirm. This rate is 20% of the VET tuition fee in a government-subsidised place.

Eligibility

You may be able to access a concession rate for your fees if you are a:

government-subsidised student (see 'Skills First' tab)
enrolled in a course at Certificate IV level or lower
concession-card holder.

Eligible concession cards:

Commonwealth Health Care Card (holder or named dependent)
Pensioner Concession Card (holder or named dependent)
Veteran Gold Card (holder).

You can't apply for a government concession if you are enrolling into a course as a full-fee or international student.

You will also get the concession rate for Student Services and Amenities Fees if it has been applied to tuition fees. Concessions are not available for materials fees.

Applying for a fee concession

To receive a concession on your tuition fees, you need to provide a copy of your current certified concession-card as outlined below:

Go to AskVU and click ‘email us’. Attach certified copies of both sides of your concession card and send it to us.
The date of the card must cover the start date of the course (first unit start date).
The concession card must be provided by the invoice due date or the first unit start date, whichever date is later.

If you don’t have a concession card at the time of application, you have up to 28 days after your course commences to provide a certified valid concession card to access the concession rate. If a card is not presented within 28 days after course commencement, the standard fee rate applies.

Other concessions

The Victoria Government also offers concessions for groups that have experienced hardship or are under-represented, including First Nations, young people who have been in care, and asylum seekers. See 'other funding schemes' below for more information.

Check your course page to see if your course is part of the Free TAFE program. If it is, you may be eligible to pay no tuition fees for the full course duration. You'll still need to pay the SSAF (student services and amenities fees), and any materials fees.

Accessing Free TAFE

It is important to choose carefully because in some course areas, you can only access the initiative once, even if you don't finish your course.

Multiple Free TAFE enrolments are permitted in specific Free TAFE pathway groups, including accounting, allied health, building and construction, civil construction, community services, early childhood, education support, nursing and personal care, and IT.

For multiple enrolments:

you can only complete an additional Free TAFE course within the same pathway group
you must complete your qualification before you can access another Free TAFE place.

For more information, refer to the Victoria Government's Free TAFE Pathways information page.

Eligibility

Any Australian citizen/permanent resident or New Zealand citizen is eligible to take Free TAFE within Victoria, within course limits.

Asylum seekers might be eligible for Free TAFE under the sylum Seeker VET Program (see below).

Positions are available subject to availability of TAFE places and prioritised based on need.

Explore Free TAFE courses

Other funding schemes

The Victorian Government offers programs and subsidies to boost the representation of disadvantaged or under-represented students.

: The Skills First Aboriginal Access fee waiver eliminates tuition fees for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students undertaking Skills First subsidised vocational training in Victoria.
To access the waiver, you must self-identify as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and be eligible for a Skills First funding place.
You will still need to pay the materials fees and SSAF listed on the course page.
ABSTUDY payments
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and full-time apprentices may also access ABSTUDY payments through the Australian Government. ABSTUDY helps students who are studying with costs such as:
education
accommodation
living
fares to travel to your place of study each term or semester if you need to study away from home
prescription medicine.
Support for First Nations applicants
Our Moondani Balluk Academic Unit provides help, advice and support to Indigenous Australians applying for a course.
Phone: +61 3 9919 2836
Email: [email protected]
: This initiative offers asylum seekers and victims of human trafficking an opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge, providing them with a valuable resource in which to be active and successful members of the community.
Eligibility
For eligibility to enrol under the Asylum Seeker VET Program, you will need to have study rights and, if relevant, work rights.
You will also need one of the following:
referral to training via the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre or the Australian Red Cross Victims of Human Trafficking Program and present a ‘Referral to Government Subsidised Training – Asylum Seekers’ form
hold or are a dependent of an individual who holds a valid humanitarian, protection or refugee visa
hold a bridging visa and have lodged an application for a humanitarian, protection or refugee visa
hold a bridging visa and have lodged an application under section 417 or section 48B of the Migration Action 1958 (Cth) which is yet to be determined
Find out more about the Asylum seeker VET program.
: The Skills First Youth Access Initiative is for young people in Victoria who:
meet eligibility criteria applying to government subsidised training under Skills First; and
are aged 24 years or under; and
have been or are currently on a Child Protection Order or a Youth Justice Order (but are not currently in custody); or
are a resident of an Education First Youth Foyer.
Available training
A wide range of subsidised vocational education and training choices are available under Skills First. These include training in:
Certificates (I – IV)
Diploma or Advanced Diploma courses
the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).
Please visit the training needs list to review all eligible courses.
How to access subsidised training & tuition waiver fee
Young people should complete a Youth Access Initiative referral form, then make contact with Victoria University to discuss their tuition fee waiver. A Referral Agency will then complete the relevant section of the form.
You can ‘self-refer’ by completing your section of the form and gaining the endorsement of an Authorised Officer, including:
Post-Care Support staff
Education First Youth Foyer authorised staff
Youth Justice case managers
central DJCS authorised staff
Parkville College authorised transition staff
authorised DET managers.
Once the referral form is complete, contact us to discuss your interest and options. We are here to help you and our staff can support you to work out what training might suit you best.

Full-fee students

Domestic full-fee students

If you are not eligible for a government-subsidised place, or your course is not subsidised by the government, you will be charged the full-fee tuition rate for all enrolled hours.

The full-fee amount is listed on the course page. It includes material fees and your Student Services & Amenities Fee (SSAF), and is the total cost of the course.

International students

If you are an international student, you will need to pay for each semester by the due date on your statement of account (invoice).

The fee per semester is stated on the 'international' tab of your course page.

If you need to repeat a unit, that unit will be charged per contact hour in addition to your semester rate.

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Courses and units

Eligibility for a government subsidised place (TAFE)

Check your eligibility for subsidies & concessions

Eligibility

Citizenship / residency status

Eligible courses

Current enrolment in courses

Evidence

Eligibility

Applying for a fee concession

Other concessions

Accessing Free TAFE

Eligibility

Eligibility

Citizenship / residency status

Eligible courses

Current enrolment in courses

Evidence

Eligibility

Applying for a fee concession

Other concessions

Accessing Free TAFE

Eligibility

Other funding schemes

ABSTUDY payments

Support for First Nations applicants

Eligibility

Available training

How to access subsidised training & tuition waiver fee

Full-fee students

Domestic full-fee students

International students

Find out more

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