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Commonwealth legislation
This rulebook sets out how the Australian Government awards targeted grants to universities and other providers for things beyond base funding — from outreach and disability support to regional loadings, unpaid placement allowances, women-in-STEM cadetships, and microcredential pilots. It affects universities, disadvantaged students, community study hubs and employer partners, and matters because it directs substantial funding to improve access, equity and workforce skills in higher education.
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Direct links to the current provisions in Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Guidelines 2022.
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
This instrument is the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Guidelines 2022.
This instrument is made under section 238‑10 of the Act.
Note: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in Schedule 1 of the Act, including the following:
(a) ABS Remoteness Structure;
(b) Australian Qualifications Framework;
(c) Australian university;
(d) course of study;
(e) domestic student;
(f) enabling course;
(g) EFTSL;
(h) higher education provider;
(i) Table A provider; and
(j) unit of study.
In this instrument:
Act means the Higher Education Support Act 2003.
Australian Bureau of Statistics means the Bureau established in section 5 of the Australian Bureau of Statistics Act 1975.
ABS Greater Capital City Statistical Areas means the document created by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as in force at the commencement of the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Suburban University Study Hubs) Guidelines 2024.
Note: The ABS Greater Capital City Statistical Areas document as in force at the time the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Suburban University Study Hubs) Guidelines 2024 commenced can be viewed on the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ website at ABS Greater Capital City Statistical Areas.
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage means the document created by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as in force at the commencement of the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Suburban University Study Hubs) Guidelines 2024.
Note: The ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage document as in force at the time the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Suburban University Study Hubs) Guidelines 2024 commenced can be viewed on the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ website at ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas.
Accreditation Standards and Procedures means the Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (as that document was in force at the time the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Strong Beginnings Fund) Guidelines 2024 were made).
campus means the physical location at which a provider delivers a unit of study and, for online or distance education courses of study or where studies require attendance at external locations (such as a health centre, teaching hospital or agricultural farm), the campus is the location from which the course is administered.
CAST means the nonprofit education, research and development organisation that created Universal Design for Learning and the UDL Guidelines 3.0 whose website can be found at https://www.cast.org/.
Commonwealth assisted student means a person undertaking tertiary education and receiving any of the following kinds of assistance from the Commonwealth:
(a) assistance under Chapter 3 of the Act;
(b) a VET student loan;
(c) a payment or loan (however described) under any of the following Acts, for which the person qualifies because he or she is undertaking study:
(i) Social Security Act 1991;
(ii) Student Assistance Act 1973;
(iii) Trade Support Loans Act 2014;
(d) a payment under the ABSTUDY Scheme (within the meaning of the Student Assistance Act 1973).
Commonwealth supported student load means the EFTSL of students in Commonwealth supported places.
Core content means the core content listed in Schedule 2 of Addendum: Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (as that document was in force at the time the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Strong Beginnings Fund) Guidelines 2024 were made).
Department means the Department of State responsible for administering the Act and a reference in this instrument to the Department doing something is a reference to the Secretary or an APS employee who is a delegate of the Secretary under subsection 238‑1(1) of the Act.
eligible midwifery (clinical placement) prac student has the meaning given by subsection 84(2).
eligible midwifery (continuity of care) prac student has the meaning given by subsection 84(2).
eligible nursing prac student has the meaning given by subsection 84(2).
eligible prac student has the meaning given by subsection 84(1).
eligible prac unit has the meaning given by subsection 81(2).
eligible social work prac student has the meaning given by subsection 84(2).
eligible teaching (bachelor) prac student has the meaning given by subsection 84(2).
eligible teaching (master’s) prac student has the meaning given by subsection 84(2).
Equity policy, practice and programs means strategies, initiatives and interventions to support the needs of students from under-represented backgrounds.
Equity student outcomes means educational outcomes (including transition to employment) for students from under-represented backgrounds.
exceptional circumstances student has the meaning given by subsection 84(2).
external when used in context as of a way of attending education, means a mode of attendance for a unit of study in circumstances where the provider delivers the course materials to the student and the student is not required to attend classes on campus on a regular basis.
FEE-HELP loan fee is the difference between a student’s FEE HELP debt and FEE-HELP loan, if any, as referred to in subsection 137-10(2) of the Act.
HESDC means Higher Education Student Data Collection.
Initial Teacher Education Quality Assurance Oversight Board means the expert advisory body appointed by the Minister to oversee a systematic approach to assessing and improving the quality, consistency and outcomes of ITE programs.
internal when used in context as of a way of attending education, means a mode of attendance for a unit of study in circumstances where the student must attend classes at the provider’s facilities on a regular basis.
ITE means initial teacher education.
ITE course means an accredited course of study in ITE that is recognised by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership under the Accreditation Standards and Procedures.
low socioeconomic background means:
(a) in relation to Part 4A – a person whose residential address is in the lowest quartile of population aged 15-64 at the time the person enrols in their higher education course, by Statistical Area 1, as referred to in the document published by the Australian Statistician as Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) (as that document was in force at the time the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Needs-Based Funding Program) Guidelines 2025 was made);
(b) in relation to every other reference in the instrument – a person whose residential address is in the lowest quartile, by Statistical Area 1, as referred to in the document published by the Australian Statistician as Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) (as that document was in force at the time the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Guidelines 2022 was made).
Note 1: The SEIFA as in force at the time the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Needs-Based Funding Program) Guidelines 2025 was made can be viewed on the ABS’ website at: https://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/seifa.
Note 2: The SEIFA as in force at the time the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Guidelines 2022 was made can be viewed on the ABS’ website at: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/2033.0.55.001
multi-modal means a mode of attendance for a unit of study that is undertaken partially in an internal mode of attendance and partially in an external mode.
outreach when used in context of higher education, refers to a range of programs and activities delivered by a higher education provider or other organisation that is designed to build or enable an individual’s aspiration to attend higher education.
provider means a higher education provider.
STEM means science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
STEM Fields of Education means a field of education referred to in the document published in 2001 by the Australian Statistician titled Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED) starting with 01 (natural and physical sciences), 02 (information technology), 03 (engineering and related technologies), or 05 (agriculture, environmental and related studies).
student prac payments amount has the meaning given by subsection 83(2).
study period means a period of study during which a unit of study is offered.
Note: Examples of study periods include semesters, trimesters, blocks, intensives and sessions.
study period week means a week within a study period but does not include a week where a student is participating in a mandatory placement.
Teacher Regulatory Authority means any one of the following State or Territory Teacher Regulatory Authorities that is responsible for the registration of qualified teachers and for accrediting ITE courses under the Accreditation Standards and Procedures:
(i) Australian Capital Territory Teacher Quality Institute;
(ii) New South Wales Education Standards Authority;
(iii) Queensland College of Teachers;
(iv) Teacher Registration Board of the Northern Territory;
(v) Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia;
(vi) Teachers Registration Board of South Australia;
(vii) Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania; and
(viii) Victorian Institute of Teaching.
Tertiary Collection of Student Information (or TCSI) system means the data reporting system of that name maintained by the Department.
Universal Design for Learning means the educational framework developed by CAST to guide learning goals, material, methods and assessments based on learner diversity, supported by the UDL Guidelines.
UDL Guidelines 3.0 means the tool used in the implementation of the Universal Design for Learning framework developed by CAST, which offers concrete suggestions to support educators and facilitators to apply the UDL framework, as in force at the commencement of the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Disability Support Programs) Guidelines 2025.
Note: The UDL Guidelines as in force at the time the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Disability Support Programs) Guidelines 2025 commenced can be viewed on the CAST website at https://udlguidelines.cast.org/more/downloads/.
weekly Austudy rate for a year means half of the maximum basic rate of Austudy payment specified in item 1 of Table BA in subsection 1067L-B2(1) of the Social Security Act 1991 that applies on 1 January of that year.
Note: Under the Social Security Act 1991, the maximum basic rate of Austudy payment is indexed on 1 January every year.
Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.
| Section 238-10 of the Act states that the Minister may, by legislative instrument, make Other Grant Guidelines which provide for matters required or permitted by Part 2-3 of the Act, which deals with other grants.Section 41-5 of the Act says that the provisions of Part 2-3 indicate when a particular matter is or may be dealt with in these guidelines, as summarised below.Section 41-10 of the Act contains a table which states the purposes for which other grants made under Part 2-3 of the Act may be made and says that the Other Grant Guidelines may:(a) specify certain bodies corporate that are eligible for grants in relation to particular purposes set out in the table in that section;(b) specify national institutes for the purposes of item 4 in the table in that section; and(c) specify extra conditions of eligibility to receive a grant under a program that is also specified in these Guidelines.Subsection 41-15(1) of the Act states that Other Grants Guidelines may specify one or more programs under which grants for particular purposes specified in the table in subsection 41‑10(1) are to be paid.Subsection 41-15(2) of the Act says that, if the Other Grants Guidelines specify a program for a grant for a particular purpose, the guidelines may also specify all or any of the following matters for the program:(a) the program’s objectives;(b) the extra conditions of eligibility to receive a grant under the program;(c) the amount, being a part of the amount referred to in section 41‑45 for a year, that will be spent on the program in that particular year;(d) the indexation of that amount for subsequent years, using the method of indexation set out in Part 5‑6 of the Act;(e) the method by which the amount of grants under the program will be determined;(f) whether grants under a program are in respect of a year or a project;(g) the conditions that apply to grants under the program.Subsection 41-25(1) of the Act states that, if a grant is made under a program and the Other Grants Guidelines specify conditions that apply to a grant under that program, the grant is made on the conditions provided for in the guidelines (however the Minister may also determine other conditions).Section 41-30 of the Act states that the Other Grant Guidelines may also specify a method by which the amount of grants under a program are to be determined. |
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This is an opening excerpt, not the complete document.