Lifetime limit
Our definition of lifetime limit for Student Allowance and Student Loan.
Student Allowance
Secondary school study
You can get a Student Allowance for 92 weeks of secondary school study (around 2 years).
Tertiary study
If you’re under 40, you can get a Student Allowance for 200 weeks of tertiary study (around 5 years).
If you’re over 40, you can get a Student Allowance for 120 weeks of tertiary study (around 3 years). This includes any weeks of Student Allowance you’ve had before.
Student Loan
Usually, you can only get enough Student Loans to pay for up to 7 EFTS of study (about 7 or 8 years of full-time study).
This includes the EFTS from all loans you got since 2010, where the loan paid for fees, course-related costs or living costs. For example, you get a Student Loan for only $50 of course-related costs. The EFTS on this loan contributes to your lifetime limit of 7 EFTS.
You may be able to get more Student Loans once you’ve studied 7 EFTS (Link 2) depending on your circumstances.
Yearly Limit
You can get a Student Loan for up to 2 EFTS of study a year (this is around 240 points or credits).