Applying as a refugee or asylum seeker

Summary: As a refugee or an asylum seeker, you are an important part of the Australian higher education landscape. We have created this guide to help you get the most out of your VTAC application and make specific resources available to you.

Applying for courses

To apply for courses through VTAC, you begin by creating an account and profile. There are key areas to be aware of in each of these sections that may apply to your status.

1. When completing your personal details, choose the appropriate option under the "Citizenship & residency" section. Once you select "I am a permanent Australian resident" or "I have a temporary resident visa or student visa", you will be prompted to submit your visa details.

2. You can continue to education history to submit your secondary study or VCE study claims. 

3. When you start your course application, you will see different courses depending on your residency or visa status:

  • Permanent residents can apply for Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP). CSPs are type-1 courses (course codes that end in 1). This means the government pays part of your study fees and you don’t have to pay it back. Temporary residents
  • Temporary residents must apply for International Fee Places (IFP). IFPs are type-3 courses (course codes that end in 3). This means the course you enrol in will require you to pay the full fee, and you won't be able to apply for any HECS-HELP government loans. Therefore, it's important to understand what scholarships are available to financially support your tertiary studies. 

Applying for equity schemes & scholarships

Difficult circumstances category

After you submit your course application, the equity schemes and scholarships appllication will become available within your account. Refugee or asylum seekers are eligible to apply for equity schemes & scholarships under the Difficult circumstances category .This category is where you will be considered specifically for your refugee or asylum seeker circumstances. It applies to applicants prevented from reaching their educational potential because of family or other life circumstances.

You are eligible for this category if you are, or have previously been, the holder of certain Australian refugee visas. Those holding a bridging visa listed below may also be able to apply. For details on which visa sublclasses are eligible, refer to the equity schemes & scholarships categories page.

If you do not currently hold an eligible visa, you will need to provide an impact statement and statement of support to apply for refugee or asylum seeker circumstances. If you have a copy of your previously held visa, you may supply this in addition to the statement of support.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available to support you with educational expenses, such as tuition, fees, books, and living costs. Some scholarships are available through VTAC's Equity schemes & scholarships application and there are many more offered directly by institutions. There are also scholarships offered by government, community and business organisations. Scholarship types and amounts vary and can be awarded based on financial circumstances and other equity areas, community involvement and leadership experience and academic merit.

As all temporary visa subclasses do not qualify for HECS, it is important to research and apply to available scholarships. 

You can research some of the scholarships available to you by visiting the following resources:

  • Refugee Education - has a helpful list of the scholarships institutions make available for people seeking asylum and refugees who hold temporary visas. 
  • Eduweb scholarships - a list of scholarships offered by government, community and business organisations.
  • Scholarships through VTAC - scholarships available to be applied for through your VTAC application.
  • Institution scholarships - scholarships available through institutions or visit the institution's website. You will need to apply directly to the institution for these scholarships to be eligible to receive one. 

Resources for refugee or asylum seekers

Getting help

Contact VTAC

We’re here to help! If at any step you need assistance in completing your application, please contact VTAC for help. You can call us at (03) 9926 1020 or e-mail us through your VTAC account.

Other organisations that can provide support

Here is a list of resources from organisations separate to VTAC that provide information and support to refugees and asylum seekers hoping to study in Australia. 

Services and advice from tertiary institutions