Acknowledgement

That you are receiving financial assistance with your studies through an AVCAT administered scheme means that some person or organization has been generous enough to provide the funds to you.

A letter of thanks to the sponsor is always appreciated and may encourage them to help others.  It also is just plain good manners.

Reporting

We must be told if there are changes or proposed changes to your study status.  You must notify us in writing immediately if you:

* cease/defer studies;
* change course, institution or campus;
* stop being full-time;
* cease to get (or qualify on financial grounds for) our means test which is based on Youth Allowance.

You must also send us copies of your semester, term or half-year results as soon as they are issued and also a copy of your academic transcript if up-dated.  If your results are unsatisfactory, please write to us.

We must also be informed immediately about changes to your contact or banking details as we use your semester address for the academic year and home address during Christmas break, unless you tell us otherwise.

Please make sure that you respond promptly when asked for any information because if we don't hear from you or your response is inadequate, we may have to suspend or even ultimately terminate your grant, which we don't want to do.

About Your Payments

When you are offered your bursary or scholarship, you will be given it's value and duration by the grant's sponsor, or AVCAT on their behalf.   After you accept that offer,  AVCAT will advise you of payment dates and amounts.

Regular instalments identified by name of the sponsor are deposited into your nominated account while eligibility continues.

Payments will only be made into a bank account in Australia in the sole name of the grant recipient and with our bank, Westpac; this costs us less and you are paid faster.

Payments are structured to provide recipients when most needed i.e. start costs in March, with a smaller payment in August towards the second half year's course start costs.  The remainder is paid in monthly instalments or by the 15th of each month from March to December.

We can only make these payments if we receive the information we require to confirm eligibility in a timely manner.

Be aware that we must seek recovery of any over-payments if, for any reason, you receive money for which you are not entitled to.

About Continuation

Some scheme provides for payments for one year only, others do so for more years or for the duration of studies. Those planning full-time studies after their current grant ends should consider applying in good time to AVCAT for consideration under another scheme or other bodies for financial assistance.

Your payments continue for the academic year subject to continuing full time enrolment in an AVCAT approved course, satisfactory academic progress and continued financial eligibility.

To confirm these things, we send you a Mid-Year Review Form in late June. Eligibility is checked formally twice a year, but we may check at other times.

Please complete and return the Review Forms promptly to us together with all the required supporting documentation.  Tardiness can cost you grant money as we can only make limited back payments and only do so in very few cases.

Satisfactory Progress

The rule is that the number of subjects studied each year or semester must be a full-time study load as defined by Centrelink. You must also do well academically, for your grant to continue.

Results

You must pass 50% of the subjects you are enrolled in any semester or year. If you do not, your grant is normally terminated.  It might be continued provisionally if the reason for failure is acceptable to AVCAT, e.g. illness, bereavement, personal trauma.

If results at the Mid-Year Review show unsatisfactory progress, AVCAT's Educational Advisory Committee will review the case and decide whether to terminate or suspend payments, or to continue them for a further six months or year, provisionally.

If your results are not satisfactory, you must put your case in writing as to why the grant should not cease. Supporting evidence is required e.g. a medical report and one from the student counselling service of your educational establishment.  If you are not making satisfactory progress, it is in your interests to see a student counsellor as soon as possible.

Leave from AVCAT grants

You may want to defer enrolment or not be full-time for a while; if so write and tell us and give the reason.  If that is satisfactory to AVCAT, leave from AVCAT grants may be approved for up to twelve months. Payments will be suspended and will re-start if studies resume in time and you are still eligible.

Course Changes

Sometimes, major changes are needed (other than to subject choice and timing) in your study plans.  In some such cases, bursaries can be continued. There are restrictions however to ensure that the original purpose for your grant is preserved.

Generally, if a course change and any resulting new qualification are deemed by AVCAT to be a necessary or a desirable extension or continuation in the same, career direction, the grant may continue.

Note that, for grant continuation, all planned course changes must be approved by us in advance. Do not assume approval, you must ask AVCAT before your enrolment in a different course.

Approval is usually given where the change increases employment prospects.

Course changes which result in repeating a year or semester, or where credit is not allowed for all or most previous studies, will not normally be approved. Course change proposals will also not be approved which do not indicate a clear career goal.

Effects on Other Benefits

Grants are assessed as income for Youth Allowance and Social Security purposes. (Note, we must tell Centrelink about new Long Tan bursaries.)

Students receiving other benefits eg; disability pensions, sole parent pension, should check with the relevant departments as to the effect of the grant on their particular payments. Do not declare AVCAT grants payments on tax returns. They are tax exempt income under the Act.

Keeping in Touch

We are interested in you, so keep in touch! We want to know how you are going, so ring, write or Email us regularly. Remember, we care about those who leave our scheme, and want to know how your studies went. Note that privacy rules require that we only deal with you, the recipient, not others on your behalf.

If you have Questions on AVCAT, just ask. Our review process is the major way we gather and pass on student information, but we may write at other times to tell recipients about any important new AVCAT grants matters.

Each year DVA organises a function in each capital city to present Award Certificates to new recipients and to enable us to meet you and you one another. At that function, a recipient from an earlier year is asked to speak. If you are a new recipient or are asked and agree to speak, we will send you the details.

We like to hear from you so now.

If you have questions about AVCAT generally, .