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Educational Access Scheme
What is EAS?
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QTAC's educational Access Scheme (EAS) is one of the ways in which tertiary institutions help applicants who have experienced difficult circumstances that have negatively impacted on their studies. |
Categories
There are five categories of EAS:
- Financial Hardship
- Home Environment and Responsibilities
- English Language Difficulty
- Personal Illness and Disability
- Educational Disruption
Category 1 - Financial Hardship
This category is applicable if you are from a low income background. If you receive the full rate of a means and asset tested Centrelink income support benefit in your own right you are likely to be eligible for this category. If you are eligible under the category Financial Hardship, you may also attract additional assistance from institutions, such as scholarships or bursaries.
Click here for more information on the category and documentation required.
Category 2 - Home Environment and Responsibilities
You can apply for this category if your home environment has made it difficult for you to study.
Click here for more information on the category and documentation required.
Category 3 - English Language Difficulty
You can only apply for this category if you have lived in Australian for less than 10 years and if your most recent study was negatively impacted by a profound level of difficulty communicating in English.
Click here for more information on the category and documentation required.
Category 4 - Personal Illness and Disability
If you have experienced long term or recurrent illness or disability you can apply for consideration under this category.
Click here for more information on the category and documentation required.
Category 5 - Educational Disruption
If your education was disrupted by frequent change of school, peer conflict or a disrupted school environment, you may wish to apply under this category.
Click here for more information on the category and documentation required.
Documentation
EAS is an evidence-based scheme. This means that you must provide documents that support your EAS application. QTAC is unable to assess EAS applications if appropriate supporting documentation is not provided.
For each EAS category a cover sheet can be printed as the end of the QTAC application. This cover sheet will detail the specific documents that you need to provide to QTAC for the EAS category. It is your responsibility to provide the correct documents to QTAC in a timely manner to ensure that your EAS application is assessed.
If you did not nominate for EAS when applying then wish to apply after you have lodged your application, you can print the cover sheets and submit the form with the required documentation.
Please see Key Dates for due dates to submit documentation.
Cover Sheets
- Financial Hardship
- Home Environment and Responsibilities
- English Language Difficulty
- Personal Illness and Disability
- Educational Disruption
- Educational Support Statement
Click here to see the documentation required for each category.
Educational Support Statement
If you are a current Year 12 applicant or you are on a gap year between year 12 and tertiary study, you will also need to have your school complete an Educational Support Statement (ESS) if you apply for any of the following EAS categories:
- English Language Difficulty
- Personal Illness and Disability
- Educational Disruption
This is an opportunity for your school to provide QTAC with information about assistance that has already been provided to you. You must also arrange for your education provider to complete an ESS if you are completing Year 12 equivalent studies such as External Senior.
Your school does NOT have to provide an ESS if you apply for the other categories of EAS
- Financial Hardship
- Home Environment and Responsibilities.
How to Apply
When you complete your QTAC application, you will be directed to select as many of the five EAS categories as are applicable to your situation.
If you wish to nominate for EAS after you have lodged your QTAC application, you will be able to access the cover sheets here. Cover sheets will be available from 1 August 2012 when applications are open for 2012/2013 Admissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
I want to apply for QUT's Q-Step or UQ-Link's scheme, how do I do this?
Apply for your course via QTAC. Indicate on your QTAC application that you want to be considered for the Educational Access Scheme (EAS) category - Financial Hardship. If you do not receive the full rate of an eligible payment, you'll need to print and complete a cover sheet, and provide supporting documents.
If you receive a full rate of a means and asset tested Centrelink payment in your own right, you will be required to enter your Customer Reference Number (CRN) in the QTAC application.
Do I have to be currently studying to apply for EAS?
No, however, in most cases the circumstances that you describe must relate to a period when you were studying. This does not apply to the category Financial Hardship which is based on your current and recent financial circumstances.
Can I apply for more than one EAS category?
Yes, you can apply for all categories that are relevant but you must supply supporting documentation for each nominated category.
I want to apply for EAS but I have already lodged my application, what do I do?
If you have already lodged your QTAC application and now wish to apply for EAS, simply print the relevant cover sheets for the category that you wish to apply for and then send to QTAC any requested documentation attached to that cover sheet. This information will then be added to your QTAC application. Check Key Dates for due dates for documentation.
I have applied for more than one EAS category that requires an Educational Support Statement. Do I need an Educational Support Statement for each category?
Only if you were attending more than one education provider when you experienced the difficult circumstances. You can also supply more than one Educational Support Statement if different people at your educational institution have knowledge of different circumstances.
Will QTAC contact my education provider if my Educational Support Statement is not received at QTAC?
No. QTAC will not contact your Education provider if your Educational Support Statement is not received at QTAC. However, you can track the documentation received at QTAC via Current Applicant online services. This service will allow you to view if the documents have been received at QTAC and contact your educational institution if the documentation has not been submitted.
I can't provide the required documents, what should I do?
If you cannot provide the required documentation, you should write a statement outlining why you cannot provide them and forward this to QTAC. You should also provide any alternative documents that you have that may support your case. QTAC will evaluate your application, including your statement indicating why you cannot provide the specified documentation, and may refer your application to the institutions to which you have applied for a final decision.
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