QTAC Information Sheet

Educational Access Scheme (EAS) - Documentation Guidelines

For each category of EAS you need to complete a cover sheet (which should be printed at the end of your QTAC application). These cover sheets contain questions that you MUST answer and lists what documentation you MUST supply.

All EAS categories require a personal statement except for the category of Financial Hardship as only The University of Queensland requires it for this category. However, other institutions may view the personal statement and it might help your case to explain in your own words how financial hardship has affected your study. For this reason it is recommended that you complete a personal statement for Financial Hardship.

Your personal statement does not need to be long but it is very important. It is your opportunity to advise why you should be given assistance through the EAS scheme. You must be able to show in your statement that your circumstances had a direct impact on your education.

It will strongly support your EAS application if you are able to provide academic records such as school reports, academic transcripts that demonstrate a decrease in achievement as a result of your circumstances.

All applicants who wish to be considered for EAS and who have studied in the last three years must ensure their education provider completes and returns the Educational Support Statement.

Documentation required for each EAS Category

EAS Category - Disrupted Schooling

Indicator	Documentation	Documentation must demonstrate that
Frequent change of school	letter from each school attended	you changed schools frequently
Peer conflict	police report or; report from doctor or psychologist	you experience peer conflict of a significant and ongoing nature
Interstate transfer during Year 11 or 12	letter from each school attended	you transferred interstate during Year 11 or 12
Limited school participation due to family and/or cultural background	supporting statement from community group or; advocacy group or; Department of Communities or; Red Cross/UNHCR Refugee registration	your participation in education was limited or disrupted due to your family circumstances or cultural background, including as a result of your gender, race or religion
other trauma	letter from a relevant professional or; court/police documents	you suffered a significant trauma (e.g. sexual assault)

Indicator

Documentation

Documentation must demonstrate that

Frequent change of school

letter from each school attended

you changed schools frequently

Peer conflict

police report or;
report from doctor or psychologist

you experience peer conflict of a significant and ongoing nature

Interstate transfer during Year 11 or 12

letter from each school attended

you transferred interstate during Year 11 or 12

Limited school participation due to family and/or cultural background

supporting statement from

community group or;
advocacy group or;
Department of Communities or;
Red Cross/UNHCR Refugee registration

your participation in education was limited or disrupted due to your family circumstances or cultural background, including as a result of your gender, race or religion

other trauma

letter from a relevant professional or;
court/police documents

you suffered a significant trauma (e.g. sexual assault)

EAS Category - Financial Hardship

Indicator	Documentation	Documentation must demonstrate that
Number of dependants	copy of Medicare card or; recent Family Tax Benefit statement	you (or your caregivers if you are a dependant) supports dependents under 18
Smith Family Learning for Life	letter from Learning for Life support worker	you are a participant in the Learning for Life program
Centrelink (required even if you have provided this information in the QTAC application)	your Customer Reference Number (CRN) or; a copy of your recent Centrelink Income statement or; your caregivers Centrelink Income statement	you or your caregivers (if you are a dependant) receive an eligible Centrelink income support benefit
Income	copy of your most recent Tax Assessment Notice and your partner's or; your caregiversTax Assessment Notice if you are a dependant.	you or your caregivers (if you are a dependant) are low income earners

Indicator

Documentation

Documentation must demonstrate that

Number of dependants

copy of Medicare card or;
recent Family Tax Benefit statement

you (or your caregivers if you are a dependant) supports dependents under 18

Smith Family Learning for Life

letter from Learning for Life support worker

you are a participant in the Learning for Life program

Centrelink

(required even if you have provided this information in the QTAC application)

your Customer Reference Number (CRN) or;
a copy of your recent
Centrelink Income statement or;
your caregivers Centrelink Income statement

you or your caregivers (if you are a dependant) receive an eligible Centrelink income support benefit

Income

copy of your most recent Tax Assessment Notice and your partner's or;
your caregiversTax Assessment Notice if you are a dependant.

you or your caregivers (if you are a dependant) are low income earners

EAS Category - Home Environment and Caring Responsibilities

Indicator	Documentation	Documentation must demonstrate that
Family Conflict	supporting statement from: police, Department of Communities, or other Government department or; community organisation confirmation significant family conflict or; psychologist or other medical professional with direct knowledge of the family group	your home environment was affected by conflict that was significant or ongoing in nature
Abuse (domestic, physical, psychological , sexual)	as above or police or court records relating to a conviction	you were a victim of abuse
Neglect	as above or police or court records relating to a conviction	you were a victim of neglect
Substance abuse (self or family member)	as above or police or court records relating to a conviction	you or a family member experience substance addiction
Divorce (self or family member)	court records or; letter from solicitor or; letter from doctor or psychologist	you or your parents/caregivers experienced a divorce while you were studying
caring for a disabled or seriously ill person	centrelink documents or; letter from community support organisation or; letter from relevant professional with knowledge of the family	you are or were responsible for caring for a disabled or seriously ill person while you were studying
serious illness of a family member	medical report or; death or funeral notice or; hospital admission records	a member of your family or household died while you were studying
caring responsibilities (self or members of household)	centrelink documents or; letter from community support organisation or; letter from relevant professional with knowledge of the family	you were forced by circumstances to become independent while still at school or were responsible for caring for dependents while still at school

EAS Category - English Language Difficulty

Indicator	Documentation	Documentation must demonstrate that
English Language Difficulty	certified copy of initial immigration visa showing the date of first arrival in Australia	you have been in Australia less than 10 years

Indicator

Documentation

Documentation must demonstrate that

English Language Difficulty

certified copy of initial immigration visa showing the date of first arrival in Australia

you have been in Australia less than 10 years

EAS Category - Personal Illness or Disability

Indicator	Documentation	Documentation must demonstrate that
All disabilities or disorders	letter from doctor or other registered medical professional (this person must not be related to you)	the duration, severity and impact of disability or disorder on your educational performance

Indicator

Documentation

Documentation must demonstrate that

All disabilities or disorders

letter from doctor or other registered medical professional (this person must not be related to you)

the duration, severity and impact of disability or disorder on your educational performance

EAS Category - Refugee Status

Indicator	Documentation	Documentation must demonstrate that
Displaced person	letter from a community refugee advocacy or similar and; certified copy of visa showing country of origin and date of first arrival in Australia	you were displaced from your country of origin due to circumstances such as war or social or political instability

Indicator

Documentation

Documentation must demonstrate that

Displaced person

letter from a community refugee advocacy or similar and;
certified copy of visa showing country of origin and date of first arrival in Australia

you were displaced from your country of origin due to circumstances such as war or social or political instability

EAS Category - School Environment

Indicator	Documentation	Documentation must demonstrate that
Significant disruption to your school	letter from the school or Education Queensland	the nature of the disruption and the direct effect on you
rural schooling (more than 100kms from a town of 10,000 people)	letter from the school or Education Queensland	the distance from a town of 10,000 people and the direct effect on you
Frequent change of teachers	letter from the school or Education Queensland	frequent change of teachers and the direct effect on you
Lack of subject choice	letter from the school or Education Queensland	lack of subject choice and the direct effect on you

EAS Category - Natural Disasters

Indicator	Documentation	Documentation must demonstrate that
All natural disasters	letter from relevant professional describing the direct impact on you or; insurance information or; letter from community support organisation or; evidence of disaster relief payments from Centrelink	the nature of the disaster and the direct effect on you

Indicator

Documentation

Documentation must demonstrate that

All natural disasters

letter from relevant professional describing the direct impact on you or;
insurance information or;
letter from community support organisation or;
evidence of disaster relief payments from Centrelink

the nature of the disaster and the direct effect on you

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