Educational Access Scheme
Circumstances you can claim under EAS and required documents
To be eligible for EAS consideration your Year 11 and/or 12 studies (or equivalent) must have been seriously affected due to circumstances beyond your control or choosing.
The specific circumstances that institutions will consider under EAS are grouped into nine broad categories.
Select the relevant category to view the eligibility criteria and required documentation.
D01A: Attended three or more different secondary schools during Years 10, 11 and 12
Eligibility criteria | You attended three or more different secondary schools in Australia during Years 10, 11 and 12 or equivalent. Note: Eligibility does not include moving from junior high school to senior high school, attendance at intensive language centres, or schools attended as part of an exchange program. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | No. |
Supporting documentation required | A record of attendance from each secondary school you attended during Years 10, 11 and 12 or equivalent. The record of attendance must be issued on the school letterhead, be signed by the principal or another senior person at your school, and confirm the period you attended the school. It is not a record of absences. |
D01B: Moved to Australia after the beginning of Year 11 + English is your first language
Eligibility criteria | You have English as your first language and started school in Australia during Year 11 and/or Year 12 or equivalent. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | No. |
Supporting documentation required |
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D01C: Moved interstate after the beginning of Year 11
Eligibility criteria | You moved interstate during Year 11 and/or Year 12 or equivalent. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | No. |
Supporting documentation required | A record of attendance from each school you attended during Years 10, 11 and Year 12 or equivalent. The record of attendance must be issued on the school letterhead, be signed by the principal or another senior person at your school, and confirm the period you attended the school. It is not a record of absences. |
S01D: Studying any Year 12 subjects through distance education, an Access program or School of Now
Eligibility criteria | You’re studying any of your Year 12 courses through a secondary distance education centre, an Access program or School of Now as a result of circumstances beyond your control or choosing; for example, the Year 12 course you have chosen is not provided by the secondary school you are attending and you have to study it online via a distance education provider. You are not eligible if you undertook distance education of your own volition for whatever reason, including elite sports or any other vocational reason, or overseas travel. Note: You are eligible for S01D if you are undertaking HSC (or equivalent) courses via TAFE Digital. You are not eligible for S01D if you are attending face-to-face classes (ie not distance education) at a Community College, Saturday school, TAFE or other equivalent provider, even if the course is not offered by your school. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | Yes. The educational impact statement must confirm you are studying courses through a secondary distance education centre, an Access program or School of Now as a result of circumstances beyond your control or choosing. If you don’t provide an educational impact statement, you will be assessed as ineligible for this EAS code. |
Optional supporting documentation | Your Confirmation of Entry from NESA for the HSC or A letter from the distance education centre, Access program or School of Now confirming your enrolment and the courses you are undertaking. |
You should claim all financial challenges that apply to you. You cannot claim F01C if you are eligible for F01A or F01B.
F01A: Receiving Youth Allowance, Austudy or ABSTUDY
F01B: Receiving other Centrelink means-tested benefits
Eligibility criteria | You received:
for a period of at least three months during Year 11 and/or Year 12 or equivalent. |
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Applicant statement requirements | No statement required. |
Educational impact statement required? | No. |
Supporting documentation required | If you’re currently receiving a Centrelink payment, enter your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) in the EAS application. 91ÌÒÉ« will verify your payments directly with Centrelink. |
F01C: Exceptional financial challenges
Eligibility criteria | You experienced exceptional financial challenges during Year 11 and/or Year 12 or equivalent. Note: F01C is for a small number of applicants who experience exceptional financial challenges but who are not in receipt of Centrelink benefits. This generally doesn’t include applicants whose family income is above the threshold for eligibility for a Centrelink (or other income and asset-tested) entitlement. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | Yes. |
Supporting documentation required | Documents to show your complete financial picture. These may include:
If you’re living with your parent/s (or with a partner) and you’re being financially supported, you must also provide evidence of your parent/s or partner’s income (eg an ATO Notice of Financial Assessment for the last financial year). If you’re being financially supported by your parent/s (whether you’re living with them or not), they must also prepare a statement which states that they’re supporting you. In the statement they must also provide details of any other dependent children, including their ages and whether or not they are tertiary students living at or away from home. |
F01D: Receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A
Eligibility criteria | Your parent/s or guardian/s received Family Tax Benefit Part A during Year 11 and/or Year 12 or equivalent. |
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Applicant statement requirements | No statement required. |
Educational impact statement required? | No. |
Supporting documentation required |
Important information |
H01A: Death of an immediate family member/close friend
Eligibility criteria | Your home environment was severely disrupted due to the death of an immediate family member or close friend during Year 11 and/or 12 or equivalent. Note: If the deceased suffered a long-term illness/disability, you may also claim under EAS code H01B if eligible. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | Yes |
Supporting documentation required | A copy of the death certificate or funeral notice. |
H01B: Life-threatening/severe illness of an immediate family member/close friend
Eligibility criteria | Your home environment was severely disrupted due to the severe or life-threatening illness/disability of an immediate family member or close friend during Year 11 and/or 12 or equivalent. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | Yes. |
Optional supporting documentation | A medical certificate/report giving full details of the length of illness and its severity. Include information about treatment, medication, hospitalisation. |
H01C: Separation of parents or applicant
Eligibility criteria | Your home environment was severely disrupted due to the relationship breakdown and separation of your parents during Year 11 and/or 12 or equivalent or You (the applicant) experienced separation due to relationship breakdown. Note: 91ÌÒÉ« who provide evidence of the legal finalisation of a divorce during Years 11 and/or 12 or equivalent will not be given consideration where there is no evidence of disruption to the home environment. In cases where the separation has caused ongoing criminal/legal matters, applicants are encouraged to also claim H01D. In cases of separation where ongoing abuse or assault has occurred, applicants are encouraged to also claim H04A or P01A. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | Yes. It must verify the date of separation and how the separation has affected your studies. |
Optional supporting documentation | Copies of any appropriate supporting documents, such as those relating to any associated legal proceedings (eg Apprehended Violence Order, Police Record of Interview, police reports, court orders, witness subpoenas). |
H01D: Criminal/legal matters for offences not committed by applicant
Eligibility criteria | Your home environment was severely disrupted due to criminal/legal matters during Year 11 and/or 12 or equivalent. Criminal/legal matters may include coronial inquiries, medical tribunals or police investigations. Note: You cannot claim for offences for which you’ve been convicted, or for investigations or legal proceedings against you which have not yet been resolved. You cannot claim for minor issues such as traffic/parking infringements. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | Yes. |
Optional supporting documentation | A copy of documents relating to the criminal/legal matters (eg police fact sheets, bail undertakings, coronial inquiries, medical tribunals, police investigations). |
H04A: Abuse of applicant, parents or sisters/brothers
Eligibility criteria | You, or your parents, or any of your siblings have experienced severe abuse during Year 11 and/or 12 or equivalent. This could include extreme physical or verbal torment experienced at school or in the home environment. Note: You cannot claim for isolated or trivial instances that may have caused you offence. |
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Applicant statement requirements | Applicant statement is optional. We are able to assess based on other evidence provided. If you do provide an applicant statement, include the following information:
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Educational impact statement required? | Yes. |
Optional supporting documentation |
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H04B: Out-of-home care status
Eligibility criteria | You are currently placed, or have previously been placed, with an out-of-home care (OOHC) provider due to government agency intervention. This includes:
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Applicant statement requirements | No statement required. |
Educational impact statement required? | No. |
Supporting documentation required | At least one of the following:
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N01D: Natural disasters
Eligibility criteria | Your education has been negatively impacted during Year 11 and/or 12 or equivalent due to the impact of a natural disaster. Natural disasters in Australia can include, but are not limited to, heatwaves, bushfires, droughts, floods, severe storms and tropical cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides. ()
COVID-19 school shutdowns, home education and absences due to illness are not covered by this category. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | Required only if no government payments have been received. |
Supporting documentation required | Evidence of any disaster relief payments or other payments from a state or federal government body related to the specific natural disaster. These can be payments to:
If none of the above payments have been received, you must prove the educational impact of the natural disaster to the same level as applicants who received payments. This evidence can be in the form of:
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H03A: Excessive responsibility for care of children/other family members
Eligibility criteria |
You’ve had excessive responsibility for care of children and/or other family members during Year 11 and/or 12 or equivalent. The care you have been providing has been necessary (eg due to a medical condition, serious injury/illness or circumstance in which the individual requires regular support and assistance) and you have not been paid a wage or salary for the purpose of caring. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? |
Yes. |
Optional supporting documentation |
Medical certificates/reports confirming the medical condition/disability of any family members, giving full details of the length of illness and its severity. |
H03B: Required to work to support family or self
Eligibility criteria |
You’ve had excessive work requirements during Year 11 and/or 12 or equivalent for at least one of the following reasons:
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? |
Yes. |
Supporting documentation required |
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Optional supporting documentation |
Additional statements from a responsible person/people (eg doctor, lawyer, social worker, religious or community leader). The responsible person/people must be aware of your need to work and be able to explain how this has impacted on your educational performance. |
H03C: Excessive responsibility for care of self with no family support
Eligibility criteria |
You’ve had excessive responsibility for the care of yourself, while living independently, with no family or partner support, during Year 11 and/or Year 12 or equivalent. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? |
Yes. |
Optional supporting documentation |
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L01A: ESL/started school in Australia in Year 11 or Year 12
For current Australian Year 12 applicants only
Eligibility criteria | All of the following:
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | Yes. |
Supporting documentation required | If you attended an Intensive English Centre, an IEC record of attendance. |
Optional supporting documentation |
(Note: Providing an Immi Card or visa grant letter with no other documents is not enough for assessment. 91ÌÒÉ« must be able to identify your date of entry into Australia.) |
L01B: ESL/started school in Australia in Years 7 to 10
For current Australian Year 12 applicants only
Eligibility criteria | All of the following:
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Applicant statement requirements | The country and the language in which you undertook your education before coming to Australia. |
Educational impact statement required? | Yes. |
Supporting documentation required | If you attended an Intensive English Centre, an IEC record of attendance. |
Optional supporting documentation |
(Note: Providing an Immi Card or visa grant letter with no other documents is not enough for assessment. 91ÌÒÉ« must be able to identify your date of entry into Australia.) |
L01C: ESL/entered Australia in 2020 or later
For post-school applicants only
Eligibility criteria | All of the following:
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | No. |
Supporting documentation required |
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If you’re a current Year 12 student who became ill just before/during your HSC exams you may be eligible to submit an illness/misadventure appeal with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) by completing an appeal form available from the school principal and/or NESA. For further details, visit the .
If you have a disability and are having problems with the 91ÌÒÉ« application process, call us on (02) 9752 0200 between 8.30am and 4.30pm (Sydney time) Monday to Friday or email us using the enquiry form. We will help you with your application.
P01A: Disability or long-term medical condition
Eligibility criteria | During Year 11 and/or 12 or equivalent you experienced:
or
91ÌÒÉ« who have not sought and utilised recommended options (made by a registered health professional) for their condition, disability, illness or disorder, may not be assessed as eligible for P01A. You’re not eligible if you’ve suffered a series of minor illnesses, have an ongoing minor medical condition stabilised by medication or if you become ill or suffer a condition that affects your examination performance only. You’re also not eligible if the only impact on you is ongoing rehabilitation or treatment of less than two hours per week. |
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Applicant statement requirements |
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Educational impact statement required? | Depends on other documentation provided: see 'Supporting documentation required' below. |
Supporting documentation required | 91ÌÒÉ« with a NESA disability provisions notification (or similar documentation from an equivalent interstate curriculum and assessment authority or the IB):
91ÌÒÉ« without a NESA (or equivalent authority) disability provisions notification:
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Additional requirements for applicants with learning disabilities | Applicant statement requirements: If you have not applied for disability provisions through NESA (or equivalent authority), you must explain why. Supporting documentation required: If you have been granted disability provisions by NESA (or equivalent authority), a copy of the disability provisions notification along with copies of any documentation submitted to NESA (or equivalent authority) or If you have not been granted disability provisions by NESA (or equivalent authority), provide evidence of clinical assessments conducted by a qualified professional such as an educational psychologist or neuro-psychologist or learning disability specialist using recognised valid, reliable and standardised tests. These must have been undertaken within the last three years. |
R01A: Refugee and humanitarian status
Eligibility criteria | You are, or have previously been, the holder of one of the following Australian refugee visas:
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Applicant statement requirements | No statement required. |
Educational impact statement required? | No. |
Supporting documentation required | At least one of the following documents confirming your refugee status:
Note: Providing an Immi Card or visa grant letter with no other documents is not enough for assessment. 91ÌÒÉ« must be able to identify your date of entry into Australia. |
S01R: Australian rural, regional or remote school
Eligibility criteria
You attended an Australian rural, regional or remote school during Year 11 and/or 12. A school is classified as an Australian rural, regional or remote school if identified as inner regional, outer regional, remote or very remote according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Australian Statistical Geography Standard – Remoteness Area (ASGS-RA). Eligibility is based on this standard; not your residential address.
2024 Year 12 students
If you are completing Year 12 at a regional, rural and/or remote school in Australia, 91ÌÒÉ« will automatically generate an ‘electronic’ application for you. You will receive an email notification of this within 24 hours of submitting your undergraduate application. If you receive this notification, do not claim this category in your EAS application.
Only claim this category manually in your EAS application if you attended a regional, rural and/or remote school during Year 11 or 12 and have since transferred to a school in a metropolitan area.
If you’re a current Year 12 student and you have manually claimed S01R in your EAS application, you will need to provide supporting documents.
91ÌÒÉ« who are not 2024 Year 12 students
Claim this category in your EAS application if you attended a regional, rural and/or remote school in Australia during Year 11 and/or 12. You will need to provide supporting documents.
Supporting documents
91ÌÒÉ« who manually claim that they attended an Australian rural, regional or remote school need to provide:
- an applicant statement indicating the name of your school and the period you attended the school.
- a record of attendance from your school. The record of attendance must be issued on the school letterhead, be signed by the principal or another senior person at your school, and confirm the period you attended the school. It is not a record of absences..
AG01 and AG02: 1 to 25% of socio-economic disadvantage
After you’ve applied for undergraduate admission through 91ÌÒÉ«, we will automatically generate an electronic EAS application for you (ie you don’t have to submit an application) if the residential address (not PO Box) you entered in your 91ÌÒÉ« undergraduate application is identified by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as being in the lowest 25% of socio-economic disadvantage in Australia.
This assessment will be based on the address you entered at the time of application. No reassessment of addresses will occur after your undergraduate application has been submitted.
If an EAS application is automatically generated for you, we will notify you by email the day after you complete your application for undergraduate admission.
To claim additional circumstances that have affected your studies, you still need to submit an EAS application, but you don’t need to include details about the circumstances in your automatically-generated application.