For Recipients

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 you to provide the funds.

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

Reporting
If you study status changes, or is planned to do so, we must be told. Specifically, you must write to us 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 end us copies of your semester, term or half-year results as soon as they are issued; also a copy of your academic transcript if up-dated. If your results aren't good enough, or they mightn't be, write to us.

Tell us quickly, too, about changes to your contact or banking details. (We use your semester address for the academic year and home address during Christmas break, unless you tell us otherwise.)

When you are asked by us for information, please respond promptly. If we don't hear from you or your response is inadequate, we may have to suspend or even ultimately terminate your grant. We don't want this and we are sure neither do you.

About Your Payments
When you were offered your bursary or scholarship, you were given its value and duration by the grant's sponsor, or AVCAT on their behalf. After you accepted that offer, AVCAT advised you of payment dates and amounts.

Regular instalments, identified by name of the sponsor, are deposited into that 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.

The payment scheme is that there is a lump sum for course start costs is normally paid in March, with a smaller lump sum paid 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 pay if we have, in good time, the information we need to confirm eligibility.

Be aware that we must seek recovery of any over-payments if, for any reason, you receive money for which you are no longer entitled.

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.

Complete and return the review forms promptly to us, please, with all the required supporting documentation. Respond quickly too, to our requests for information. Tardiness can cost you grant money, for we can only make limited back payments and 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 enough, 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, for example, 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 to whether to terminate or suspend payments, or to continue them, payments. for a further six months or year, provisionally.

If your results are not good enough, you must put your case in writing as to why the grant should not cease. Supporting evidence is required; eg, 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 quickly.

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 and ask the AVCAT before your enrolment in a different course.

Approval is usually given where the change increases employment prospects. Where study is to be overseas and fully credited for your Australian course, payments will be continued.

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 contact us or email now.

If you have questions about AVCAT generally, click here.