A university place is often described as a “pathway to opportunity”. But for many students, getting in is only part of the challenge.
The other challenge is affording to stay. This is becoming more difficult as uni fees and costs-of-living increase.
In a new report, we look at the financial pressures facing Australian university students and what can be done to better support them.
We found one in three students surveyed reported they were struggling or severely struggling with their financial situation. This was more common among international students, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students living with disability, and students living alone.
Our research
To understand what supports are available and what challenges today’s students face, we analysed 41 Australian universities’ policies on financial support for students. We then surveyed nearly 900 students and interviewed around 50 students and university staff. Students were recruited through university networks, student unions and social media.
Students reported growing pressure across core living costs. For example, 51% experienced food insecurity and 64% struggled with housing affordability. Almost 45% said financial stress had negatively affected their studies.
This mirrors other surveys showing students have been skipping meals to cope with costs of living.
Other recent surveys suggest financial pressure is shaping study decisions before students even arrive at university. Some young people are delaying study, planning to study part-time, or expecting to live at home to reduce costs.
What are students doing to cope?
The most common strategy among those we surveyed is paid work. In our survey, 74% of students said they relied on paid employment to cover living expenses. About 36% worked more than 20 hours per week.
While paid work can support independence and employability, working long hours can compete with study time, class attendance, assessments, placements and rest. One student described needing to “skip lectures or skip tutorials” because of work.
Students also reported borrowing money from family and friends, taking out loans, delaying medical or dental care, reducing their study load, dropping classes or delaying graduation.
One student told us:
Every day I think about money […] I find it hard to sleep.
What help is available?
Government payments such as Youth Allowance, Austudy and ABSTUDY provide important support for eligible students.
But these do not cover all costs of living and study or all students. For example, Youth Allowance for students is about A$339 a week, if you are over 18 and do not live with your parents. In 2025, the poverty line for a single adult was about $584 a week. This leaves a gap of about $245 a week even before extra study costs such as textbooks or placements. In 2026, Anglicare also found there were no affordable rental listings in Australia for a person receiving Youth Allowance.
Welfare advocates also argue too many potential recipients are excluded. International students are generally ineligible and many domestic students are also ineligible due to age, if they live with their parents, or due to parental income.
HELP loans – including recent debt-reduction measures – address tuition costs for many students. But they do not assist with day‑to‑day living expenses.
What do unis provide?
Our analysis found most universities offer some form of financial or cost-of-living support.
This includes scholarships, bursaries, emergency grants, hardship loans, financial counselling, food programs (such as food pantries, grocery vouchers and subsidised meals), textbook support and referrals to external services such as community legal centres, housing services, food relief providers and financial counselling services.
But the main issue is not simply whether support exists. It is whether students know about it and can receive it before the pressure becomes a crisis.
Only 22% of surveyed students were aware of financial support available at their university. Of those who were aware, almost half said the application process was difficult or unclear. Some schemes also require students to pay for costs up-front, and then apply for reimbursement, which they cannot afford.
Students and staff described hard-to-navigate webpages, complex eligibility rules, extensive documentation, delays, uncertainty about who qualified, and stigma around asking for help.
How can the system support students better?
Financial literacy programs can help in some cases. But many students are not struggling because they cannot budget. The issue is their income does not meet the cost of studying and living.
Government payments need to better reflect the real cost of studying and living. If students are expected to study full time and complete placements, income support needs to be assessed against actual costs such as rent, food, transport, health care and course requirements.
While the government has introduced some payments for pracs, placement support needs to be equitable across disciplines and not limited to students who already receive government support. Additional support such as travel and parking subsidies are needed. More flexible placements, including part-time schedules could allow students to keep some paid work while meeting course requirements.
Universities also need clearer ways to support students to find, understand and use the available supports. Support should be easy to find, written in plain language, and available through a central pathway. There needs to be simpler application processes for students and the staff supporting them.
If Australia wants a skilled, diverse university-qualified workforce, we need to do a better job supporting students through their studies. It should not be a private problem for students to manage alone.
