Commonwealth Prac Payment

Financial Support While You’re on Placement?

From July 2025, students studying eligible undergraduate or postgraduate degrees in the teaching, nursing, midwifery, and social work fields that lead to professional registration may be eligible for a new financial support initiative called the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP). This payment is designed to help eligible students manage their expenses during mandatory placements, allowing them to focus on gaining valuable practical experience.

*** Please ensure you have to official documentation, photos of the documentation may increase the time take to assess your application ***

KEY FACTS

What are the Eligibility Criteria?

Kindly ensure that you meet the following requirements before submitting your application.

• You are a domestic student (i.e. Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen, or Australian permanent resident) undertaking a mandatory practicum placement. International students are not eligible for the CPP.
• You are enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP).
• You are enrolled in an eligible degree: You need to be studying an “entry-to-practice” Bachelor or Master’s degree in one of these fields: nursing, midwifery, teaching, or social work. Refer to the "Eligible Programs" table below for a full list of the eligible degrees.
• Your placement is mandatory (i.e. compulsory for your program requirements) and is
  1. 30 hours or more per week on average OR
  2. a continuity of care placement (midwifery).
• You can demonstrate financial need through one of the two following criteria:
  1. You are on a Commonwealth income support payment (for example ABSTUDY, Austudy, Youth Allowance or DVA Education Allowance) OR
  2. You meet the following means-testing criteria:
     • You meet the need to work test (worked on average more than 15 hours a week over 4 weeks), AND
     • You do not earn or receive in grants or scholarships more than $1500 (pre-tax) per week.

You will be required to attach evidence to support your application. The following types of documents will be required:

• Official centrelink documents (.pdf).
• Payslips, timesheets, payroll summaries, or wage records from your employer - no photos please.
• If you are self-employed, invoices and work logs may be accepted.
• Any scholarship or stipend income must also be reported.
• All documents must clearly show your name, dates, hours worked, and gross income (pdf format).

How much can I receive?

• Eligible students can be paid $331.65 per week while they’re undertaking a placement, benchmarked against the single Austudy rate.

How can I apply?

• A means test will apply for this payment, and applications are open from 1 July 2025.
• You must apply for the CPP via InPlace, UniSA's placement system.
• You’ll receive a notification in InPlace when your placement has been confirmed. (For some students there is a slight delay if your COCE begun prior to July 1)
• To ensure accuracy of the application, please do not apply more than 1 month before your placement.

When will I be paid?

• Once the application has been approved, payments are likely to begin on either second or third week of placement.
• There will be no advance payments – you must have commenced or completed your eligible placement week before receiving the corresponding payment.
• Payments are made on a fortnightly basis, depending on university processing times.

Receiving other payments?

• The CPP will be offered in addition to any support already provided by any other States and Territories.
• Can I receive the CPP if I’m in receipt of UniSA grants and or scholarships? Yes, you can receive other grants and scholarships but must be disclosed and included as income when applying. Please check the conditions of your other scholarship also.

Placements prior to July 1, 2025

This is the latest information we have from Department of Education regarding placements before 1st of July 2025:

• The CPP is only available for placement weeks that occur on or after 1 July 2025.
• If your placement starts before this date, you will not receive CPP for any time completed before 1 July.
• However, if your placement continues beyond 1 July, you may be eligible for payment from 1 July onwards, provided:
• The placement is full-time (30+ hours in that week), and
• You meet all other eligibility criteria, as above.

Example: If your placement begins on 30 June 2025 and runs for 2 weeks, only the days from 1 July onwards will count toward CPP eligibility. Hours completed on 30 June will not be eligible.

Eligible Programs

Change of Circumstances

If you have been receiving CPP payments and your circumstances change - cancelled placement or change of placement details - you must contact Campus Central as soon as possible.  Additional payments you have received will have to be reimbursed to UniSA.

Want more information?

More information about the program can be found in the government’s web pages: Commonwealth Prac Payment and Frequently Asked Questions.

If you have any specific questions please contact Campus Central.

Not eligible?

If you are not eligible for this payment, please consider other placement grants UniSA offers. For more information please go to the Placement Grants page.

Error and Omissions Excepted (E&OE) – based on Government Guidelines 27/6/2025.