Swinburne placement students to receive financial support

Eligible Swinburne students will soon be able to participate in a new government payment scheme to help ease the financial burden associated with unpaid placements.

The Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) is a $331.65 weekly payment for the duration of mandatory, unpaid placement, available from 1 July 2025.

In collaboration with the Australian Government, Swinburne will provide the CPP to eligible students within education and nursing courses while they undertake their placements.

The CPP is means tested, ensuring it will go to the students most in need. It is also benchmarked against the single Austudy rate.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Being a domestic student
• Enrolled in teaching, nursing and social work courses in a Commonwealth Supported Place
• Undergoing a full-time mandatory placement (minimum of 30 hours per week)
• Be on a Commonwealth income support payment, or be able to show you need to work more than 15 hours per week during your studies

Due to the required time commitment, students completing placement units have reduced capacity to engage in paid work which can increase financial stress. This can lead to reductions in course completion and enrolment rates in critical industries.

The payment aims to help ease the financial burden on students, supporting their journey to graduation and the workforce.

Program delivery, including distribution of funds, is currently under development by Swinburne, in partnership with the Australian Government.

Further information on when students can apply for the payment will be available later in 2025.

To see the full eligibility criteria for the CPP, visit the Australian Government Higher Education website.