Placement Grant

Commonwealth Prac Payment application guide

UOW has developed the below application guide to assist students with the CPP application process and understanding the requirements. We recommend reading this information first before making your application.

Commonwealth Prac Payment eligibility

To be eligible, students will need to meet the below criteria:

  • an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or New Zealand citizen, studying full time or part time in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP). AND
  • enrolled in an eligible degree at UOW that leads to entry to practice in teaching, social or nursing. AND
  • completing a subject that has a mandatory placement period requiring the student to commit at least 30 hours per week. AND
  • be in receipt of an approved Australian government Income Support Payment (ISP) OR satisfy the government's Need to Work and Income Test.

*Only placement weeks undertaken after 1 July 2025 can be considered for the Commonwealth Prac Payment.

What courses and subjects are eligible for CPP?

Students must be enrolled in an eligible subject in one of the following courses:

  • Bachelor of Primary Education & Bachelor of Primary Education (Honours)
    Eligible Subjects: EDPD201, EDPD202, EDPD301 & EDPD402

  • Bachelor of Health and Physical Education, Bachelor of Mathematics Education & Bachelor of Science Education
    Eligible Subjects: EDPS200, EDPS301, EDPS401, EDSE300, EDSE320 & EDSE330

  • Bachelor of Education - The Early Years & Bachelor of Education - The Early Years (Accelerated)
    Eligible Subjects: EYPD102, ETPD201, EYLL302 & EYTE401

  • Master of Teaching
    Eligible Subjects: EDMT900. EDMT909 & EDMT910

  • Bachelor of Nursing
    Eligible Subjects: SNUG192, SNUG291, SNUG292, SNUG391 & SNUG392

  • Master of Nursing (Pre Registration)
    Eligible Subjects: MNPR914, MNPR918, MNPR924 & MNPR928

  • Bachelor of Social Work & Master of Social Work
    Eligible Subjects: SOWK410, SOWK916 & SOWK924

Eligible income support payments

To be eligible based upon Income Support Payments, applicants must demonstrate that they are in receipt of one of the following payments:

  • Centrelink: Age Pension, Austudy, Carer Payment, Disability Support Pension, JobSeeker Payment, Parenting Payment, Special Benefit, Farm Household Allowance or Youth Allowance.

  • Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) payments: Age Pension, Income Support Supplement, Service Pension, Veteran Payment or Education Allowance.

  • ABSTUDY: ABSTUDY Living Allowance.

What to provide in your application:

If applying based upon Centrelink Income Support, please provide your Income Support Statement or Centrelink Payment Details obtained by the 'Request Document' function via Centrelink Online Services.

If applying based upon DVA payments, acceptable forms of evidence include either a DVA Payment Summary or General Statement of Pension.

What is the need to work and income test and am I eligible?

The Need to Work and Income test is the government's assessment tool to demonstrate that you need to work during normal study periods to support yourself. To meet this, you must:

  • Show that you have worked more than 60 hours in the four (4) week period of continuous study* immediately before applying for CPP or commencing placement, whichever occurs earliest (referred to as the 'Need to Work test'). AND
  • Show that you have earnt less than $6,145.48 across the same four (4) week period (referred to as the 'Income Test')

*The four (4) week period of continuous study is defined as the most recent, four straight weeks of session that you were enrolled in at UOW prior to applying or commencing placement, and does not include session breaks, back to back placements or approved leave of absence.

What to provide in your application:

In your application, you must provide evidence such as payroll records, timesheets or payslips, or for self employed students, client invoices, biller information or sole trader timesheets.

These must cover the four week period as closely as possible however it's ok to include additional payslips each side if your employer's pay schedule does not align.

If you have received other forms of income such as a scholarship (excluding previous CPP payments) you will be asked to disclose this and required to provide evidence.

What if I don't meet the need to work or income test due to exceptional circumstances?

If you need financial support to participate in your placement but don't meet the need to work/income test, you may be able to apply for CPP if you can demonstrate exceptional circumstances. Read more about applying under exceptional circumstances.

How to apply

You can apply online by completing our Commonwealth Prac Payment application form. Please ensure you have all supporting documentation (payslips, income support statements etc.) ready when starting your application as you cannot resume the application at a later date.

When to apply:

Applications can be accepted up to two (2) months ahead of your placement commencement date. To ensure that you receive your payment on time, we recommend applying at least one (1) month before your placement.

For students that have already completed their placement, you can apply within six (6) months of starting your placement to receive a retrospective payment.

When to expect an outcome from your application:

Complete applications are typically processed within 2-4 weeks. For this reason, we recommend applying at least one month before your placement begins.

How to receive your Commonwealth Prac Payment

If your application is successful, an offer letter will be issued to your student email account outlining the terms and conditions of the Commonwealth Prac Payment. The letter will contain instructions on how to accept or decline the offer and, if you accept, give you the option to submit your bank details in order to receive payment.

Payment amount and course limits:

Students will receive the CPP payment monthly at the rate of $338.60 per week for the placements commencing in 2026. Approved placements for 2025 were paid at $331.65 per week.

The number of weeks you can receive the CPP will depend on your course, and is capped as follows: 

  • Teaching & Education: 16 weeks (Bachelor) and 12 weeks (Masters)
  • Nursing: 20 weeks 
  • Social Work: 26 weeks

Reporting requirements and changes in circumstance

CPP is considered an assessable income source for both taxation and social security purposes. You are therefore required to report your CPP income to:

  • The Australian Taxation office as part of your tax return. UOW will issue a statement detailing the total amount of CPP received for each financial year after June 30th. Further information is available at the Services Australia website (https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/) 
  • Services Australia or Department of Veterans Affairs (if applicable), to assess your ongoing rate of income support or other allowances that require income disclosure.

If your circumstances change at any point in a way that could affect your eligibility for the CPP, you must notify the University immediately. This includes (but is not limited to) situations that affect your income, placement hours, and/or withdrawal from a placement subject or course.  

If you are no longer eligible to receive the payment, you will be required to repay the University any amount received for the period you were not eligible. 

Applying under exceptional circumstances

The Australian government recognises that exceptional circumstances may arise that prevent some students from receiving an Income Support Payment, or satisfying the Need to Work or Income test requirements. To be considered under exceptional circumstances you must:

  • Be a domestic student. AND
  • Enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place and undertaking an eligible subject in an approved course.

What are exceptional circumstances?

Exceptional circumstances are defined by the Department of Education under the following catagories:

  • a disability that affects your capacity to meet the eligibility requirements; OR
  • medical condition or health-related issue; OR
  • an acute personal or family life event

These may be episodic or ongoing in nature, and affect you or someone you have a significant relationship with (for example caring responsibilities). Students will be required to nominate which category above applies to their situation and provide supporting documents in their application. 

How to apply under exceptional circumstances

If you would like to apply for the Commonwealth Prac Payment under exceptional circumstances, please complete the CPP Exceptional Circumstances Application form and send to scholarships@uow.edu.au with any relevant supporting documentation.

Applications for CPP under exceptional circumstances are assessed by the Department of Education if UOW is satisfied that the student has demonstrated the circumstances according to the government's definition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What dates are considered part of the four week continuous period of study?

This includes the first day of lectures for Autumn and Spring session and ends on the final day of exams for that session. It also includes the mid session recess, study recess and any public holidays that fall between these dates.

It does not include major university holiday breaks (end of session breaks), periods of back to back placements, or sessions where an approved Leave of Absence has been granted.

What happens if I fail my placement? 

If you fail your placement, you may retain the amount already received.  If you wish to, you may apply again for the CPP payment for the failed subject, however this will count towards your total weeks of CPP available for your course and affect your eligibility for payments at the end of your course, once you exhaust your maximum allocation.

Can I start my application and return to complete the form at a later time? 

No, the application and all required documentation must be submitted at the same time. Please ensure you have all necessary documents ready to upload before starting your application. 

If I meet the Need to Work Test but am working multiple jobs, how can this be confirmed in the application? 

Include the total number of hours worked across all jobs over a four week period. This period must fall within the ordinary study period (i.e. not during holiday breaks prior to submitting your application). Supporting documentation for each job must be included in your application. You can upload up to five (5) documents.

Do I need to include details if I am receiving a scholarship or other financial assistance? 

As part of the application, you will be required to provide a copy of your offer letter or statement including the details of the financial support. 

If you are receiving a scholarship as an annual/lump sum payment, the total value will be converted to a weekly amount and must be considered as part of the income threshold for the purposes of assessing eligibility. 

What happens if I cannot attend some days of my placement?

If a placement is deferred for any reason, such as placement provider cancellation, student withdrawal, or illness, you may retain the amount already received for that placement week. This amount will then be offset against future eligible weeks of placement. For example, if you’re unwell and miss 2 out of 5 days but make up those days at the end of the placement, you can retain your payment.

What application do I need to complete if I am enrolled at UOWC?

If you are enrolled at UOWC and undertaking an eligible program for CPP, you will need to complete the CPP application available on the Your Career website.

Need further help? Contact us

scholarships@uow.edu.au