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Free TAFE

Free TAFE is making vocational education more accessible. Explore the courses on offer and find out if you're eligible to apply.
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Making study more accessible

Free TAFE is a State Government initiative designed to make it easier for Victorians to get a qualification in an area of skills shortage. If you’re eligible, your course tuition fees will be completely covered (but you’ll still need to pay student services and materials fees if applicable).

Am I eligible for Free TAFE?

To enrol in a Free TAFE course, you must:

  • be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or a New Zealand citizen
  • be living in Victoria (or a border region) while studying
  • be studying in Victoria
  • not be attending school (excluding TAFE) or registered for home schooling in Victoria
  • not be doing or scheduled to start more than two government-subsidised courses in a year
  • not be doing more than two government programs (courses or skill sets) at the same time.

Some asylum seekers may also be eligible (depending on the visa subclass).

We'll confirm your eligibility and funding when you apply for and enrol in your chosen course. If you're not eligible for Free TAFE, fees may apply.

How many Free TAFE courses can I do?

You can generally only enrol in one Free TAFE course in your lifetime. However, there are some exceptions. You can do a second Free TAFE course if:

  • it's the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
  • your first Free TAFE course was part of the JobTrainer program
  • your first Free TAFE course was a short course
  • you're following a priority pathway.

What's a priority pathway?

Some courses are linked together because they follow a logical progression. For example, a certificate and a diploma in the same study area. These are called priority pathways. Free TAFE will cover your tuition fees for both courses, but you must finish one before starting the next.

Interested in Free TAFE?

Start your application
If you know what you want to study, you can apply online straightaway.
Find out how
Explore Free TAFE courses
Find out which courses are offered under the Free TAFE initiative.
See list of courses
Contact us
Call, submit a question or register your interest in studying at Federation.
Get in touch

FAQs

Yes. Free TAFE only covers certain government-approved courses. If your course isn’t on the list, you’re still welcome to study with us, but tuition fees may apply. The good news? You could be eligible for a subsidised place or a scholarship.

No, Free TAFE is only available to domestic students.

Skills First courses are subsidised by the government, which means part of the tuition fee is covered. Free TAFE courses have no tuition fees.

You can only study one Free TAFE course, so choose wisely!. (There are some expectations – if you’re doing a short course through Job Trainer or following a priority pathway, you might be able to do more that one for free.)

You can probably continue the course under Free TAFE – as long as you’re still eligible.
We’ll help with the paperwork and make sure the transition is smooth.

Already have a Free TAFE qualification?

If you want to become a vocational education teacher, you can do a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment under Free TAFE.

Find out more