A guide published by Dotto
Learn again, a stone at a time
Australia has public routes back into learning that cost little or nothing: free TAFE places, free reading, writing and maths classes, free English classes for new arrivals, and the library. This guide lays them out as six stepping stones, each one checked against the program’s own pages.
General information, checked on 8 October 2026. Programs change their names and rules; each guide links the program’s own page, which has the final word.
- Free TAFE
Who can get a tuition-free place, state by state, as at October 2026.
- Reading, writing and numbers
The free Skills for Education and Employment program, and who it is for.
- English for new arrivals
The Adult Migrant English Program: who can join, and the time limits.
- Your USI
The student number for nationally recognised training, and why you’re asked for it.
- Credit for what you already know
Recognition of prior learning and credit transfer, from the national regulator.
- Learning at the library
What State Library Victoria offers Victorian adults for free.
What “free” covers on each stone
“Free” means something slightly different on each route. Here is what each program’s own page says is free, with one thing worth knowing about each.
| Route | What is free | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Free TAFE | Tuition fees, for students who are eligible. | Other fees may apply, and they vary by provider and state, such as amenity or student services fees, books and materials. |
| Skills for Education and Employment | Language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills training, for eligible people. | You can’t be in this program and the Adult Migrant English Program at the same time. |
| Adult Migrant English Program | English classes for eligible migrants and humanitarian entrants, and childcare for children under school age while you are in class. | If your visa started after 1 October 2020, there are time limits to register, start and finish. |
| Unique Student Identifier | Creating your USI, which you keep for life. | You only ever need one, so check whether you already have one before making another. |
| State Library Victoria | A Free Access membership for Victorian residents. | Paid memberships, which add extras. |
Recognition of prior learning is not a program of its own. It is a way of being assessed so that you may not have to repeat what you can already do; the guide to credit for what you already know explains it.
If reading is the hard part
Reading a page like this one can be the hardest step. The Reading Writing Hotline is a phone service for adults who want to improve their reading, writing or maths, or English as a second language. It can point to classes held nearby or by correspondence, and to the Australian Government’s literacy and English programs for adults.
Reading Writing Hotline
1300 6 555 06The Hotline describes itself as a free service. It is funded by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and run by TAFE NSW.