SYDNEY — After more than a year studying theory in a classroom, the aviation students at the University of New South Wales were set to begin their first day of flight training, at Bankstown Airport here on a winter day late last month.

They ran through their pre-takeoff checklists, making sure everything was in order. But one thing they can worry less about is the balance of their bank accounts.

The university, a public institution, began offering flying lessons as an accredited graduate diploma in June, which means that students can now take government loans to finance their flight training.

Previously, only the academic part of the degree was eligible for the loans. Flying lessons, aircraft rental and licensing, which can add up to more than 100,000 Australian dollars, or about $101,000 were additional costs that had to be paid upfront.