THEY are in university and they are broke.

So, what do they do? Take up a part-time job?

Well, it appears that Australian university students are now turning to marriage instead.

Yes, they are tying the knot for money, exploiting a legal loophole that qualifies them for government assistance.

Some as young as 19 are resorting to marrying flatmates, friends and ex-partners so they can be classed as an independent and receive Youth Allowance, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Under federal government guidelines, a person is deemed independent only if he or she is over 25, has earned A$18,000 ($18,900) in the past 18 months, is unable to live at home due to family breakdown, or is married.

Those who qualify receive a welfare payment of up to A$400 a fortnight.

University unions fear the downturn could force many young people to marry to make ends meet.

Sydney couple Kate Walker and Kyle Fitzgerald, students at Macquarie University, had been dating for four years, when they were forced to exchange vows last year as they could no longer afford rising rents.

Ms Walker, 22, said: 'We were going to wait until we were in our late 20s when we could afford to have a proper wedding and do the normal thing, but the situation got so bad that it was the only option.'

This article was first published in The New Paper.