Financial help and scholarships
There are plenty of costs associated with further study: the cost of the course itself, a computer, books, maybe even the cost of re-locating. Although there are loans available for most tuition fees, financial assistance might be available to help you with these and other study costs.
Two different types of financial assistance are available:
Government allowances
Scholarships
Government allowances
Various allowances are provided by the government which help different groups of struggling full-time students.
The main types of student allowances are:
Youth Allowance: for full-time students or Australian Apprentices aged 16 to 24 and people aged under 21 who are undertaking a job search or a combination of approved activities.
Austudy: for full-time students and Australian Apprentices aged 25 years or over.
Abstudy: allowances to assist Indigenous students and apprentices.
The eligibility criteria for these allowances and the rules relating to calculation of the individual’s payment are complicated.
For more information, visit the Centrelink website .
Scholarships
Scholarships for higher education students
There are three ways to get a scholarship if you are a higher education student: from the Commonwealth Government, from education providers, or from other private organisations, which can include philanthropic organisations, special interest groups, and corporations, among others.
Each of these different groups might provide funds to financially disadvantaged students, academically gifted students, students in a particular course or from a particular region; the list of criteria is endless.
At last count over 6500 scholarships were available to domestic postgraduate students. Just under half are for postgraduate coursework students.
Commonwealth Government Scholarships
Probably the largest source of scholarships for postgraduate students is the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth provides a range of scholarships to postgraduates on a competitive basis.
The main group of research scholarships is made up by the Australian Postgraduate Awards (APAs), which cover fees but also provide a small stipend for students. There are a range of other scholarships for coursework students, including those from rural and disadvantaged backgrounds.
Education provider scholarships
Most education providers, especially universities, fund a variety of scholarships. Many of these are awarded purely on the basis of academic merit, but many are awarded on an equity basis, taking into account such things as financial disadvantage, disability and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
There are also a number of scholarships that are based on the field of study, or inclusion in a special group such as an ethnic community, so it is worth having a good look at the scholarships available at your preferred university. It is also worth looking at universities outside your home state as a number of scholarships are specifically designed to attract interstate students.
Scholarships from private organisations
Around a third of scholarships are offered by organisations other than universities. These scholarships will be offered on a similar basis to university scholarships.
Generally, private organisations will administer the scholarship through an education provider so you can just ask your scholarships office or student administration. However, check out the Scholarships Search to make sure you don’t miss out on opportunities that are offered directly to students by these organisations.
Scholarships for continuing higher education students
Remember that there are a large number of scholarships that may not be available to you in your first year or for your entire program but which may provide funds for such things as overseas travel and conference attendance, which will greatly enhance your university experience.
For more information
Check out the Scholarships Search and talk to your institution’s scholarship office.
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