Equity Scholarships Scheme University of Newcastle (ESSUN)

Establishment

The University of Newcastle has a proud history of supporting motivated and talented students in gaining university entry and thriving in their field of study, regardless of their background or individual circumstances.

The Equity Scholarships Scheme University of Newcastle (ESSUN) provides scholarships assistance to students with financial challenges and/or regional and remote disadvantage, and may be experiencing other personal circumstances impacting study, including:

• Carer responsibilities
• Long term medical condition/disability or ongoing effects of abuse
• Regional or remote disadvantage
• Sole parent responsibilities
• Additional attributes such as being an Indigenous Australian, having a Refugee background, or placement with an Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) provider.

Definitions of types of disadvantage and documents required to demonstrate these are available on the UAC ES web page here.

Offers may be made at any time during the application period, as well as a final round following the close date. Apply now as you may receive an early outcome.

For more information on this scholarship, please review the full Terms and Conditions.

Applicable to undergraduate, postgraduate, equity, financial disadvantage, regional and remote, disability, full time, part time.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this scholarship, you will need to:

• Be enrolled in an undergraduate program (including honours and non–FEE-FREE Uni Ready diploma programs) or a postgraduate coursework program at the University of Newcastle.
• Be experiencing financial challenges, demonstrated through receipt of a centrelink means-tested income support payment or other financial challenges assessment.
• You may be experiencing other educational challenges, including carer, long term medical condition/disability, ongoing effects of abuse, regional or remote, sole parenting, First Nations Person, Refugee or Out of Home Care.
• Be enrolled either full-time or part-time.
• Be an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident (including holders of a permanent humanitarian visa and New Zealand citizens with permanent residency).
• Not hold another University of Newcastle scholarship for the same academic year.

Required Documentation

Required documents will be listed on the ‘Your Documents’ page of your application. The application portal accepts PDF only. A maximum of 3 PDF smaller than 5 MB can be added per document type upload field.

• A personal statement (approx. 1 A4 page) outlining your academic achievements, career aspirations in the relevant area of study, and how a scholarship would assist you. This statement will cover all scholarships you are applying for.

• You may be required to provide documents to support your educational challenges and personal circumstances. These will be identified when you apply based on your individual application responses.

Benefit

The scholarship provides a benefit of up to $8,000 for one academic year of study and will be paid as:

• $1,000 as an early payment following acceptance of the scholarship and enrolment at the University of Newcastle.
• The remaining up to $7,000 in equal instalments following Semester 1/Trimester 1 and Semester 2/Trimester 3 census dates in the year of award.
• Students enrolled part-time will receive a pro-rata payment of $1,750 per eligible study period.

Full-time eligibility will be reviewed based on a student's total enrolled load at the Semester 2 or Trimester 3 census date, allowing enrolment across the academic year to be considered, up to the maximum annual scholarship value.

The scholarship is tenable for one academic year and must be taken up in the year of award. Students are encouraged to reapply for each year of eligible study.

The scholarship value and number of awards are determined by available funding each year.

Selection

Selection is based on the assessment of information provided in the application, and in accordance with the number of scholarships and funding available in each academic year. Applications are assessed and ranked primarily on the assessment of financial challenges, with other areas of educational challenge considered if required.

Selection will be made by the Scholarships Officer in accordance with funding available and with consideration to distribution between new and current University of Newcastle students. In considering distribution of scholarship support to all eligible students, Scholarships Office may consider your academic progress, any existing/concurrent scholarships you hold, and the number of times you have received this scholarship prior to the current offer year.

Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application. Successful notices will include a formal offer of the scholarship and instructions on how to accept the scholarship.

Meeting the scholarship criteria does not guarantee an offer of the scholarship. If you are unsuccessful, it does not mean that you are not in need; rather, it means that other applicants have been assessed as being in greater need. Your application will stay active for future offer rounds during the current scholarship offer year and you are encouraged to reapply in each year you study.

College

• College of Engineering Science and Environment
• College of Health Medicine and Wellbeing
• College of Human and Social Futures

Contact Details

Scholarships
Student and Academic Services
University of Newcastle
University Drive
CALLAGHAN NSW 2308

Phone: +61 2 4921 5000
Email: scholarships@newcastle.edu.au