Margaret Illukol Trust Health Scholarship

Refer to selection details for application information
Amount

$15,000

Number available

1

Scholarship details

Donor

Margaret Illukol Company Ltd.

Establishment

Margaret Illukol was born in 1955 in Karimojong, a remote region in the north east of Uganda, where she was attacked by a hyena in 1963 and left with significant disfiguration. Margaret was treated over many years at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda before being assisted to come to Newcastle by Rotary District 967 in 1974. Newcastle Rotarian, Dr William Walker coordinated major reconstructive surgery for Margaret at Royal Newcastle Hospital. Rotary Clubs and individual Rotarians in the District funded her medical care, education and social integration.

Margaret attended high school at St Joseph’s College, Lochinvar and then undertook studies in nursing at Gosford District Hospital, graduating in general nursing in 1983. She commenced work as a registered nurse at Royal Newcastle Hospital in 1984 and later at John Hunter Hospital and the Newcastle Mater Hospital. Margaret graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Newcastle in 1996. Margaret retained strong associations with Rotary and the families that supported her in Newcastle.

Margaret died in 2015 and left her estate to the Rotary International District 9670 Inc to establish a Trust to be used for charitable purposes in the community within the original geographic boundaries of Rotary International District 9670 Inc. The Margaret Illukol Company Ltd was established to manage the Margaret Illukol Trust and decided to honour Margaret’s life by establishing equity scholarships with the University of Newcastle for students enrolled in human health studies. The intention of the scholarship is to support students who have an equity and financial need. Successful recipients may be invited by Rotary or the University to assist in promoting the scholarships to future applicants.

For the purpose of this scholarship, approved programs are (including Honours):

  • Bachelor of Biomedical Science
  • Bachelor of Health Science
  • Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science
  • Bachelor of Midwifery
  • Bachelor of Medical Science
  • Doctor of Medicine
  • Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Bachelor of Nursing
  • Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
  • Bachelor of Oral Health Therapy
  • Bachelor of Pharmacy
  • Bachelor of Physiotherapy
  • Bachelor of Podiatry
  • Bachelor of Psychological Science
  • Bachelor of Social Work
  • Bachelor of Speech Pathology.

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

Applicable to equity, disability, financial disadvantage, regional and remote, allied health, part-time study permitted

This scholarship is not yet open for 2026. Please Register Interest in the apply portal to receive an email when applications open.

Eligibility

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

  • Be enrolled in any year (including Honours) of one of the approved health studies programs listed for this scholarship with University of Newcastle.
  • Be enrolled either full-time or part-time.
  • Demonstrate academic progress with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.0 or higher and maintain this for the duration of scholarship.
  • Must reside within postcodes: 2264, 2265, 2267, 2278, 2281–2300, 2302–2311, 2314–2331, 2333–2338, 2415, 2420, 2421, 2425, 2820, 2821, 2823–2825, 2827, 2830, 2835, 2839, 2840, 2842, 2843, 2844, 2848–2850, 2852, 2873–2875, or 2831 (excluding towns outside the Trust Deed boundary: Goodooga, Muriel,Pine Clump, and Quambone).
  • Demonstrate the impact of educational disadvantage such as carer and sole parent responsibilities, financial hardship, a long-term medical condition or disability, the ongoing effects of abuse, regional/remote disadvantage, or applicant attributes such as being an Indigenous Australian, having a Refugee background, or placement with an Out-of-Home Care provider.
  • Not be the recipient of another University of Newcastle donor-funded or sponsored scholarship concurrently.

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 this scholarship would assist you. This statement will cover all scholarships you are submitting 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

This scholarship provides a maximum benefit of $15,000 over the full scholarship tenure. You will receive $5,000 each year, paid as $2,500 in each semester.

Payments are typically received 2–3 weeks after the semester census date, or 2–3 weeks after you accept your offer if the census date has already passed.

Selection

Selection is a competitive process and will be based on an assessment of the scholarship application and any required supporting documents, with reference to the eligibility criteria.

College

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