RBA First Nations Scholarship

Applications open
Amount

$30,000

Number available

1

Closing date

23 August 2026

Apply for this scholarship

Scholarship details

Donor

The Reserve Bank of Australia

Establishment

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is an independent Commonwealth-controlled entity that works for the betterment of all Australians. As Australia's central bank, the RBA conducts monetary policy, maintains strong financial systems and issues the nation's currency. The RBA provides banking and payment services to around 90 Australian Government agencies and the corporate banking section.

The RBA designs and produces banknotes for Australia and 35 other countries, through our subsidiary Note Printing Australia, as well as passports, and birth, death and marriage certificates.

The RBA First Nations scholarships aims to support and grow the number of First Nations students studying degrees and subjects aligned to the Bank's work. As the nation’s central bank, the RBA works to include representation from our diverse communities within our workforce.

Applicable to Indigenous, Industry, Commerce, Economics, Information Technology.

Eligibility

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

  • Be enrolled in any year of the B Commerce, B Business/B Commerce, B Commerce/B Business Analytics, B Commerce/B Laws, B Commerce/B Innovation & Entrepreneurship, or B Information Technology at the University of Newcastle.
  • Be enrolled full time (min 30 units per semester or equivalent)
  • Demonstrate a minimum academic standard of a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.0 or higher. Please note, you do not need to provide evidence of this as we will use University reporting.
  • Confirm your interest in undertaking an internship with the RBA.
  • Establish your Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status per the process outlined on the Wollotuka Institute's study with us page.
  • 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.
  • The application will include a free text question asking you to outline your interest in associated future opportunities with this donor and/or Industry partner.

Benefit

This scholarship provides a total benefit of up to $30,000, paid as $5,000 in each semester for the duration of the scholarship, provided ongoing eligibility criteria are met.

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 assessment of the scholarship application and any required supporting documents, with reference to the eligibility criteria.

Selection will also consider:

  • Preference to students with the highest number of Economics subject inclusions; and
  • Academic merit (cumulative GPA or ATAR or equivalent admission rank).

All applicants will be notified of an outcome via email. This will occur within 6 weeks of the scholarship application closing date.

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