Indigenous Place and Property Pathways Scholarship

Applications open
Amount

$5,000

Number available

2

Closing date

23 August 2026

Apply for this scholarship

Scholarship details

Donor

NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure

Establishment

Property, Workplace and Development (PWD) is a group within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI). The PWD group leverages public and private sector expertise to improve place-based outcomes and maximise community benefit from government-owned land and property.

This scholarship provides financial support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students studying property-related disciplines, supporting them to complete their studies. Applicants with an interest in applying their knowledge to land management, development, and planning within Aboriginal land councils and relevant government agencies are strongly encouraged to apply.

Scholars are encouraged to engage with the donor throughout their studies. The University will facilitate contact between DPHI representatives and scholarship recipients regarding professional development and engagement opportunities to support professional development and future employment pathways with NSW Government or Local Aboriginal Land Councils.

Work placements which PWD may offer may be suitable for fulfilling work placement or work experience requirements for your program of study, if applicable. Work placement opportunities will be discussed individually with scholarship recipients to find an opportunity that best suits their field of study and can be tailored to suit their schedules or requirements of their program of study.

Programs eligible for this scholarship are:

  • Bachelor of Business
  • Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours)
  • Bachelor of Coastal and Marine Science
  • Bachelor of Commerce
  • Bachelor of Construction Management (Building) (Honours)
  • Bachelor of Design (Architecture)
  • Bachelor of Development Studies
  • Bachelor of Environmental Engineering (Honours)
  • Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management
  • Bachelor of Global Indigenous Studies
  • Bachelor of Science
  • Master of Architecture
  • Master of Construction Management (Professional)
  • Master of Disaster Risk and Resilience
  • Master of Environmental Management and Sustainability
  • Master of Professional Engineering (Civil)
  • Master of Professional Engineering (Geospatial Engineering and Surveying) Combined degrees will also be considered if they contain at least one of the eligible programs outlined above.

Applicable to Indigenous, equity, financial disadvantage, disability, regional and remote, undergraduate, postgraduate, part-time or full-time study permitted.

Eligibility

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

  • Be enrolled, or intending to enrol in, the 3rd or 4th year of an eligible undergraduate degree or in any year of an eligible master’s program at the University of Newcastle
  • 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.
  • Establish your Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status per the process outlined on the Wollotuka Institute's study with us page.
  • Be an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident (including holders of a permanent humanitarian visa and New Zealand citizens with permanent residency).
  • This scholarship may be held with another University of Newcastle donor-funded or sponsored scholarship concurrently.
  • Be enrolled either full-time or part-time.

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.
  • The application will include a free text question asking you to outline your aspirations to apply your degree to a career within a Local Aboriginal Land Council or government agency.

Benefit

The scholarship provides a total benefit of $5,000, paid as a lump sum in the term of scholarship award.

Payments are typically received 2–3 weeks after the relevant 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 take into account the applicant’s written statements and may also consider:

  • Academic merit (cumulative GPA or ATAR or equivalent admission rank);
  • Gender balance;
  • Concurrent scholarships may be taken into account, with preference to an applicant who does not hold a scholarship of equal or greater value.

All applicants will be notified of an outcome via email 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