Indigenous Education Scholarship

Applications open
Amount

$3,000

Number available

15

Closing date

31 August 2026

Apply for this scholarship

Scholarship details

Establishment

The Indigenous Education Scholarship aims to support Indigenous students with the costs of University study, particularly for those who are relocating from a remote or regional area and experiencing financial challenges.

Established status is not a requirement for this scholarship, however we encourage all of our Indigenous students to engage with this process here to access the multiple other scholarships and supports we on offer while you study with us.

Up to 15 scholarships available for Semester 2 2026 - apply by 31 August to be considered. For Semester 1 2027 scholarships, applications will remain open until early March.

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

Applicable to financial disadvantage, Indigenous, part-time study permitted, enabling (Open Foundation, Yapug), undergraduate, postgraduate.

Eligibility

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

  • Be enrolled (or enrolling) in any year of an enabling, undergraduate, or postgraduate degree program at the University of Newcastle.
  • Demonstrate financial hardship by either being in receipt of a means-tested Commonwealth income support payment (such as Austudy, ABSTUDY, Youth Allowance etc), or on the basis of a comprehensive assessment.
  • Be of Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent, AND identify as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, AND be accepted as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander by the community in which you live or have lived.
  • Must not have previously received the full entitlement of a Commonwealth Indigenous Scholarship awarded prior to 2017 or hold this scholarship concurrently at another institution.
  • If accepting the scholarship offer, must not have received - or agrees to repay - a Student Start-up Loan, a Student Start-up Scholarship or a Relocation Scholarship or the Residential Costs option of ABSTUDY from Centrelink.

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.

  • Documents required may vary depending on your application responses. Please refer to the Your Documents section of your application for information on what you will need to provide.

Benefit

Offers a total benefit of up to $3000 paid in two equal instalments of $1500 following the Semester 1 and 2 census dates. A pro-rata payment of $750 will apply to semesters in which enrolment is part-time (10 or 20 units).

Midyear applicants will receive payment in Semester 2 only, however your application will stay open for the next academic year.

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 based on the information provided in the scholarship application and supporting documentation. Scholarship offers are made to applicants who best meet the scholarship criteria, with priority being given to severe financial hardship and students who are relocating from remote and regional areas.

To check whether your usual home residence is in a regional or remote area (RA2 to RA5), please search your postcode at http://www.doctorconnect.gov.au/internet/otd/publishing.nsf/Content/locator

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