Equity Scholarship applications

Equity Scholarship applications and offers

Equity Scholarship applications will open 3 Apr 2024.

Equity Scholarships help disadvantaged students with the general costs associated with tertiary study. They are awarded to students from low socio-economic backgrounds, particularly those who receive Centrelink income support payments.

To apply for Equity Scholarships, you must be enrolled at a participating institution, or applying for admission:

  • through UAC for undergraduate or postgraduate study (there are only a very limited number of equity scholarships open to international applicants), or
  • directly to an institution, or
  • through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) or the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).
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Steps to completing your Equity Scholarships application

  1. Read the categories of educational disadvantage tables, which define eligibility for each disadvantage and the documentation you must provide to support your application.
  2. Complete all sections covering the disadvantages you are claiming.
  3. Accept the declaration.
  4. Submit your application and download your confirmation of application and document package.
  5. Upload documents to your application at least 10 working days before the offer round date in which you hope to receive an offer. No hardcopy documents will be accepted.

You can only submit one scholarship application during each 12-month admissions period. Your application remains 'live' throughout this period and you’ll be considered for all available Equity Scholarships for which you’re eligible.

If your circumstances change after you have submitted an ES application, do not commence a new application within the same admissions period. Duplicate applications will be withdrawn. Log in to your application to:

  • change your ES PIN
  • change your contact details
  • view and print your confirmation of application and document package
  • add disadvantages
  • view and print your outcome letter.

You will need your ES application number and ES PIN to log in.

If you need to make any other type of change to your application, email equity@uac.edu.au.

Emails from UAC

When you apply, you must provide an email address so that UAC can email you about the status of your application. Some email accounts might send emails from UAC to your junk folder. Add the domain uac.edu.au to your list of safe email contacts to stop this from happening. It is your responsibility to check your emails regularly (including your junk emails) for any messages from UAC.

  1. Log in to your current application. Do not start a new application.
  2. Complete the sections covering the additional disadvantages you are claiming.
  3. Download your confirmation of application and document package again – you may need to supply additional supporting documents.
  4. Additional disadvantages and all associated supporting documentation must be uploaded to your application at least 10 working days before an undergraduate offer round to be considered in that round.
  5. If you have any queries about this process, email equity@uac.edu.au.

After you’ve entered your personal details and institution information in your application, you’ll receive notification of your ES application number and four-digit PIN. You'll need these to:

  • continue a partially completed application (You can exit your application at any time and log back in later.)
  • update your information
  • change your ES PIN
  • view and download your confirmation of application
  • view your Equity Scholarship offers
  • contact UAC with any queries about your application.

If you've lost or forgotten your ES PIN:

  1. Access the application login page.
  2. Click the ‘Forgotten your PIN?’ link under 'Manage your application'.
  3. Follow the prompts to receive an email containing a link to reset your PIN.

To change your PIN:

  1. Log back in to your Equity Scholarships application.
  2. Select the 'Home' tab.
  3. Select 'Change your PIN' and follow the prompts.

If you need help, contact UAC or email equity@uac.edu.au.

All documents must be uploaded as PDFs to your Equity Scholarships application. No hardcopy documents will be accepted.

If you need to provide any documents to UAC in support of your ES application, they will be specified in your document package, which you’ll be prompted to download when you complete your application. If a document package is not generated when you complete your application, you don’t need to supply supporting documents.

Supporting documents do not need to be verified.

To ensure your application is assessed correctly, all documents you submit must be legible and easy to read, especially visas and stamps with dates.

Upload documents to your application at least 10 working days before the offer round date in which you hope to receive an offer.

Uploading your documents

To upload your documents in your application, select the ‘Upload documents’ tab.

Download and complete each form, then scan and upload as a PDF. Each PDF must be smaller than 5 MB. If the file size is bigger than 5 MB, you’ll need to reduce it to upload your document. You may be able to do this by lowering the resolution of the PDF file and any images it contains.

Overseas documents

If your documents are not in English, you must supply a copy of:

  • the document in the original language
  • an English language translation of the document.

Your documents must be translated by:

Transferring your documents to a new application

Generally, documentation provided in your previous ES application is insufficient for assessment of your current application because the assessment is based on current and ongoing educational disadvantages. Therefore, we suggest you provide updated documents that demonstrate your current and/or predicted disadvantages for your new application as your circumstances may have changed since your previous application. Email equity@uac.edu.au if you have any queries about this process.

In limited circumstances you can request that your documents from a previous admissions period (within the last five years only) be transferred to the current admissions period. We may ask for additional information if the transferred documents are insufficient or the information is outdated for the assessment of your new application.

Retrieving documents from a previous application

Documents submitted within the past seven years can be returned to you for a fee.

Request the transfer or return of documents submitted to UAC.

Educational disadvantages and supporting documents

Most of the disadvantages you can claim require you to provide supporting documents

Equity Scholarship FAQs

Answers to common questions about applying for an Equity Scholarship

Offers

Institutions offer Equity Scholarships to applicants who demonstrate the greatest level of need within a competitive application process. You can only receive an Equity Scholarship from an institution:

  • from which you’ve received an offer of admissions, or
  • at which you’re currently enrolled.

To check your offers, log in to your application and select the 'Your outcome' tab.

Being eligible doesn’t guarantee the offer of a scholarship; you will compete against other eligible applicants.

Institutions decide which scholarship rounds they will participate in and who they will make ES offers to. UAC doesn’t select applicants, or have the power to persuade institutions to make a particular offer, or question decisions made by institutions.

If you’re awarded a scholarship, you’ll receive an email from UAC advising that you have been made an offer. The institution will provide more detailed information regarding when and how your payment will be made.

Your scholarship offer is made on the condition that you’re eligible to receive the scholarship on your first census date for the scholarship period. Institutions will confirm your eligibility before any payments are made to you.

If you have any enquiries about your scholarship offer, the associated terms and conditions, or the acceptance process, contact the institution that has awarded your scholarship.

If you are not awarded a scholarship in the most recent offer round, the following message will be displayed in the ‘Your outcome’ tab of your application:

You have not, as yet, been made an Equity Scholarship offer. Your application will be considered in future offer rounds. To be considered for an Equity Scholarship offer you must be currently enrolled at, or have received an offer of admission to, an institution participating in the relevant scholarship offer round/s.

Your application will stay active and may be considered in future offer rounds in the current admissions year provided the institution at which you are currently enrolled, or from which you have received an offer of admission, is participating in that offer round.

If your application is unsuccessful in the current admissions year, you’re welcome to reapply in future admissions periods if you meet the scholarship eligibility criteria of the institution at which you are enrolled or to which you are applying.

UAC won’t use any of your previous application material for subsequent applications. You must submit a new application (and new supporting documentation).

Do not submit more than one Equity Scholarship application in the same admissions period. Duplicate applications will be withdrawn.

Some institutions make scholarship offers directly to successful applicants. You may still receive a scholarship offer from an institution even if you have received an unsuccessful outcome through UAC.

Application and offer dates

03 Apr 2024

Equity Scholarships: Applications open for 2024 to 2025

Applications open at 9am.

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