Equity Scholarships

Equity Scholarships

Equity Scholarship applications will open on 5 Apr 2023.

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 such as ABSTUDY, Austudy, Youth Allowance, JobSeeker Payment, Disability Support Pension, Parenting Payment (Single) or the Carer Payment.

There are two types of Equity Scholarship:

  • Institution Equity Scholarships: these are funded by individual institutions and their value, eligibility criteria and duration differ between institutions
  • Indigenous Student Success Program: these are funded by the Australian Government and are not covered on this website.

Most institutions also offer merit scholarships: apply directly to the institution for these.

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Who can apply?

To apply for an Equity Scholarship, you must be enrolled at a UAC participating institution, or applying for admission to a UAC participating institution :

  • through UAC for undergraduate or postgraduate study (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).

Most applicants who receive a scholarship are receiving Centrelink income support payments and/or can demonstrate additional types of disadvantage specified by the institution.

Details of requirements for individual scholarships can be found on the institution websites.

Being eligible doesn't guarantee a scholarship

Meeting scholarship eligibility criteria doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be awarded a scholarship. There are more applicants than available scholarships. As part of a competitive application process, you are ranked against the eligibility criteria, and institutions award scholarships to applicants who best meet the eligibility criteria.

If you are unsuccessful it doesn’t mean that you’re not in need; rather, it means that there are other applicants who’ve been assessed as being in greater need.

Educational disadvantages and supporting documents

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

Universities offering Equity Scholarships

Find out which institutions offer Equity Scholarships and who can apply for them.

How to apply

Step-by-step guide to completing your Equity Scholarship application plus information about offers

Equity Scholarship FAQs

Answers to common questions about applying for an Equity Scholarship

Application and offer dates

05 Apr 2023

Equity Scholarships: Applications open for 2023 to 2024

Applications open at 9am.

07 Apr 2023

Equity Scholarships: April Round 1 application deadline

Apply and upload PDF documents by 11.59pm for consideration in April Round 1.

21 Apr 2023

Equity Scholarships: April Round 1 outcomes released

Equity Scholarship April Round 1 outcomes released at 9am.

28 Apr 2023

Equity Scholarships: May Round 1 application deadline

Apply and upload PDF documents by 11.59pm for consideration in May Round 1.

Browse all key dates