Equity Scholarships

Equity Scholarships

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.

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.

Offer round Apply and upload documents by 11.59pm on Offers released at 7.30am on
April Round 1 Fri 7 Apr 2023 Fri 21 Apr 2023
May Round 1 Fri 28 Apr 2023 Fri 12 May 2023
June Round 2 Fri 9 Jun 2023 Fri 23 Jun 2023
July Round 2 Fri 14 Jul 2023 Fri 28 Jul 2023
September Round 2 Fri 8 Sep 2023 Fri 22 Sep 2023
October Round 1 Sat 23 Sep 2023 Sat 7 Oct 2023
November Round 2 Fri 10 Nov 2023 Fri 24 Nov 2023
December Round 2
Fri 8 Dec 2023 Fri 22 Dec 2023
January Round 1 Fri 29 Dec 2023 Fri 12 Jan 2024
January Round 2
Thu 11 Jan 2024 Thu 25 Jan 2024
February Round 2 Fri 2 Feb 2024 Fri 16 Feb 2024
March Round 1 Fri 2 Feb 2024 Fri 8 Mar 2024

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

How to apply

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

Institutions participating in each offer round

Offer round dates and the institutions making offers in each round

Equity Scholarship FAQs

Answers to common questions about applying for an Equity Scholarship

Application and offer dates

22 Dec 2023

Equity Scholarships: December Round 2 outcomes released

Equity Scholarships December Round 2 outcomes released at 9am.

29 Dec 2023

Equity Scholarships: January Round 1 application deadline

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

11 Jan 2024

Equity Scholarships: January Round 2 application deadline

Apply and upload PDF documents by 11.59pm for consideration in January Round 2.

12 Jan 2024

Equity Scholarships: January Round 1 outcomes released

Equity Scholarships January Round 1 outcomes released at 9am.

Browse all key dates