Swinburne Staff and Community Scholarships Fund 2026

The Swinburne Staff and Community Scholarships Fund is generously funded by the broader Swinburne donor community and supports students who have experienced educational disadvantage.

In 2026, there are two scholarships available, one for a student commencing a vocational education (VE) course and one for a student commencing an undergraduate course (HE).

For the HE scholarship, preference will be given to students who have transitioned from a Swinburne vocational education course to an undergraduate course.

For Higher Education students this scholarship is valued at up to $22,500 with $7,500 paid annually for up to three years.

For Vocational Education (VET) students it is valued at $5,000 annually for the duration of the course.

Any vocational education (VE) course or undergraduate degree (HE) offered by Swinburne University of Technology.

To be eligible for the Swinburne Staff and Community Scholarships Fund, applicants must:

1. Meet the following criteria:
   • be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent resident or Australian permanent resident with Humanitarian Visa
2. Meet the following enrolment criteria​​​​:
   • be a commencing first year student in a Vocational Education (VE) or Undergraduate (HE) course in Semester 1, 2026
   • enrolled full-time in an eligible course (see courses eligible in section above)
   • studying on-campus
3. Provide evidence of educational disadvantage, which may fall under the categories listed below. To assist you, we’ve included a link to the VTAC website for further guidance on preparing your evidence.
    

   Personal information and location
   Financial hardship
   Living with a disability or medical condition
   Difficult family and life circumstances

4. Submit a personal statement of up to 500 words or 2 minute video addressing:
   • your passion and commitment to study
   • how this scholarship will help you achieve your educational goals
      
   • Upload your video to cloud based storage (google drive/one drive/drop box) and provide the link in a MS Word or PDF document. Ensure the video is downloadable by anyone and not access restricted.
5. CV outlining any community participation, extra-curricular activities, service to the community, sporting participation and/or leadership experience.
    
6. Provide a written reference from a teacher, community leader, or employer. Note: referees cannot be a family member or friend.

The scholarship is valued at:

• Vocational Education (VE): $5,000 per annum for the duration of the course, paid bi-annually
• Undergraduate (HE): $7,500 per annum for the duration of the course up to three years, paid bi-annually

Applicants should complete an online application form and submit with all supporting documentation by 15 March 2026. 

Incomplete applications will not be considered. For assistance when completing your application, please view the Scholarship Application Help Guide.

Fees and Scholarships Team, Student Administration.
scholarship@swin.edu.au