Patricia Stanley Bolch Scholarship

The Patricia Stanley Bolch Scholarship honors the late Patricia Stanley Bolch. In her quiet and determined demeanour, Patricia understood how profoundly education can change the course of one’s life for the better, not only for the individual but for those around them.  She grew up in Archies Creek (rural Vic) and later in Narre Warren during the 1930's and 40's in a family that believed in education.

Matriculating in 1946, she never realised her dream to go onto tertiary education to study Accounting/Finance but that never stopped her encouraging all of her 11 children to find the path that worked for them, whether that be TAFE, University or education through working.  Patricia put her intellect to great use managing the farm and business accounts and then in her mid-40's (after 11 children) taking on the role of setting up a library in a new local school while studying for her qualification as an Assistant Librarian.  After bringing joy to countless children, encouraging them to read and comprehend, she retired from that role 16 years later. 

The scholarship will support one student from a regional or rural area, who has experienced hardship (or special considerations for their course entry), studying either Vocational Education or Undergraduate level to achieve their qualification at Swinburne.

The scholarship is worth up to $7,500 per annum for full-time enrolled recipients for the standard full-time duration of the program.

All eligible applicants will be considered, with a preference for eligible female identifying applicants that meet all eligibility criteria.

Any Vocational Education or Undergraduate course offered by Swinburne University of Technology.

To be eligible for the Patricia Stanley Bolch Scholarship, applicants must:

1. Meet the following criteria:
   • Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or holder of a permanent humanitarian visa
2. Meet the following enrolment criteria:
   • be a commencing first year Swinburne student in 2024
   • enrolled full time in an eligible course (see courses eligible in section above)
   • studying on-campus
3. Demonstrate that you have relocated from a rural or regional area in order to study at Swinburne
   • Refer to Rural and Regional Calculator to determine your geographic classification.
4. Have experienced hardship or have special consideration for course entry
   • refer to Special consideration and Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) (vtac.edu.au)
5. Provide a personal statement of 500 words or less, or 2 minute video, outlining:
   • your future aspirations
   • how this scholarship will help you achieve your educational goals
      
   • Please upload your video to cloud based storage and provide a link in an MS Word or PDF document. The video must be accessible by anyone - provide any passwords if necessary.
6. Provide a current Curriculum vitae (CV) of a maximum 2 pages. 
    
7. Provide a written character reference from a person competent to supply such as a current or past employer, school principal or community leader.

This scholarship is valued at :

• Courses of 12 months duration or longer - $7,500 per year for up to three years, paid bi-annually
• Courses of 6 months duration - $5,000

Applicants should complete an online application form and submit with all supporting documentation by 31 August 2024. 

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