Advice and information for scholarship applicants
To support you with your application process, we've put together some helpful information to make sure your application is the best that it can be.
Start your application early
There are documents to prepare throughout the application process so give yourself plenty of time so you don't miss the deadline.
Include all documents
Make sure you've checked the scholarship requirements for any requested supporting documents you need to include. Remember that some must be dated within certain timeframes.
Check before you submit
Ensure that any supporting documents have uploaded completely before submitting the application form. Check your submission for accurate spelling and grammar.
Six tips for a successful scholarship application
Applying for a scholarship or bursary
The application process varies depending on the specific scholarship or bursary and their respective requirements.
We will automatically assess individual students for any scholarship or bursary that does not require an application. If you are awarded one of these, you'll be contacted via email.
La Trobe Access scholarships only require you to complete one application form. If your application is successful, we'll match you to the scholarship or bursary that best fits your circumstances based on your eligibility.
Scholarships and bursaries with specific application requirements and processes have these details on their information pages. Use the search tool to find more information on eligibility requirements and the application process for these scholarships and bursaries.
Essential Information
Applying for a scholarship can be overwhelming, but here are the key things you should know:
- If you apply for a scholarship through VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admission Centre) you will be considered for all La Trobe Scholarships available via VTAC
- SEAS (Special Entry Access Scheme) applications via VTAC are not scholarship applications, even though the forms used ask for a lot of the same information
- Applications are ranked carefully by assessing all the relevant information and evidence you provide
- We can only accept applications before the closing date, regardless of circumstance
- There are a limited number of access scholarships and bursaries available to International students so it is important to check eligibility before applying
- There are a limited number of course-specific scholarships available to domestic students
- If you are not awarded a scholarship, you may request reasons why your application was not successful (except for La Trobe Vice Chancellor's Excellence/Access Scholarships) within 10 business days of receiving notice of the outcome of the scholarships in writing, by emailing scholarships@latrobe.edu.au
- A response will be sent to you within 10 business days, detailing the reasons your application was no successful
- Following this, if you're not satisfied with the reasons you were not awarded a scholarship, you may request a review of their application, in writing, by emailing scholarships@latrobe.edu.au, stating why your application should be reviewed
- If you did not meet the eligibility criteria or failed to provide sufficient documentation, the application process will not be reviewed
- A review will be conducted based on the procedures used to assess the application; no additional information or explanation of your circumstances not included in the original application will be considered
- You will be notified in writing of the outcome of a review within 15 business days of the request being received
- Scholarships staff will not able to discuss the review or the outcome with you
Eligibility criteria definitions
Some scholarships have specific eligibility criteria you need to meet in order for your application to be considered. Some common criteria, as well as the necessary supporting documentation, are listed below.
A person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person and is accepted as such by the community in which they live. Applicants are required to submit documentation both declaring and confirming their Indigenous identity.
Supporting documentation:
- Statutory declarations accompanied by a letter of support by a recognised community organisation may be considered
- For further information, please reach out to an advisor from the Indigenous Strategy and Education Team at indigenous_studentservices@latrobe.edu.au
Certified copies of supporting documentation must be provided.
A person is considered to have refugee status if they entered Australia as a refugee or on a Global Special Humanitarian Visa or entered seeking asylum and then gained a permanent humanitarian visa.
- Asylum seeker: deemed to be people currently seeking asylum who are Bridging Visa A or E, Temporary Protection Visa or Safe haven enterprise Visa holders
- Refugee: people born outside of Australia, that have had their refugee claim assessed and accepted in Australia and hold a Permanent Humanitarian Visa
- Refugee background: people that arrive in Australia as a refugee
Supporting documentation:
- A copy of the applicant's eligible visa, or statement of claim submitted to the Department of Home Affairs
A care leaver is a person who has spent time in formal out-of-home care as a child (i.e. under the age of 18). Out-of-home care includes foster care, residential care (e.g. children's homes) kinship care or being a ward of the state. The care could have been provided directly by the state through a court order, or voluntarily, or by the private sector.
Supporting documentation:
- No supporting documentation is currently required
A person experiencing a long-term medical condition or disability (including mental illness) or ongoing effects of abuse and their ability to study at university is affected or is likely to be affected.
Supporting documentation:
- Evidence provided by a registered health professional who is treating the applicant that describes the diagnosis and initial diagnosis date, the duration of the condition and its impact on the ability to study
Any evidence provided must have been completed within 12 months of the application with the exception of life-long conditions.
Note: Learning Access Plans are not recommended as supporting evidence, as they often do not cover the supporting documentation requirements stated above.
A person who experienced, for a period of at least 6 months, an environment where educational performance has been seriously affected and will continue to be affected at university as a result of circumstances beyond the applicants control or choosing. Examples may include:
- Disrupted schooling
- Death of a family member
- Disruptive home environment
- Victim of a crime
- Caring responsibilities
- Personal or others' illness or disability
- Other hardship or disadvantage
Supporting documentation:
- A statement detailing educational disadvantage, with supporting documentary evidence, by a relevant responsible person (e.g. health care professional, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader, school principal or teacher etc.), unrelated to the applicant, who can verify the circumstances, the duration and the ongoing impact on the students education
The evidence must be dated within three months of the application and include contact details of the support person, clearly explaining the duration and impact of the circumstances on the applicant's ability to study at university.
A person (or child of a person) who is able to provide information demonstrating financial hardship such as Centrelink (or other Commonwealth payments). Centrelink benefits must be valid at the time of application and documentation must match the name and date of birth of the applicant. If documentation is not in the applicant's name, evidence must be provided of the relationship to the person named in the documentation.
Supporting documentation (one of the below):
- Income Statement (dated within the last three months of the date of the application). To access the Centrelink income statement, follow the steps listed on the Request a document page on the Services Australia website
- Family Tax Benefit A and/or B Income Statement (see above) (dated within the last three months of the date of the application)
- A current Health Care Card or, Pension Card
If the applicant is not receiving income support payments from Centrelink, one of the following can be provided:
- An official copy of the Australian Tax Office Notice of Assessment for the previous financial year
- Three consecutive pay slips dated within the last three months of the application
- If financially dependent upon other people, an official copy (for each contributing member) of their Australian Tax Office Notice of Assessment for the previous financial year or three consecutive pay slips dated within the last three months of the application
A person who is the first in their immediate family (parent or siblings) to attend university.
Supporting documentation:
- No supporting documentation is currently required
Students who achieved a high ATAR score International Baccalaureate score or a high undergraduate weighted average mark (WAM).
Individual scholarships may have their own specifications regarding the level of academic achievement required.
Supporting documentation:
- No supporting documentation is currently required
A person who experiences difficulties due to their non-English speaking background that have an impact on their ability to study, or a person who came to Australia from a non-English speaking country within the last 10 years.
A person who speaks a first language other than English at home also meets this criteria.
Supporting documentation:
- No supporting documentation is currently required
A person who, within the two years immediately prior to the start of their course in higher education, lived in a regional or remote area for at least 12 months.
Regional or remote are all categories other than RA1 on the Australian Standard Geographic Remoteness Areas system map.
Department of Health Remoteness Map
Supporting documentation:
- No supporting documentation is currently required
Questions?
Most questions about scholarships at La Trobe are answered in the FAQs.
If you need more help, please contact ASK La Trobe.