Australian South Sea Islander Community Foundation Scholarship

The Scholarship is intended to provide financial assistance towards meeting living and study-related expenses.

Eligibility Criteria

a) You are an Australian South Sea Islander

The scholarships are designed to provide assistance to Australian South Sea Islanders who satisfy university entry requirements for undergraduate studies. 

You are an Australian South Sea Islander if you are a direct descendant of the South Sea Islanders who were brought into Queensland between 1863 and 1904 and worked as indentured labourers. 

b) You are motivated to undertake and be committed to the program of studies

This is a personal requirement which you will need to write about as part of your application. You may also need to talk about it in an interview as part of the selection process.

 c) You do not receive Abstudy benefits

If you are currently receiving Abstudy you do not qualify for consideration in this scholarship program.

 d) You must be studying an undergraduate degree at JCU, at CQU, at USC or at QUT in 2013

To be eligible for the scholarship, you can be either a commencing student or a continuing student in an undergraduate degree at one of the participating universities in 2013.

If you are commencing an undergraduate degree, you need to indicate in the scholarship application form which JCU, CQU, USC or QUT degrees you have listed as preferences on your application lodged with Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).

 If you are a continuing student in an undergraduate degree, please write down the degree that you are currently undertaking at JCU, CQU, USC or QUT in the scholarship application form. Please note that the annual scholarship amount can only be paid for the remaining years of your course, not for what you have already completed.

 e) You must not have previously completed an undergraduate degree at any university

The scholarships are designed to assist Australian South Sea Islanders obtain an undergraduate degree for the first time. Therefore, those who have previously completed an undergraduate degree are not eligible to apply. The scholarships are not currently available for individuals undertaking post-graduate studies.

 f) You may be in receipt of other scholarships in the 2013 academic year

Scholarships will be allocated on a needs basis. Information on other scholarships will be considered along with other selection criteria as part of the selection process. If you are receiving any other scholarship in 2013 you will need to provide details, including the value of the scholarship(s).

Selection Criteria

a) All applications received will be initially screened for eligibility by a representative of the relevant university and a community member delegated by the Australian South Sea Islander Community Foundation Board of Advice. 

b) Each participating university will organise a selection panel to assess the eligible applications for the university. The selection panel will include the Australian South Sea Islander community member delegated by the Australian South Sea Islander Community Foundation Board of Advice.  

If the number of eligible applications is greater than the number of scholarships available, the following elements will be taken into account by the selection panel when assessing the eligible scholarship applicants and applications will be ranked in order of preference: 

· The applicant’s written personal statement;

· The degree of motivation of the applicant to undertake and complete tertiary studies;

· The ability of the applicant to undertake and complete tertiary studies; 

If necessary, referees will be contacted for further information. Applicants may be required to attend an interview with the selection panel. An interview will only be held after all other avenues, such as talking to the referees, have been explored. An interview may take place either face-to-face, or over the telephone. 

c) Each university selection panel will recommend scholarship recipients to the Board of Advice, including justifications for their recommendations based on the above three elements. 

d) The Board of Advice makes the final decision on the allocation of scholarships. The Board will consider the recommendations of the universities and the following when making their decision: 

· The applicant’s written personal statement;

· The degree of motivation of the recommended applicant to undertake and complete tertiary studies;

· The ability of the recommended applicant to undertake and complete tertiary studies;

· The gender balance of scholarship recipients; and

· The regional distribution of scholarship recipients. 

Should the quality of the recommended applicants in a particular year not meet the required standards, the Board of Advice has the discretion not to grant any scholarship for that year.

Additional Information

· Scholarship recipients are expected to maintain contact with a community representative member(s) of the Australian South Sea Islander Community Foundation Board of Advice during the course of their scholarship. 

· The university will monitor the academic progress of scholarship recipients and will recommend tuition support for students where required. 

· Information on the academic progress of scholarship recipients will be provided to the Board of Advice via Multicultural Affairs Queensland. 

· Community representative members of the Board of Advice will maintain contact with scholarship recipients regarding their progress during the course of the scholarship and provide support and guidance as required. 

· Ongoing payment of scholarship money depends on continued satisfactory progress towards degree completion. 

· Continued unsatisfactory academic progress may result in cancellation of scholarship payments. Students will be given sufficient warning if scholarship payments are to be cancelled. 

· A student can defer their studies at the university for a period of up to one year and maintain their scholarship eligibility. This is granted only if there is personal or family illness or bereavement, or other exceptional circumstances. 

· The decision to discontinue or defer an individual’s scholarship payments rests with the university, in consultation with the Australian South Sea Islander Community Foundation Board of Advice. 

· If a scholarship recipient changes his or her degree, ongoing payment of the scholarship will be at the discretion of the Board of Advice in consultation with the university. 

· Should a scholarship recipient change from full-time to part-time study, they must notify their participating university’s scholarship payment administrators immediately, as this will impact on the level of financial support available through the scholarship. 

· Successful scholarship recipients agree to their name and case study being used by the Australian South Sea Islander Community Foundation and Multicultural Affairs Queensland for promotional purposes.

Supporting Documentation

How do I apply?

How do I apply?

To apply for the Australian South Sea Islander Community Foundation Scholarship:

1. Read the Scholarship Guidelines and complete the attached Scholarship Application form
2. Ensure all supporting documentation is completed and attached as outlined in the Scholarship Guidelines
3. Submit your Scholarship Application to the Student Support Centre by the closing date – refer to the Scholarship Application Form for submission options

Please Note: Complete Applications must be received at Student Support Centre, Scholarships Office by the closing date.

How will I know the outcome of my application?

The university will notify successful and unsuccessful applicants in writing within 30 days of the application closing date.

Scholarship Donor - Multicultural Affairs Queensland

The Australian South Sea islander Community Foundation is a trust fund to provide university scholarships for Australian South Sea Islanders. The Foundation is a partnership between the Queensland Government and the corporate sector to create a permanent legacy for the Australian South Sea islander communtiy.