CQUniCares Scott Williams Foundation Scholarship (Donor-Funded)

To be eligible to receive the CQUniCares Scott Williams Foundation Scholarship, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

• Be enrolled or intending to enrol at CQUniversity in Term 2, 2024;
• Be enrolled in either an undergraduate course related to any of the following disciplines: 
  • Accounting; 
  • Business; 
  • Digital Media; 
  • Information Technology; 
  • Agriculture
• Be able to demonstrate low personal/ family income or be under financial pressure;
• Be enrolled with a term study load of at least 12 credit points*;
• Be an Australian Citizen;
• Not be receiving multiple CQUniversity Scholarships that exceed the annual value of $10,000. 

Preference will be given to applicants (in declining order) who are: past Scott Williams Foundation scholars; residing in the Sunshine Coast; residing in regional Queensland; or residing in regional Australia. 

*Payments may continue to be awarded on a pro rata basis to students completing less than 12 credit points in extenuating circumstances. This is at the discretion of both the Student Scholarships Team and the Scott Williams Foundation.

Applicants are required to provide a 500-word written submission addressing the following question:

How would a CQUniversity Donor Scholarship assist with your studies?

Applicants are also encouraged to address the following:

• Tell us about yourself:
  • Name/ course/ interests;
  • You may wish to also share your current situation, challenges you have experienced or overcome, as well as any examples of success, leadership, community, or volunteering.
• How will a scholarship help you to overcome financial barriers to success?
  • You may wish to further explain your current situation and how a scholarship will assist you in managing general living and study expenses.
• What are your career goals and how will a scholarship assist you in achieving your educational objectives?
  • You may wish to outline your aspirations following graduation, as well as your plans for giving back and supporting our regions.

Expectations of recipients

As a scholarship recipient, you may be asked to participate in a feedback survey. You may also be approached to assist with promoting CQUniversity’s Scholarship program by sharing your experiences as a recipient through testimonials, media or invitations to attend events such as Orientation or Open Days. If you do not wish to be publicly recognised or be involved in the above initiatives, please advise the Philanthropy Team via ourpartners@cqu.edu.au immediately following acceptance.

CQUniversity has a range of support services located on our website Student Support Services and Financial Preparedness.

Ongoing eligibility requirements

In addition to the eligibility criteria, the successful applicant must:

• Maintain satisfactory academic progress;
• Remain enrolled in the course as at Census date in Term 1 and Term 2 with a minimum study load of 12 credit points.

Please note that failure to meet the continuing eligibility criteria may result in the scholarship being cancelled. 

Additional information

Students may request a deferral of their scholarship in special circumstances. This request must be made through the Student Scholarships Team and should occur in conjunction with an official Leave of Absence request to the University. If approved, a scholarship may only be deferred for a maximum period of two higher-education terms (excludes Term 3) or two VET intakes. Continuing students must still maintain satisfactory academic progress in the term directly before taking a Leave of Absence.

Public recognition and your involvement

CQUniversity is committed to protecting your privacy. CQUniversity will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the collection, use, disclosure and handling of personal or health information provided by you complies with CQUniversity Information Policy and Procedures and the Information Privacy Act (2009). Visit cqu.edu.au/privacy for more information. 

As funds for your scholarship have been generously donated, CQUniversity is required to share your name, course/ study area and ongoing eligibility (including academic performance) with the donor of your scholarship. CQUniversity may also share your student email address and your nominated phone number, if requested by your scholarship donor, for the purpose of enabling their representatives to contact you regarding your scholarship. Donors may wish to celebrate their recipients, however if you do not wish your donor or CQUniversity to promote your name publicly, this can be arranged.

If you do not wish to be publicly recognised or be involved in the above initiatives, please advise the Philanthropy Team via ourpartners@cqu.edu.au immediately following acceptance.

Thanking your Donor

Many of our scholarships are made possible by generous donations from community partners who are committed to supporting CQUniversity students to reach their academic goals. Our donors are always keen to hear how their support is making a difference. You are strongly encouraged to submit a letter of thanks (Word/ PDF) or short video to ourpartners@cqu.edu.au to express your appreciation. To help you get started, we recommend providing a brief overview of who you are, what you are studying and your career aspirations, as well as some insight into how your scholarship will benefit you. 

Payment of scholarship

The successful applicant is required to enter their current financial institution details (banking details) into MyCQU for payment to occur. This must be done prior to Census Date to avoid delays.

Payments are based on term study loads as follows:

• $1,250 /term for study load of 12 credit points
• $2,500 /term for study load of 18 credit points or more

Payment will be made to the successful recipient in week 6 of Term 2, 2024 and Term 1, 2025 following post Census date and ongoing eligibility checks. 

Payments will be credited electronically to the successful applicant’s nominated bank account.

*Disclaimer - Students may be required to provide further documentation to support their application. This can include the following:

• Documentation demonstrating low personal or family income/ financial need;
• Documentation demonstrating academic achievements or unofficial transcript;
• Documentation demonstrating community involvement, exemplary work or demonstration of leadership;
• Resume.

All requests for further information to support applications will be sent to the student email account. Failure to supply further information will deem the application incomplete and will not be considered.

To apply for a Donor-Funded Scholarship: 

Complete a Donor-Funded Scholarship Online Application Form, ensuring all supporting documentation is completed and attached as outlined here: 

• For Current students (applicants who already have a Student ID number) apply through MyCQU. You will need to log in with your student details. Navigate to Support on the left panel, select Student Forms and Search Donor-Funded Scholarships Application Form. 
• For Future students (applicants who have applied or are intending to apply to study at CQUniversity but not yet received or accepted an offer) apply now. 

Complete applications must be received by 10 am AEST on the closing date. Please ensure all supporting documents are attached to the application as incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Please note: 

• A selection panel will be formed to determine the successful applicant.  
• Scholarships at CQUniversity are highly competitive. All applications are ranked based on how well applicants address the selection criteria, and in comparison, to other applicants. 
• Being eligible or being a recipient in the past is no guarantee of having a successful application. 
• A scholarship will only be offered where there is an applicant of sufficient merit. 
• All applicants are advised that any request for further information to support their application will be sent to their student email accounts or nominated email account for future students. Students will be required to re-submit any further information requested through their original application in MyCQU. Failure to resubmit further information will deem the application incomplete and will not be considered. 
• The Student Scholarships Team are unable to provide updates to students on the progress of their individual application until all assessments are completed. 

Mr Scott Williams AM is an award-winning small business operator and philanthropist recognised for his services to local government, business, community radio, higher education and philanthropy. As Chair of the Scott Williams Foundation, Scott continues to play an important role in helping CQUniversity students to reach their full potential by offering these life-changing scholarships.