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Scholarships & Financial Aid for Regional & Remote Students

2 years ago

It’s no surprise that moving out of home can be a daunting and financially challenging experience. And for many of us, our finances may be the main hurdle separating us from our goals and dreams.

Here at RESN, we don’t want anyone who wants to go to university to miss out so here’s a brief run-down on the financial aid and scholarships available to students from regional and remote backgrounds to help get you to where you want to go:

- Youth Allowance

Youth Allowance is a fortnightly payment available through Centrelink for full-time students aged 16–24. For regional or rural students living away from home, there are two main ways of qualifying for Youth Allowance:

• Being classified as dependent, which means your payment amount may depend on your parents’ or guardians’ income.
• Being classified as independent, which means that students living in regional and remote areas will need to have worked 15 hours a week for at least two years or earn 75% or more of the National Training Wage Schedule rate ($35,914, as of February 1, 2021) in any 14 month period.

You can find out whether the area you are living in is classified as ‘regional’ or ‘remote’ through the Student Regional Area search. If you’ve checked your eligibility, you can start your claim here.

If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student, you may also be eligible for ABSTUDY, which will financially support you throughout your course, apprenticeship or traineeship. If you are receiving Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY and living away from home, you can also apply for Rent Assistance where you receive regular extra payments to help pay your rent and living costs.

- Relocation Scholarships

If you are receiving Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY and need to live away from a regional or remote area to complete full-time study, you may be eligible to receive a Relocation Scholarship where you will be paid $4,626 in the first year, $2,314 per year in the second and third years and $1,156 per year after that.

- Fares Allowance

Fares Allowance helps with travel costs between your family home in a regional or remote area and your place of tertiary study during certain points in the academic year. You need to receive Youth Allowance to be eligible.

- Tertiary Access Payment

Tertiary Access Payment is a one-off payment of $5,000 paid in two installments to help higher education students with the cost of moving to study after finishing Year 12 or equivalent.

- Rural & Regional Enterprise Scholarships

Rural & Regional Enterprise Scholarships are available to students commencing a new course of study next year, studying on campus, online or via distance education, and studying from six months full-time up to eight years part-time. Eligible students may receive up to $18,000 each (e.g. for a full-time, four-year qualification) with an extra $500 also available to support an internship. You can find more information on when to apply here.

- Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Scholarship

The Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Scholarship is available to students living in a regional or remote area commencing full-time study in an undergraduate bachelor’s degree in Australia. You can receive $5,000 for a year with accommodation and study resources covered but it can be renewed for a second year depending on your academic performance. You can find more information on Bendigo Bank’s scholarships here.

- Community Bank Scholarships

Community Bank Scholarships are available to students who reside in or have attended a secondary school in an area where a Community Bank branch is offering a scholarship for bachelor’s degree and TAFE students. The duration of the scholarship and the amount you receive can vary depending on your Community Bank branch but accommodation and study resources are covered.

- Youthrive Victoria University Scholarships & Helen Macpherson Smith Rural Scholarship

Youthrive Victoria University Scholarships and the Helen Macpherson Smith Rural Scholarship is awarded to Victorian rural or regional Year 12 students with leadership qualities and a commitment to a strong, just and sustainable rural and regional Victoria. The scholarships consist of $10,000 payment for three years plus mentoring and leadership development.

- Institution-Specific Scholarships

Each higher education institution has financial support services and scholarships available to students with many on offer for those from rural and remote backgrounds. Most university scholarship websites can be filtered to only show you the ones that you are eligible for.

Additionally, many tertiary admissions centres (including VTAC and UAC) automatically consider you for scholarships, taking out much of the hard work researching and applying for scholarships individually. However, it’s still good to take a look at the scholarships offered at your institution of interest.

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You can also find a list of some scholarships offered by institutions other than universities or TAFE providers here.

If you’re interested in learning about more niche and lesser-known scholarships, check out RESN Wiki where we’ll have even more information on financial support options coming your way.

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