Equity Scholarships

Equity Scholarship categories and supporting documents

When awarding scholarships, institutions will consider their scholarship-specific requirements, as well as the educational challenges and applicant attributes listed below. Note that the specified applicant attributes, on their own, do not make you eligible for a scholarship; you must also show that you have experienced one or more of the specified educational challenges.

The documents you’ll need to provide are detailed under each educational challenge and attribute. If you have to provide supporting documents, a document package will be produced automatically when you apply. If you are not prompted to download a document package, you don’t need to supply supporting documents.

All documents must be uploaded as PDFs to your application. No hardcopy documents will be accepted.

Circumstances you can claim

Eligibility criteria

You care for another person who needs ongoing support because of a long-term medical condition, a mental illness, a disability, frailty or the need for palliative care. As a carer, you:

  • may or may not be a family member and may or may not live with the person you care for
  • may be in receipt of a Centrelink Carer Allowance or Carer Payment.

Volunteers under the auspices of a voluntary organisation are not included.

Supporting documentation required

One (only) of the following:

  • your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) if you are receiving a Carer Payment or Carer Allowance. You will be required to enter your CRN in your application. In line with the UAC privacy policy and UAC’s agreement with Centrelink, your CRN will not be shared with institutions. Therefore, institutions may also request that you provide it.
  • an independent statement to support your eligibility for carer responsibilities, completed and signed by a responsible person who knows your circumstances. A responsible person may be a higher education educator, doctor, specialist medical professional, lawyer, accountant, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader. They must be familiar with your circumstances and able to comment and provide information about your educational disadvantage and its effect on your ability to study. You will need to explain why you are not in receipt of a Carer Payment or Carer Allowance.

There are four categories of financial challenges. You are considered to be experiencing financial hardship if you satisfy one (only) of the following eligibility criteria.

Category 1: Receiving a Centrelink means-tested income support payment

Eligibility criteria

You are currently receiving a Centrelink (or other Commonwealth) means-tested income support payment (such as a Disability Support Pension, Parenting Payment (Single) or Carer Payment).

Supporting documentation required

Your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN). The CRN must be in your name. You will be required to enter your CRN in your online application. In line with the UAC privacy policy and UAC’s agreement with Centrelink, your CRN will not be shared with institutions. Therefore, institutions may also request that you provide it.

Category 2: Expecting to receive a Centrelink means-tested income support payment

Eligibility criteria

You are expecting to receive a Centrelink (or other Commonwealth) means-tested income support payment in the current admissions period.

Supporting documentation required In your application you will be asked to indicate when you expect to receive a Centrelink (or other Commonwealth) means-tested income support payment.

No documentation is required to support eligibility for the expectation of receipt of a means-tested payment when you apply.

However, after enrolment and prior to payment of a scholarship, you must provide your institution with evidence that you have received a support payment. Alternatively, email your CRN to equity@uac.edu.au once your first payment has been credited to your bank account and we will update your assessment.

Category 3: Able to demonstrate exceptional financial challenges beyond your control or choosing

Eligibility criteria You are able to provide comprehensive information demonstrating exceptional financial challenges that are beyond your control or choosing.

If you are eligible to claim a Centrelink means-tested allowance but choose not to, you are not eligible to claim exceptional financial challenges.

If your family income is above the Centrelink eligibility threshold, you are generally not eligible to claim exceptional financial challenges.

Supporting documentation required

Evidence of eligibility for exceptional financial challenges demonstrating a level of real and enduring financial challenges. Supporting documentation requirements are provided in the document package.

Category 4: Dependent student undertaking a Year 12 qualification with a parent/guardian in receipt of Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A

Eligibility criteria

You are a dependent student between the ages of 16 and 19 years (up to the end of the calendar year you turn 19) who is currently undertaking a Year 12 qualification and whose parent/guardian is in receipt of Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A.

You are not eligible to claim this disadvantage if you are a parent receiving FTB Part A.

Supporting documentation required

One (only) of the following:

  • a recent Centrelink family assistance letter (no older than three months prior to the date you applied for a scholarship) issued to your parent/s or guardian/s demonstrating receipt of FTB Part A

or

  • a copy of a Centrelink income statement issued to your parent/s or guardian/s (no older than three months prior to the date you applied for a scholarship) demonstrating receipt of FTB Part A.

Note: Your parent/s or guardian/s can view and download their Centrelink income statement/s by logging into their Centrelink online account, or myGov, if they have set up an account. Alternatively, your parent/s or guardian/s must call or visit a Centrelink office to obtain a Centrelink family assistance letter. Allow at least a week for Centrelink to process your request.

If you have any queries about this documentation, email equity@uac.edu.au.

Eligibility criteria

Your ability to study at university is being affected, or is likely to be affected, by the long-term and ongoing effects of one of the following:

  • a severe and long-term (or a severe and recurrent) medical/psychiatric condition or illness
  • a learning, sensory, physical, psychological or other disability/disorder
  • trauma or abuse.
Supporting documentation required

All of the following:

  • a medical impact statement completed by a registered health professional who is treating you for your condition
  • an educational impact statement completed by a responsible person who can comment on the impact of your studies.

Medical impact statement
A statement about how the medical condition/disability you have claimed will have an effect on your studies. A blank medical impact statement is provided in your Equity Scholarship document package.

Educational impact statement
A statement about the impact your medical condition/disability has, or will have, on your studies. A blank statement is provided in your Equity Scholarship document package.

Responsible person
A responsible person may be a higher education educator, doctor, specialist medical professional, lawyer, accountant, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader. They must be familiar with your circumstances and able to comment and provide information about your educational disadvantage and its effect on your ability to study.

If you’re a current Year 12 applicant, a responsible person is your school/college principal, counsellor, year adviser or careers adviser. If you’re unable to have your school complete the statement, you must attach an explanation as to why your school can’t complete it and the relationship between you and the responsible person.

Eligibility criteria

Within the two years immediately prior to the start of your current or proposed period of higher education study, you lived in a regional or remote area of Australia for at least 12 months.

Supporting documentation required

Documents substantiating your residential (not postal) address in a regional or remote area of Australia for a period of at least 12 months in the two years immediately prior to the start of your current or proposed higher education course of study.

Documents must be in your name and may include: bank statements; a letter of attendance from your school or higher education provider showing your home address at the time you attended; Centrelink letters; electoral commission enrolment form; utilities bill; phone bill.

Your permanent residence postcode/s will be used to assess whether you lived in a regional or remote area of Australia.

The Australian Standard Geographic Classification Remoteness Areas (ASGC-RA) system map can be accessed at doctorconnect.gov.au. (Navigate to the 'Health Workforce Locator' and enter your address.) You can use this tool as a guide for your postcode. All categories other than ‘RA1 – Major Cities of Australia’ are considered to be regional or remote.

Note: If you can only provide documents in your parent/guardian's name, upload a copy of your birth certificate or other document(s) that verify your relationship.

Email equity@uac.edu.au if you need more information about the documents you must provide.

Eligibility criteria

You are single and have at least one dependent child under 18 who is wholly or primarily in your care and who is living in Australia.

Supporting documentation required

One (only) of the following:

  • your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) if you are receiving a Parenting Payment (Single). You will be required to enter your CRN in your application. In line with the UAC privacy policy and UAC’s agreement with Centrelink, your CRN will not be shared with institutions. Therefore, institutions may also request that you provide it.
  • an independent statement to support your eligibility for sole parent responsibilities, completed and signed by a responsible person who knows your circumstances. You will need to explain why you are not in receipt of a Parenting Payment (Single).
Responsible person
A responsible person may be a higher education educator, doctor, specialist medical professional, lawyer, accountant, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader. They must be familiar with your circumstances and able to comment and provide information about your educational disadvantage and its effect on your ability to study.

If you’re a current Year 12 applicant, a responsible person is your school/college principal, counsellor, year adviser or careers adviser. If you’re unable to have your school complete the statement, you must attach an explanation as to why your school can’t complete it and the relationship between you and the responsible person.

Applicant attributes

Eligibility criteria

You satisfy all of the following criteria:

  • You are a First Nations person.
  • You identify as a First Nations person.
  • You are accepted as a First Nations person in the community in which you live or have lived.

Institutions may use this criteria in conjunction with other demonstrated circumstances.

Action required

Answer relevant questions in the application.

Eligibility criteria

You are placed, or have previously been placed, with an out-of-home care (OOHC) provider due to government agency intervention. This includes:

  • authorised and supported kinship care arrangements
  • short-term, long-term or foster care provided by a government and/or non-government organisation
  • cases where adoption has taken place after an initial period of OOHC.

Spending time in a refugee camp inside or outside of Australia does not meet the eligibility criteria for out-of-home care status.

Supporting documentation required

At least one of the following:

  • a letter from a government or non-government organisation caseworker that:
    • is written on appropriate letterhead
    • includes your name and date of birth
    • includes the date of removal
    • is signed by and indicates the position of the caseworker.
  • a current copy of placement papers from a children’s court.

Eligibility criteria

You are, or have previously been, the holder of one of the following Australian refugee and humanitarian visas:

  • Global Special Humanitarian (subclass 202)
  • Humanitarian Stay visa (subclass 449)
  • Protection visa (subclass 866)
  • Refugee visas (subclass 200, 201, 203 and 204)
  • Resolution of Status visa (subclass 851)
  • Safe Haven Enterprise visa (subclass 790)
  • Temporary Humanitarian Concern visa (subclass 786)
  • Temporary Protection visa (subclass 785)

Institutions may use this criterion in conjunction with other demonstrated circumstances.

Supporting documentation required

One (only) of the following:

  • a copy of your Australian entry visa showing refugee status
  • a copy of your Red Cross or United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) registration if you arrived in Australia on a non-refugee visa
  • a copy of your document for travelling to Australia
  • a copy of your Global Special Humanitarian visa (subclass 202).

Note: Providing an Immi Card or visa grant letter with no other documents is not enough for assessment. UAC must be able to identify your date of entry into Australia.