December 19, 2020
This year’s Year 12 students are eligible to apply for special one-off $5000 scholarships for tertiary study in 2021, if they come from outer regional and remote locations.
The Tertiary Access Payment (TAP) has been developed to strengthen tertiary education in regional and remote Australia.
The University of Southern Queensland has more than $1 million in scholarships to assist more than 200 first year students make the move to study at one of its three campuses in Toowoomba, Springfield or Ipswich.
And Central Queensland University has more than 500 of the new scholarships.
The TAP is a one-off, means-tested payment of $5000 per student.
It is designed to encourage and assist students to access tertiary study immediately following school (Year 12 or equivalent).
To be eligible, a student must relocate to a tertiary institution more than 90 minutes from their home by public transport to undertake full-time study.
USQ Vice-Chancellor Geraldine Mackenzie said the scholarship scheme offered an incentive for students to start tertiary study immediately after completing secondary school.
“We know that for many school leavers, making the decision to leave their hometown to attend university is an emotional one and it’s often further burdened by financial stress,” she said.
“Our graduating Year 12 students have had a challenging year, and while $5000 will not cover all costs, it is a huge boost that could mean the difference between starting university in 2021 or having to take a gap year to save money.”
CQUniversity’s Deputy Vice-President Joanne Perry said the the payment would provide more regional students with opportunities to attend university.
“We know that the financial burden associated with relocation is one of the main barriers for people from regional and remote locations when it comes to being able to attend university,” she said.
Applications for the TAP should be made directly to the individual universities.
Support is also available for students intending to study somewhere other than a university.
In those cases, however, the student should apply to Human Services (Centrelink) rather than a university for a scholarship .
- More information is available online
