Scholarships

There are a variety of scholarships offered by the Australian government, individual educational institutions, and other organizations that target specific fields of study or students from particular world regions.

Managed by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), Australian Scholarships include:

1. The Endeavour Awards: The Endeavour Awards is a competitive, international, merit-based scholarship award program run by the Australian government for students of the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. With an emphasis on study, research, and professional development, the Awards give students the opportunity to advance their professional or academic careers. A limited number of Awards are open to European and American students.

2. Australian Leadership Awards (ALA): Specifically for students who are in a position to positively impact social and economic conditions of their home countries, ALAs are postgraduate scholarships that allow students to focus on specialized research. Students who are granted an ALA are required to return to their home country or region for at least two years after study completion.

3. Australian Development Scholarships (ADS): Geared toward arming students with the skills to aid governance, human development, and economic growth in their home countries, ADS gives students the tools to make positive changes. ADS provides opportunities for students in underdeveloped countries to study full time in Australia in undergraduate or postgraduate studies.

In addition to scholarships, the Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) offers Fellowship programs which
are intended as short term study opportunities for research and learning. Available Fellowships cover a range of fields, including development, education, economic growth, environmental issues, food safety, gender equality, government, health issues, human rights, agricultural and rural development, clean water and improving sanitary conditions.

Other sources of scholarships include charitable organizations and educational institutions. Most of these must be applied for in the student's home country.

Some scholarships assist students in paying for travel and living expenses as well as for educational expenses.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available to some international students. Many countries offer governmental financial aid that may be used while studying in Australia. Aid must be applied for and granted in the student's home country. General requirements for being approved for financial aid are:

1. Demonstrated financial need.
2. Citizen or eligible non-citizen of the country.
3. Be enrolled as a student at a specific percentage (varies).
4. Maintain a satisfactory academic record.
5. Not be in default on any other federal loan.

Students should meet with a study abroad adviser to ensure that any federal aid they have been granted will transfer to international study programs in Australia.

Australia's outstanding reputation as a world class educational center along with its unequaled beauty and unique cultural diversity make it one of the most popular destinations for international students. A scholarship or a financial aid loan may open the door for lower income but academically gifted students to study in Australia.

It is pretty easy to get a student loan.  Lending institutions understand that most college students will probably not have a solid money situation or consistent stream of revenue; therefore the loans that you receive are based on your future income potential after your study.  Some of the loan programs will require you to have a co signer or guarantor who will support the repayment terms if you are unable to pay it. The guarantor is typically a parent or guardian.

Furthermore, many of these programs will permit you to put off payment on the loan for some time, generally after you complete your study, and many times even longer than that.  As a result, you are given time to enter the job market and begin your career without worrying about paying off your loans.  The one down side to these loans is that you will be accruing interest starting from the date you take out the money and the amount of interest that piles up can be significant.

As a result, just a slight difference of a half of a percentage point could potentially make a large difference in the amount you will eventually be obliged for.  It is strongly recommended that you do some research for the loans that will be the most suitable for you. 

If you need help paying for your costs of studying abroad, then you are in luck because there are many bursaries, scholarships, student loans and studentships at your disposal.
These awards are given out on a merit basis and you are required to be studying through a student exchange program or an in-country language program that you are getting the units for.
Scholarships

1.    Understanding Study Abroad Bursaries

Bursaries financially help out second year and up undergraduate students and all postgraduate students in their endeavor to study abroad for credit towards their student degrees. 
Depending on the location of the study, a bursary will offer stipends of $3000, $2500 and $2000.

2.    Undergraduate Studentships: Robert and Maude Gledden Studentship

This specific studentship offers financial help to undergraduate students who are in their second year and higher in the specific industries of Agriculture, Engineering, and Science.   The assistance helps students study abroad for credit towards their degree.

3.    Getting to know the Australia University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific Program

Undergraduate students are financially assisted in their student exchange programs through the Australia University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP) Program, the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST).  Eligibility for a scholarship has the following requirements:
•    Australian citizen or Permanent resident of Australia.
•    Undertaking an official university exchange program for 1 or 2 semesters.
Previously, financial backing was offered to students who studied abroad in China, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore, Japan and the United States.  You should verify with your study abroad department for more recent information about what universities have been designated.

4.    Information about the Australian Cheung Kong Student Exchange Program

This student exchange program is financially backed by the Cheung Kong Group of companies based in Hong Kong and the Department of Education, Science and Training.  It provides students with transportation finances in order to support undergraduate involvement in the exchange program at associate universities in Asian countries.

In order to qualify for a scholarship you must meet the following criteria:
•    Australian citizen or Permanent resident of Australia.
•    Undertaking an official university exchange program for 1 or 2 semesters.
Previously, financial backing was offered to students who studied abroad in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.  You should verify with your study abroad department for more recent information about what universities have been designated.

Applying for a scholarship in Australia can be a tricky process.

There is nothing better then free money

Scholarship applications are somewhat similar to your standard college application. You have to put time, energy, and research into locating and applying for college scholarships, but the payoff of receiving scholarship funds heavily outweighs the time and energy in applying for them.

Application Advice

Do your homework. It is helpful to research the scholarship and find previous applicants. If you happen to know anyone who received the scholarship funds, it might be useful to see how they wrote their application essay. It really comes down to using your common sense and following the directions. Scholarship chairs are sophisticated individuals, gear your essay(s) to the Chair of record for your scholarship.

Plan Ahead and Research Early

The more potential scholarships you find the better chance you will have in getting a scholarship funded! Below is a step by step process in for the application process:

•   Locate scholarship leads though your school and searching online.

•   Any questions - contact the scholarship sponsors. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK!
  

•   Sort though and cut the leads list down to ones that you think are applicable to you.

• Request any additional information and or materials.

• Don't leave items blank - If you don't know, again contact the sponsor.

• Complete, proofread, proofread again, and submit your applications as early as possible. It has been shown that early applications are read first.
  

Organize All Scholarship Materials

Make a list of all scholarship deadlines. Also most scholarships require providing some of below documents:

- Transcript
- Standardized test scores
- Financial aid forms, such as the FAFSA or PROFILE
- Parent's financial information, including tax returns
- One or more essays
- One or more letters of recommendation
- Proof of eligibility (e.g. membership credentials)

Don't forget to proofread your application, spell check, and have another person such as your teacher, friend or mentor look over your essay.

Have back ups

Make sure to make copies of all your documents and save your application and have it readily available. There have been recorded nightmare stories where sponsors claimed they never got the application and the student did not have back up copy to provide the scholarship sponsor. Keeping a backup will also allow you to easily apply to multiple scholarships at once.

Financial aid and long term loans

Each university has different amounts that a student can borrow for long term loans. The average amount that a student can borrow in one year is $4000. Long term financial aid loans are for the following uses:

• Class costs
• Living costs
• Other school related costs

Assessment/Criteria for Student loans

Applicants for Financial aid are looked at by a University Student Loans fund committee. The University Fund committee looks at a student personal income and well as his or her parents income. Many universities also require the student to submit their expenditure for the upcoming school year. Academic results and school progress will also be a factor that the Student Fund Committee will add to their criteria for obtaining a student loan.

It is important for prospective students to be well organized with their financial budgeting and future outlook. Being well prepared with your financial situation can save you time, stress, and money. Not being well prepared for your school years expected cost can get you into trouble by having to ask for emergency money from family or friends, or having to take out a last second loan at a high interest rate.

Required Guarantors

Australian Universities require all students to provide a guarantor. A guarantor is somebody who takes full responsibility to repay the debt of the borrowed loan if the student is not able to repay the loan amount. A guarantor must be at least 21 years of age and must have full time employment or have enough assets to pay of the loan.

Guarantors can be:

Parents
Related Relatives
Personal Friends

Guarantor can not be:

House-mates and or your spouse
Debtors with their own long-term University student loans
Staff members of the University
Students from any other universities

Guarantors will need to provide the following information:

· Proof of the Guarantor's income

· Home ownership and/or car ownership

· Other assets

Repayment details

Students that are Permanent residents and or Citizens of Australia:

Repayments are required when the student completes or decides to withdraw from their school classes. When a loan is granted to a student, a repayment plan is set into place and includes a repayment start date and the expected monthly payments on the long term loan. A good example of a student loan repayment plan would a $3000A loan which would have to be paid back within a 24 month period and a $2000A loan which would have to be paid back within an 18 month period.

Non Australian Citizens or permanent residents:

For international students a guarantor from the student home country such as a mother or father will most likely be acceptable for a majority of the Australian Universities. Repayment for international students on their long term loans may start immediately and some Universities require the loan to be paid off before the student graduation date.

Early Repayment

All universities encourage local and international students to pay off their loans as early as possible.

The great thing about financial aid from Australian Universities is that Loans granted to students are interest free up to the agreed upon repayment date. Interest is charged to a student total amount of an overdue payment. You can not pay any interest if you pay the loan in full by the agreed date or by paying every loan payment on time. The University sets the the rate of interest for the loan and that can change from year to year. An average rate of interest for an Australian University loan is around 8%.

How to Apply for Financial aid

Every University has their own way to apply for financial aid. Please contact your prospective University by phone for more information or go the Universities website and locate financial aid and/or loan information sections.