Grathelms Scholarship

This scholarship provides up to $7,000 for one year.

Two scholarships available:

x1 for a second year Bachelor of Fashion (Design) (BP328) student
x1 for a third year Bachelor of Fashion (Design) (BP328) student
x1 for a Bachelor of Fashion (Design) (Honours) (BH127) student

To be eligible for this scholarship you must:

be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, an Australian permanent resident or a permanent humanitarian visa holder
enrolling full-time in either:
- your second year of the Bachelor of Fashion (Design) (BP328) in semester 1 and 2 2025 (having completed no less than 96 credit points and no more than 120 credit points of study) and have at least two years of full-time study left to complete, or
- your third year of the Bachelor of Fashion (Design) (BP328) in semester 1 and 2 2025 (having completed no less than 192 credit points and no more than 216 credit points of study) and have at least one year of full-time study left to complete, or
- the Bachelor of Fashion (Design) (Honours) (BH127) in semester 1 and 2 2025, having graduated from the Bachelor of Fashion (Design) (BP328) in semester 1 or 2 2024
be able to demonstrate circumstance/s which impact your ability to study such as:
- receiving a government tested low income benefit or having a Centrelink Health Care Card
- living with a disability, long-term medical condition or identify as neurodivergent
- experiencing personal/family/social difficulties
- be from an interstate or rural/regional area and moving/moved to Melbourne to study at RMIT
- have previously/are currently living in foster/kinship care or are a ward of the state
- be from an under-represented background such as
  - Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  - were born overseas, are from a non-English background and recently migrated to Australia
  - current or former refugee
  - completed secondary school at a School Network Access Program school
be able to demonstrate your commitment and dedication to fashion
be able to show a high level of engagement, progress and potential.

The scholarship is awarded based on your academic results but also your demonstrated potential for future practice.

The application form will be made available when the scholarship opens.

Supporting documentation

Depending on your circumstances, you will need to provide different types of evidence and material to support your scholarship application. Applications without supporting documents will not be considered.

Please visit Supporting Your Application for more information.

Find out more about applying for scholarships.

Applications are now closed.

View the Coursework Scholarships Office’s terms and conditions (PDF, 698KB).

This scholarship is made possible by a generous donation from Neil McGrath and Ron Elms, designers and principals of Grathelms Couture, established in Melbourne in 1966.

Over many decades, Grathelms designed for many notable clients in both Australia and overseas. The Grathelms scholarship is given for one purpose – to foster and assist oncoming talent and to provide encouragement and reward.

Quotes from past recipients:

"Receiving the scholarship made me feel meaningful, in realising that someone believed in my creative and academic pursuits, I understood that my work was important and that I was on the right path to the future that I had always dreamed of. This encouragement gave me confidence to continue to pursue this path." - Bachelor of Fashion (Design) student

"The scholarship gave me so much freedom to establish my practice and studio with the required tools of my trade, and freedom to explore materials that I otherwise haven't had the opportunity to buy. Also especially this year when life has been in so much turmoil it gave me financial security to weather some of the more difficult and unstable times." - Bachelor of Fashion (Design) (Honours) student

Find out how to contact the Coursework Scholarships Office.