For migrant and refugee students who can demonstrate circumstances impacting their education; worth up to $35,000.
Applications now closed
This scholarship provides $7,000 for up to the standard full-time duration of the program.
To be eligible for this scholarship you must:
- be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or a permanent humanitarian visa holder
- be born overseas, recently migrated to Australia and from a non-English speaking background
- 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 neurodiverse
- 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
- current or former refugee
- completed secondary school at a School Network Access Program school
- be enrolling full-time in semester 1 and 2 at RMIT in 2024 in an undergraduate degree in one of the following disciplines:
- Education
- Health Sciences
- Medical Sciences
- Global, Urban and Social Studies
- have at least one year of your program left to complete
Current or former refugees are encouraged to apply.
It is preferred that you apply direct to RMIT for this scholarship.
Direct to RMIT applications
The online application form will be made available here when applications open.
VTAC applications
Apply online through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) website (www.vtac.edu.au).
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.
This scholarship will next be offered for Semester 1, 2026, with applications opening August 2025.
Applications are now closed.
View the Coursework Scholarships Office’s terms and conditions (PDF, 698KB).
This scholarship is in honour of Sam and Nina Narodowski, who migrated to Australia in 1950 as refugees.
Born in Poland in 1920, Sam was a bright student and was accepted to Warsaw University despite a limited quota on Jewish students. He studied electrical engineering. As a Jewish student, he was forbidden to sit during lectures and had to stand with the other Jewish students at the back of the class. His studies were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. At the end of the war, having learnt that his entire family had been murdered by the Nazis, Sam headed to the displaced persons camp in Munich. It was there that he met Nina, who was born in Vilnius in 1928. While still at school, her world was also shattered by the outbreak of war. Her family managed to flee the Nazis and find refuge in Kazakhstan. Sam and Nina married in 1947, migrated to Australia, settled in Melbourne, took a loan and built a successful knitwear business.
Fully understanding how political and racial hardships can impact one’s life, their family are honouring their memory by providing scholarships to undergraduate students of migrant or refugee background.
Quotes from past recipients:
"Receiving this scholarship helped me in boosting my energy and motivation towards studying as there was less stress of working. Due to the recent pandemic I felt very overwhelmed and anxious as I was witnessing my family struggling with financial difficulties, however, using this scholarship to help them with living expenses made me feel extremely happy and at ease." - Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology)
Find out how to contact the Coursework Scholarships Office.
Notice to applicants
The scholarship application process is highly competitive with a limited number of scholarships available. Unfortunately, not all eligible applicants will receive one.
Only successful candidates will be notified via email to their RMIT student account.
For information about other financial assistance available to RMIT students, please speak to one of our Student Welfare Advisors.
