How to apply for a coursework scholarship

Step 2. Prepare your scholarship application

Application requirements and deadlines vary depending on the scholarship. Please see the How to apply section on each scholarship webpage for application instructions and close dates.

Supporting documentation

If are experiencing circumstances which impact your ability to study, you will need to provide evidence to support your application. Access and equity circumstances cannot be assessed without supporting evidence. Please see Supporting documentation.

Application questions

Some scholarships require you to respond to a series of application questions. These are listed on each scholarship’s webpage under How to apply. The main application questions are listed below to allow you time to prepare your answers in advance prior to starting your application.

Responses that address all parts of the questions succinctly and specifically will be awarded the highest marks when applications are assessed. Some example are provided below. Please ensure you proofread your responses before submission.

What motivated you to choose your RMIT program? Include the steps you have taken to achieve your educational goals.
You are able to articulate the reason(s) you have chosen a particular field of study and can provide at least one example of a step you have taken to achieve that goal. You may also discuss a personal experience or recount involvement in extra-curricular programs (work experience, volunteering, workshops/seminars) to further investigate your chosen field.

What are your future plans and career aspirations?
You provide detailed plans about what you would like to do in both the short and long term, and can identify future professions that interest you. You can include future education if that's in your plans.

What current challenges do you face in your studies and how will a scholarship help you overcome this?
You can discuss in detail any circumstances which impact your ability to study and can provide specific examples of how the scholarship will be used to support you (e.g., spend less time in paid work and more time on your studies, purchase study materials and technology needed for your program, attend conferences/workshops, participate in extra-curricular activities that align with your studies, accommodation and living expenses).

Letter of recommendation

A letter(s) of recommendation is sometimes required as part of the application process. If you do not provide one, or cannot get one in time, you won't be considered eligible for that particular scholarship. 

A letter of recommendation should:

• Be written on official letterhead and must include the full name, position, organisation, contact details and a signature from the person providing the letter (PDF preferred)
• Be dated, and not more than 3 months old
• Provide a detailed account of the circumstances you have experienced and how they impacted your ability to study

Always ensure you check the eligibility requirements of the scholarship you're applying for, as there may be a specific person (i.e. academic at RMIT, community leader) who is required to provide your letter of recommendation.

If you are asked to submit a letter of recommendation from a personal referee rather than an academic one, this referee needs to:

• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident who is 18 years of age or older
• Have known you for at least 12 months
• Not be related to you by birth, marriage, de facto relationship, or be a friend; and
• Not reside with you.

A personal referee may be a community worker, employer, counsellor, church leader, doctor, etc.

When requesting a letter of recommendation

Consider the following when asking for a letter of recommendation:

• Who should you choose to write your letter of recommendation? Put thought into your choice. Ask someone who knows you both academically and personally. Not every academic/teacher/tutor will feel that they know enough about you to write a letter of recommendation
• Give your referee plenty of notice so they have enough time to write your letter of recommendation. A hurried letter is unlikely to be as thoughtful or enthusiastic as a considered one
• Some people might say “no” to your request. This is not likely, but occasionally it may happen. They may be too busy to give your letter of recommendation the adequate time it needs or they may feel that they do not know you well enough. So make sure you have a backup
• To assist the academic/teacher writing your letter of recommendation, you may want to provide them with Writing a Scholarship Letter of Recommendation for a Student (PDF, 96KB) for tips and guidance
• Write a brief statement to give to your referee, summarising:
  • Why you are applying for the scholarship and how it would benefit you
  • What have been your academic achievements in your program thus far
  • Any information about your personal circumstances and/or any difficulties you have experienced to support your scholarship application; and
  • How receiving the scholarship would assist you. 

Step 3. Submit your application

Online

We only accept scholarship applications through our online application form. Applications should take no more than 30-40 minutes to complete, however you have the option to save and resume at any point until the application closing date, and you can go back and double check your submission is correct before you submit.

All supporting evidence must be uploaded to its relevant Evidence box within the application. Please ensure file size per upload is under 1MB, and is either in Word, PDF, or JPG format.

Fax, email or postal applications

We only accept online scholarship applications, so faxed, emailed or posted copies of your application and supporting documentation will not be accepted. Please ensure you have read the How to apply information on the scholarship web page which outlines how to submit your application.

Late applications

You must submit your application (and any required supporting documentation) by the scholarship close date, located on each scholarship's webpage under the tab Closing date. We do not accept late scholarship applications or documentation submitted to our office after the closing date.

Please factor adequate time into your schedule to compile your application, especially if you need to provide letters of recommendation from an academic or descriptions of medical issues from health professionals. These can take time! 

Step 4. Wait for your application to be assessed

Scholarships and grants are assessed by the relevant selection committee and ranked according to the eligibility criteria.

Applications can only be assessed based on the information and documentation you provide. Selection committees do not have access to student information stored with other RMIT departments or external bodies.
 

Application outcomes

The scholarship application process is highly competitive with a limited number of scholarships available. Unfortunately, not all eligible applicants will receive one.

When you submit a scholarship application, you will receive a confirmation email to the email address you nominated in the form. This confirmation email will contain the last date you can expect a scholarship offer by. If you have not received an offer by that date, you have been unsuccessful.

If you have questions about your scholarship application, or the outcome, please contact the scholarship administrator. To find this information go to the webpage for the scholarship you applied for, the contact information for the scholarship is located near the bottom of the webpage.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome, you may lodge a complaint. If you do lodge a complaint, you must clearly state why you believe the original decision was incorrect. Being personally unhappy with a decision or saying it is not fair (without stating why) are generally not adequate grounds for a decision to be reviewed.

Step 5. Accept your scholarship

If you are offered a scholarship, you will be sent an email to your RMIT student account. This offer will included a deadline to accept by, so it is important that you check your emails regularly if you are waiting for a scholarship outcome. Only successful candidates are contacted.

You must accept the terms and conditions attached to your scholarship. These may impact on your capacity to study part-time, change programs, fail subjects, defer or take a leave of absence. Please review the terms and conditions (pdf, 698KB) associated with your scholarship prior to accepting your provisional scholarship offer.

Your offer letter will advise you how and by what date to accept a scholarship offer – generally, this is completed through Enrolment Online.
 

Tax and your scholarship

RMIT cannot advise you on tax matters, you need to seek advice from a tax professional. However, if you are looking for answers about tax and your scholarship, you may find the links below helpful.

• Information about whether your scholarship is considered income by Centrelink can be found on the Australian Government’s Guide to Social Security Law
• To help you work out if your scholarship is taxable by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) you can use their Is your scholarship taxable? tool
   

Throughout your scholarship

Throughout the duration of your scholarship:

• You may be asked to fill in surveys, participate in events or write reports. Please do so! This participation helps us communicate with our donors, which can only benefit you and students like you
• Ensure you regularly view your scholarship in Enrolment Online and check your terms and conditions for any updates; and
• Contact the Coursework Scholarships Office if your circumstances change

For scholarships greater than one year in duration, Enrolment Online will only show current and past years of your scholarship/s. Future years will only be loaded in late December or early in the new academic year.