UWS Equity Based Scholarships - Definitions and Criteria

People of Australian Indigenous descent

This category is for applicants who: are Indigenous Australians, and who identify as an Indigenous Australian, and are accepted as such by an Indigenous Australian community.

People from rural and isolated areas

This category is for applicants who live or have lived in a rural or isolated area. Applicants should refer to the Australian Standard Geographic Classification (ASGC) remoteness areas classification list to determine whether they live (or have lived) in a rural or isolated area. Rural Classifications are based from the website: Backing Australia's  Future.

This classification is categorised into:

Major Cities
Inner regional
Outer regional
Remote
Very Remote

Applicants must live or have lived in any of these areas except the Major cities and Inner Regional categories to be considered as living or have lived in a rural or isolated area.

People experiencing low socio-economic circumstances

This category is for applicants who experience and can demonstrate low socio-economic circumstances. The general requirements are as follows:

• Applicants who are in receipt of a Centrelink payment or benefit (including a low income Health Care Card), or
  
• Applicants who experience and can demonstrate exceptional financial hardship but are not in receipt of any Centrelink payments or benefits.

People with a disability or long term medical condition

This category is for those applicants who can demonstrate that they have a disability, impairment or long-term medical condition. Applicants will be required to submit a confidential statement of support which must be completed by a responsible person eg doctor, lawyer, accountant, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader. For current Year 12 students this also includes school/college principal, school counsellor, year level coordinator or careers advisor.

Persons providing these statements must explain how the circumstances experienced have affected the applicant’s educational performance. Persons completing this section must not be related to the applicant.

People from a non-English speaking background

Applicants applying under this category must be able to meet the following criteria:

• Was born outside Australia in a non-English speaking country, and
• Arrived in Australia after 1 January 1998.

Long term difficult family circumstances

This category is for applicants who have experienced difficult family circumstances on a long-term basis which have significantly disadvantaged their education over an extended period. Applicants will be required to submit a confidential statement of support which must be completed by a responsible person, for example a doctor, lawyer, accountant, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader.

For current year 12 students only this also includes school/college principal, school counsellor, year level coordinator or careers advisor. Persons providing these statements must explain how the circumstances experienced have affected the applicant’s educational performance. Persons completing this section must not be related to the applicant.

Some examples of long-term difficult family circumstances are:

• Homeless
• Refugee
• Long term illness of a family member
• Applicant having carer responsibilities (children, parent, siblings etc.) or excessive responsibilities in the home
• Violence, abuse, alcohol/drug, criminal proceedings/issues in family
• Disrupted schooling, eg attended 3 or more different schools, moved interstate during Year 12
• Missed long periods of Year 12 for other than medical reasons, commenced schooling in Australia at the beginning of Year 12
• Death of immediate family member or close friend
• Crowded living conditions
• Work requirements to support family
• Personal chronic illness
• Divorce/separation of parents.
  

Greater Western Sydney Postcodes

Some scholarship criteria include a requirement for the scholarship recipient to live or study within Greater Western Sydney as defined by UWS. 

The table below lists eligible Greater Western Sydney postcodes:

2076	2077	2111	2112	2113	2114	2115	2116
2117	2118	2119	2120	2121	2122	2125	2126
2128	2133	2140	2141	2142	2143	2144	2145
2146	2147	2148	2150	2151	2152	2153	2154
2155	2156	2157	2158	2159	2160	2161	2162
2163	2164	2165	2166	2167	2168	2170	2171
2173	2174	2176	2177	2190	2191	2192	2193
2194	2195	2196	2197	2198	2199	2200	2205
2206	2207	2208	2209	2210	2211	2212	2213
2214	2216	2217	2218	2219	2220	2221	2222
2223	2224	2225	2226	2227	2228	2229	2230
2231	2232	2233	2234	2558	2559	2560	2563
2564	2565	2566	2567	2568	2569	2570	2571
2572	2573	2574	2575	2576	2577	2578	2579
2745	2747	2748	2749	2750	2751	2752	2753
2754	2755	2756	2757	2758	2759	2760	2761
2762	2763	2764	2765	2766	2767	2768	2770
2773	2774	2775	2776	2777	2778	2779	2780
2781	2782	2783	2784	2785	2786	2787	2790

Important links

• Apply Now for Scholarships
  

For more information email or call the UWS Course Information Centre on 1800 897 669.