Commonwealth Scholarships
The Commonwealth Scholarships (CS) program aims to facilitate choice in higher education and to increase participation by students from low socio-economic backgrounds, particularly indigenous students and students from rural and regional areas.
Please note that the information below is subject to change.
Changes to the Commonwealth Scholarships
The Commonwealth Government announced in the 2009-2010 Federal Budget that
it is replacing the existing Commonwealth Scholarships scheme with two new
scholarships - the Student Start Up Scholarship and the Commonwealth
Relocation Scholarship - which will replace the Commonwealth Education Costs
Scholarship and the Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarship. These two new
scholarships will be administered by Centrelink.
For students (continuing recipients) who are currently in receipt of a
Commonwealth Education Costs Scholarship or a Commonwealth Accommodation
Scholarship, allowance payments will continue to be administered by the
University.
Commonwealth Education Costs Scholarships (CECS)
CECS aims to assist students from low socio-economic status backgrounds
and Indigenous students in meeting their education costs.
Value: $2,207 a year
Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarships (CAS)
CAS provide selected students from low socio-economic backgrounds from
regional and remote areas to assist them with
accommodation costs when they move to undertake higher education.
Value: $4,415 a year
A number of variations on the standard CECS and CAS are available including:
- National Priority Scholarships (CECS-Priority Discipline), with up to four years of funding for general education costs, to assist students enrolled in National Priority programs
- National Accommodation Scholarships (CAS-Specialists), with up to four years of funding for accommodation costs, to assist students who have relocated to undertake a specialist course not available near their home
- CECS-Associate Degree, with up to two years of funding for general education costs, to assist students undertaking an eligible associate degree course
- CAS-Associate Degrees, with up to two years of funding for accommodation costs, to assist students undertaking an eligible associate degree course
- CECS-Indigenous Enabling, with up to one year of funding for general education costs, to assist Indigenous students to undertake an eligible enabling course
- CAS-Indigenous Enabling, with up to one year of funding for accommodation costs, to assist Indigenous students to undertake an eligible enabling course
- Indigenous Access Scholarships, a one off scholarship payment (of $4,166), to assist Indigenous students to undertake either an eligible enabling course or an undergraduate course
Please note:
- A student may be awarded a CECS and a CAS concurrently.
- A student may be awarded a CECS-Priority Discipline and a CAS concurrently.
- A student may be awarded a CECS and a CAS-Specialists concurrently.
- A student cannot be awarded a CECS-Ordinary and CECS-Priority Discipline at the same time.
- A student cannot be in receipt of any Commonwealth Scholarships from more than one provider at the same time.
For more information on Commonwealth Scholarships please visit the DEEWR website.
Please note: Scholarships and Grants are subject to change and are awarded based on conditions current at the time of award.