To be eligible for a scholarship, students must:
- be an Australian citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident, or a Bridging / Temporary / Permanent Humanitarian Visa holder.
- be enrolled in a course at the Gordon that runs for 6 months or more.
- be experiencing financial hardship
- not have received another scholarship in the same year and not have received the same scholarship twice throughout their studies. (Note: students continuing to experience extreme financial hardship may be exempt from this criteria).
- obtain parental / guardian’s consent if under 18 before submitting an application
Please note, applying for a scholarship does not mean a student will automatically be given a scholarship.
When applying for a scholarship, students must agree to:
- complete the scholarship application form in full to be considered
- be contacted by a Gordon counsellor for a wellbeing check after being awarded a scholarship.
- attend an awards ceremony in October
- notify the Scholarships Office immediately if they:
- transfer to a different course;
- take leave of absence or withdraw from studies; or
- withdraw from studies
- submit a written report after they have received their final results. The report must include all of the following information:
- scholarship recipient’s name;
- amount awarded;
- course of study;
- date of report;
- a short summary describing how the scholarship was spent (with receipts attached);
- a short summary explaining how the scholarship assisted them with furthering studies and career development
- use for their current course of studies at the Gordon and understand that it cannot be transferred to another course at The Gordon or at another University or TAFE.
Assessment of most scholarships are based on hardship and not academic merit. Exceptions to this are the Teacher-nominated, Emma and Morris Jacobs and Soroptimist Scholarships.
Applications are ranked based on financial income, educational background and social disadvantages. Applications with the highest levels of disadvantage are ranked higher.
Scholarships will be offered to the highest ranked applicants, until all scholarships are allocated. If eligible, students will be asked to interview and will be considered for one scholarship.
All applications will be considered by a selection panel. The selection panel will include the Student Scholarships officer, and a representative from the Benefactor and / or the Gordon. All Scholarship Selection Panel decisions are final. In the event of a disagreement, the Benefactor will have the final say.
All information supplied to the selection committee and to the appropriate student services and administration officers is treated as confidential, as per The Gordon’s policy and relevant legislation.
Each scholarship is to be spent on expenses associated with study. The Soroptimists International Scholarship can only be spent on Gordon fees, whilst other scholarships can be used to pay for course fees, study-related books and materials, travel costs and basic living expenses. Scholarship holders must provide receipts as part of their report. Scholarship funds will be allocated as follows:
At the start of the scholarship:
- 80% of the scholarship amount will be provided when the scholarship is awarded
- The funds must first be used to pay Tuition, Service and Materials fees and any outstanding course fees up to the value of the scholarship.
- Any remaining funds will be payed directly to the scholarship recipient’s provided bank account, with the agreement that the money will be used on expenses associated with study.
At the end of year (or earlier if recipient’s course is completed mid-year):
- The remaining 20% of funds will be provided after a Scholarship Report has been submitted at end of year (or earlier if the course is completed by mid-year)
The Gordon has discretion to terminate a scholarship and to recover payment in the event that any of the following apply:
- cancellation of enrolment;
or the scholarship holder:
- ceases to be enrolled in an eligible course of study; or
- does not resume study at the conclusion of a period of approved leave; or
- fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress; or
- transfers to another TAFE or university.
- no longer meets the eligibility criteria; or
- breaches the Gordon’s Student Code of Conduct. This includes where behaviour of the recipient on or off campus is considered to bring discredit upon the Scholarship or the Gordon