Scholarship payments & ongoing eligibility

Current undergraduate and TAFE scholarship holders are advised to read this page.

We outline eligibility requirements and advise you on what to do if your circumstances change.

Scholarship payments

Payments to new and continuing undergraduate scholarship holders are made by electronic funds transfer (EFT) to your nominated bank account. They occur in late April and late September – after we have checked your enrolment status at the relevant HE census date or VET/TAFE census date.

Bank account

You will be asked to provide your bank account details at the time of accepting your scholarship. When the payment has been sent to your bank account, you will receive an email to confirm that payment has been made. This is sent to your VU student email so please make sure you check your student email regularly.

Changing your banking details

If your bank account details have changed, please fill out a new banking details form and return it to the Scholarships Office by mail, hand delivery, fax or email as indicated on the form before the next payment.

Centrelink & tax

You will need to advise Centrelink that you have been granted a scholarship as it may affect your payments.

Generally, scholarships for full-time students are not taxable. You should obtain advice from your tax agent or refer to the Australian Tax Office.

Before payments begin

If you need access to money before your scholarship payment is made, you can take one of these actions:

Apply for a student loan as early as possible as it may take some time to be approved. You should advise the Loans Officer that you have been granted a scholarship, how much you will be paid and when. Your scholarship income may be taken into account when your loan application is assessed.

Ongoing eligibility

Once you have been awarded an undergraduate or TAFE scholarship, you will have your eligibility checked before each payment is made.

To remain eligible for your scholarship payment you will need to:

  • remain enrolled full-time (unless you have requested and been granted approval for part-time enrolment)
  • maintain satisfactory progress in your studies
  • continue to be on a low income (if receiving an equity scholarship)
  • advise the Scholarships Office of any changes to your income or eligibility.

Academic progress

One of the ongoing eligibility requirements is that you have to make satisfactory academic progress. If you fail a unit and your enrolment changes to part-time, you will need to submit a statement to the Scholarships Office, and the scholarship selection panel will advise if you can keep the scholarship. You will lose your scholarship if you are excluded from the course.

Scholarships with ongoing eligibility requirements

The following scholarships have ongoing eligibility requirements. Find more information about ongoing eligibility:

CHANGES IN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES

You must notify us immediately of any of the following changes in your circumstances:

  • changes in your financial situation (including increase in income)
  • decrease in your study load (eg full-time to part-time)
  • changes in your family situation
  • changes to your disability status
  • if you transfer to a different course
  • if you take leave of absence or withdraw from your studies.

If at any time you think you may no longer be eligible for your scholarship: