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.

Changes to your banking details

If your bank account details have changed, please log in to MyVU and update your banking details under the My Finances tab. Alternatively, you can fill out a new banking details form and return it via email to the Scholarships Office before the next payment is due to be released.

Banking details form (PDF, 255.63 KB)

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 talk to our staff for financial advice and support.

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. Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA and pass at least 50% of enrolled units. Please advise the scholarships office if you fail more than one unit or if your enrolment changes to part time as the Scholarship selection panel will need to review your ongoing eligibility for the scholarship.

Scholarships with ongoing eligibility requirements

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

Asylum Seeker scholarships eligibility (PDF, 145.12 KB)

First Year Booster scholarship eligibility (PDF, 131.3 KB)

Hume Multiversity Tertiary Scholarship eligibility (PDF, 739.85 KB)

VU Santa Singh & Balwant Kaur scholarship eligibility (PDF, 724.33 KB)

VU Access Higher Education scholarships eligibility (PDF, 211.28 KB)

VU Early Entry Scholarship eligibility (PDF, 100.5 KB)

Western Chances scholarships eligibility (PDF, 457.51 KB)

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:

phone +61 3 9919 6100
email [email protected] .

: You will be asked to verify that you are still eligible before each payment. This includes a statement about whether your financial situation has changed.
If you are unsure about your eligibility:
phone +61 3 9919 6100
email [email protected] .
: If you are registered with VU Disability Services you will retain your scholarship even if you study part-time. If your reasons for reducing to part-time study relate to an illness or other exceptional circumstances, you need to submit a statement with supporting documentation for consideration by the Scholarship selection panel.
If you reduce your study load to part-time, please get in contact:
phone +61 3 9919 6100
email [email protected] .
If you have less than a fulltime load in your last semester of study, and have already been paid a scholarship for the maximum number of eight payments or four years, the scholarship would finish.
If you have time left on your scholarship you would need to apply for approval to study part-time and retain the scholarship for the final semester. Approval is not automatically granted, but your circumstances will be taken into account.
For a higher education student, 75% of a normal full time load is 0.375 EFTSL (36 credit points) per semester, usually three units per semester.
For a TAFE student, 75% of a normal full time load is a minimum of 270 study hours per year.
Scholarships are only paid for the maximum duration so if you take longer to finish your course, your scholarship may end before your studies are completed.
: Overseas exchange
If your exchange is approved as part of your course by the University and you continue to meet the eligibility requirements, you will be able to keep your equity scholarship.
Leave of absence
If you have been approved to take a leave of absence (intermission) from your course, your scholarship payments can be suspended.
Payment will resume in your first semester back as long as you still meet the eligibility for your scholarship.
You will need to phone +61 3 9919 6100 or email [email protected] to advise your return to studies and check your status.
Deferring
If you are offered a place in a course and are approved to defer your commencement, your scholarship offer will lapse.
You will need to re-apply for a scholarship prior to commencing your studies. It is suggested that you only complete the application form for a scholarship if you intend to study in the upcoming semester.
Withdrawing
If you withdraw from (discontinue) your course, your scholarship offer will lapse.
: Graduate diploma or above
If you received a VU Access scholarship for your undergraduate degree and you continue your enrolment into a graduate diploma or higher, you will have to submit a new application and be assessed against the criteria.
Honours
You can keep your VU Access, Commonwealth Accommodation or Commonwealth Education Cost scholarship during the honours year if you have not exceeded the maximum number of eight payments and you still meet the ongoing eligibility criteria of low-income and full-time enrolment.
: In most circumstances your scholarship will continue if you transfer into another course.
To check how any changes to your enrolment will impact on your scholarship, please contact us:
phone +61 3 9919 6100
email [email protected] .
: Your VU scholarship cannot be transferred to another university or VE/TAFE.
It is only valid for your studies at Victoria University.
The same principle applies if you are transferring into VU from another institution – you will need to apply for a new VU Access scholarship.

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