25 September 2014
One of the most generous study scholarships available for undergraduate students is opening up important opportunities for regional and remote South Australians.
UniSA’s Don Hawke Memorial Scholarship, valued at $125,000 will be awarded to a student from country and regional South Australia who has decided to commence study at UniSA after taking up to a two year break between finishing school and commencing higher education.
Established through a personal gift from the late Jean Pearce to support commencing students from a financially disadvantaged and rural or isolated background in South Australia, the scholarship honours her late brother who, through circumstance, was never able to attend university despite his aspirations.
UniSA Director of Advancement Services Deborah Heithersay says the scholarship is unique
“This has been targeted to support students who have had time to think about what they want to do and are approaching their studies with a real sense of commitment – so it is not for immediate school leavers,” Heithersay says.
“It was also created with a real sense of the importance of equity. The scholarship is enough, at up to $25,000 a year for five years, to make study possible for a student who might need to travel a long way from home and to make the move sustainable over the life of the degree.”
Applications are open to Australian students who have completed their senior secondary qualification in the past two years but have gained some life experience outside of school in a gap year.
Students must have been offered a place at UniSA and will need to study full time to qualify for the scholarship.
They must also have lived in a regional, rural or isolated area (including Whyalla and Mt Gambier) for at least three of the four years immediately prior to the scholarship application.
Applications for this unique scholarship close on October 17 at 5pm and more information and the application form are available online at unisa.edu.au/donhawke.
Media contact: Michèle Nardelli office: +61 8 8302 0966 mobile: 0418 823 673 email: Michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au
