QCoal Foundation Scholarship available for outstanding regional student
Students from regional and remote Queensland could receive up to $30,000 to support their studies at James Cook University (JCU), thanks to the 12th annual QCoal Foundation Scholarship.
The scholarship provides one JCU undergraduate student with $10,000 per year for three years, helping ease the financial pressure of studying full-time and relocating to attend university.
The Selection Committee and QCoal Foundation Board are searching for applicants who not only live in regional communities, but who also have a genuine understanding of the challenges facing those communities.
QCoal Foundation CEO Sylvia Bhatia said the scholarship will support a student who understands the challenges of living in regional Queensland and who can identify opportunities to strengthen regional communities.
“We want to hear from applicants, in their own words, about their personal experiences and their goals and aspirations,” she said.
“QCoal Foundation is proud to be again partnering with JCU which continues to set the bar for supporting regional and remote students to pursue their tertiary aspirations.
“Year on year, the JCU team support us to provide an effective selection process and guide the students through that process and beyond, during the time at the University.
“Over the past twelve years, we’ve seen the very real impact of this scholarship for our alumni, their families and communities. It is one of our strongest programs and the Board and I look forward to hearing from this year’s talented group of students who want to be part of our program.”
The 2026 QCoal Foundation Scholarship recipient was James Cook University Medicine student Priya Taylor-Sidhu, who hails from Emerald.
“The opportunity to study medicine and to gain the skills to give back to communities like Emerald and underserved communities is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Priya said.
When awarding the scholarship, QCoal Foundation assesses applicants not only on academic performance, community involvement, and extracurricular achievements, but also on their commitment to contributing to regional and remote communities after graduation.
The Scholarship’s alumni include doctors, vets, geologists, dentists, speech pathologists, teachers and engineers – many now working in regional areas and contributing to those communities.
Applications for the 2027 QCoal Foundation Scholarship are now open. To apply or for more information, visit the QCoal Foundation Scholarship page https://qcoalfoundation.org/our-initiatives/qcoal-foundation-scholarship/ or https://www.jcu.edu.au/scholarships/search/qcoal-foundation-scholarship.
Applications close at 12pm on January 15, 2027.