Digby Wilson Indigenous Scholarship

The Digby Wilson Indigenous Scholarship will be open to competition among applicants who:

• Are Australian citizens and who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander;
• Commencing in an undergraduate course at James Cook University (including Tertiary Access, Diploma of Higher Education and Bachelor's degrees) in the year of awarding; and
• Have participated in JCU IERC Winter or Summer School Program.
• Experiencing financial hardship.

If you are a successful applicant of this scholarship you will receive $6,000 (full-time) per year or $3,000 (part-time) per year paid in two equal instalments after Census date of Study Period 1 and Study Period 2 for the minimum duration of the degree.  Please allow up to 6 weeks after census date for payment.

Applications must be submitted on the official application form no later than the date set by the Selection Committee for the year in which the award is to be made.

Applicants must submit with the official form, where appropriate:

1. Proof of attendance to JCU IERC Winter or Summer School Program (please contact ierc.studentsupport@jcu.edu.au to obtain proof).
2. Up to 500 word written statement explaining how this scholarship would aid in completing your degree.
3. Evidence of financial hardship (see Examples of supporting Documentation).
4. A copy of your academic record from secondary school (ATAR and school transcript).
5. List of any other scholarship you have applied for at JCU.

Your application is checked for completeness and eligibility, and you will receive an email confirmation it has been received. After the closing date it will be individually assessed and put forward to a selection committee who will rank your application against others who have applied. Applicants may be required to attend an interview as part of the selection process.

Introduction

Established in 2017 through a generous donation, to support an Indigenous undergraduate student in their progress towards completing their course. Further funds were received from a generous donation from the Estate of Digby Neville Cardew Wilson in 2018.

Nature of the Scholarship

The value of the scholarship is $6,000 (full-time) per year or $3,000 (part-time) per year paid in two equal instalments after Census date of Study Period 1 and Study Period 2 for the minimum duration of the degree.

Eligibility Criteria

The Digby Wilson Indigenous Academic Scholarship will be open to competition among applicants who:

• Are Australian citizens and who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander;
• Commencing in an undergraduate course at James Cook University (including Tertiary Access, Diploma of Higher Education and Bachelor's degrees) in the year of awarding; and
• Have participated in JCU IERC Winter or Summer School Program.
• Experiencing financial hardship.

Selection Criteria

The Selection Criteria are:

• Financial need (JCU Financial Scoring Matrix)
• Rural Remoteness ranking based on postcode of home address:

1. RA1-RA2 10 points
2. RA3-RA4 20 points
3. RA5 50 points

• Academic merit (ATAR or equivalent)

1. ATAR 80-100 25 points
2. ATAR 60-79 20 points
3. ATAR 40-59 15 points
4. ATAR below 40 10 points

Other criteria determined by panel e.g. other awarded scholarship funding

Application Procedures

Applications must be submitted on the official application form no later than the date set by the Selection Committee for the year in which the award is to be made.

Applicants must submit with the official form, where appropriate:

Proof of attendance to JCU IERC Winter or Summer School Program (please contact ierc.studentsupport@jcu.edu.au to obtain proof).

• Up to 500 word written statement explaining how this scholarship would aid in completing your degree.
  Evidence of financial hardship (see Examples of supporting Documentation).
  A copy of your academic record from secondary school (ATAR and school transcript).
  List of any other scholarship you have applied for at JCU.

Selection Process

The award of the scholarship shall be made in the absolute discretion of the Selection Committee, which shall comprise:

• Deputy Vice Chancellor, Indigenous Education and Strategy or Head, Indigenous Student Services (Chair);
  Lead for the IERC Winter and Summer School Program (Emma Iwikau); and/or
  A pool of appropriate JCU representatives.

The Selection Committee reserves the right:

• not to award a Scholarship in any year, if in the opinion of the Selection Committee, there is no candidate of sufficient merit to warrant an award.
• 
  The Selection Committee will determine all matters relating to the selection of the Scholarship awardee.

Payment

Monies payable to the recipient of an award shall be paid in 2 equal instalments after the census date of Study Period 1 and Study Period 2 of each year for the minimum duration of the degree, provided they meet the continuing eligibility requirements.

Ongoing Eligibility

The recipient must maintain a minimum GPA of 4.0 and remain enrolled part-time or full-time.

• Where the recipient fails to meet this requirement evidence of special circumstances contributing to the reduced GPA must be provided to the Selection Committee for consideration of ongoing eligibility.
• If the recipient defers their study or takes an LOA, scholarship will be held for a duration of 12 months. If student does not commence studying again after 12 months, scholarship is forfeited.
• A student may lodge a request for review of decision in accordance with the provisions of the Student Appeals Policy.

Please refer to Glossary of Terms