Commonwealth Learning Scholarships * [F7838]

An asterisk (*) indicates that this scholarship is governed by conditions. This scholarship is governed by the General Conditions for Scholarships for Coursework Students except as set out in the conditions that follow.

Conditions

These conditions must be read in conjunction with the following documents:

(a) Commonwealth of Australia Higher Education Support Act 2003—Guidelines for Commonwealth Scholarships 1 January 2006 (the Guidelines)

(b) Commonwealth Learning Scholarships: UWA Policy Guidelines (2006) (UWA Policy Guidelines)

The Act referred to is The Higher Education Support Act 2003 (the Act)

The awards are administered in accordance with the following conditions:

Purpose
1. The objectives of the Commonwealth Learning Scholarships (CLS) Programme are to facilitate choice in higher education and to increase higher education participation by students from low socio-economic backgrounds, particularly Indigenous students and students from rural and regional areas.

Description of Scholarships
2. The CLS Programme consists of—

(a) Commonwealth Education Costs Scholarships (CECS) to assist with general education costs; and

(b) Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarships (CAS) to assist with accommodation costs.

Eligibility Requirements

Basic Eligibility Requirements
3.(1) To be eligible for a CLS, a student must, by the first census date of the scholarship period (as determined in accordance with section 169-25 of the Act)—

(a) be an Australian citizen or the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa;

(b) be undertaking an undergraduate course of study, or a graduate diploma in an area of National Priority ¹ as a Commonwealth supported student at the University, as defined in the Act;

(c) meet the low socioeconomic status criterion specified in paragraph 2.10.5 of the Guidelines;

(d) meet the full-time student requirements specified in paragraph 2.10.10 of the Guidelines; and

(e) not already have completed the requirements of a course of study regarded by the University to be equivalent to or higher than an Australian bachelor's award, unless each such award is a prerequisite to their current undergraduate course of study and there is no alternative pathway into that course of study at the University.

(2) A student is not eligible for a CECS if they have already received a CECS for the maximum duration as defined in 15.

(3) A student is not eligible for a CAS if they have already received a CAS for the maximum duration as defined in 15.

¹ These areas are primarily teaching and nursing however nursing is not available at UWA.

Low Socioeconomic Status
4.(1) A student is eligible for a CLS only if the University is satisfied that the student is able to demonstrate low socioeconomic status either—

(a) through being in receipt of a means–tested Commonwealth income support payment (such as Austudy, ABSTUDY, Youth Allowance etc); or

(b) on the basis of a comprehensive assessment conducted by the University in accordance with 2.1 of the UWA Policy Guidelines.

(2) Applications from students who do not receive any government pension or allowance but have submitted a comprehensive statement of financial hardship are reviewed by a working party comprising—

the Chair of the Undergraduate Scholarships Sub-Committee, or nominee;

the Manager, Graduate Research and Scholarships, or nominee; and

the Undergraduate Scholarships Officer (as a member and Executive Officer).

Full-time Student Requirements
5.(1) A student undertaking less than a full-time student load is not eligible for a CLS unless there are exceptional circumstances which prevent the student from studying full-time.

(2) Applications stating that a student cannot study full-time due to exceptional circumstances are reviewed by the working party described in 4(2).

(3) Educational disadvantage factors as detailed under 3.2.3 of the UWA Policy Guidelines are considered by the working party described in 4(2) in determining whether there are exceptional circumstances which prevent full-time study.

(4) A scholarship recipient whose study load falls below a full-time student load has their eligibility status reviewed by the working party described in 4(2) and is ineligible to retain their CLS unless the University determines that there are exceptional circumstances which prevent the student from continuing to study on a full-time basis.

Additional CAS Eligibility Requirements
6.(1) In addition to the eligibility requirements defined in 3, 4 and 5 and, where applicable, any further criteria specified by the University under paragraph 2.15.5(4) of the Guidelines, for a student to be eligible for a CAS, the University must be satisfied that—

(a) within the four years immediately preceding the commencement of the current higher education course of  study, the student has—

(i) lived in a rural or regional area of Australia for a total of at least three years; or

(ii) completed their final two years of schooling in a high school or college in a rural or regional area; or

(iii) moved away from a rural or regional area to complete the whole or the majority of their secondary schooling at a high school or college in a major city; and

(b) it was necessary for the student to move from the rural or regional area in order to undertake their higher education study or, in the case of (a)(iii), it was necessary for the student to remain in a major city in order to undertake their higher education study; and

(c) as a result of (b), the student will incur additional accommodation costs; and

(d) the student is enrolled as an internal student in units of study that form part of the course of study the student is undertaking provided that students who undertake a component of overseas study are  not precluded from accessing the scholarship, even whilst undertaking study overseas, if it is approved by the University and counts towards the course requirements in which the student is enrolled.

(2) In determining the student's eligibility for a CAS, the University must determine whether the student has lived in a rural or regional area consistent with (1)(a)(i), (ii) and (iii).  

(3) The University will deem students eligible for a CAS if they have relocated from a locality which belongs to one of the following ASGC Remoteness Areas Classification:

Inner Regional Australia (IR)

Outer Regional Australia (OR)

Remote Australia (R)

Very Remote Australia (VR)

(4) The University will deem ineligible for a CAS a student who has come from a locality belonging to the Major Cities of Australia Classification.²

(5) Applications from students in Albany or Geraldton enrolling or enrolled at the local UWA campus are individually reviewed but, as a general rule, these students are not viewed as eligible for a CAS unless—

(a) their home address is beyond a 75km radius of the town centre of Albany or Geraldton or their one way trip to the Albany Centre or Geraldton Universities Centre exceeds 90 minutes by public transport; and

(b) they have incurred additional accommodation costs as a result of relocating.

(6) Albany and Geraldton students relocating to Perth to continue their study/course can apply for a CAS provided their home address is from a rural area as defined above and they meet the eligibility criteria defined in (1).

² Students wishing to check their eligibility can do so via http://www.scholarships.uwa.edu.au/home/undergrad/cmmnwlth_lrn_schols

Ongoing Eligibility Requirements
7. The scholarships Office is responsible for monitoring a recipient's ongoing eligibility in accordance with 5.1 of the UWA Policy Guidelines.

Body Responsible for Selection
8.(1) The Undergraduate Scholarships Sub-Committee is responsible for selecting CLS awardees.

(2) The Undergraduate Scholarships Sub-Committee comprises:

(a) the Dean of Undergraduate Studies (Chair);

(b) the Director of Student Services;

(c) the Manager Graduate Research and Scholarships;

(d) the Transition Support Programme Co-ordinator/Student Diversity Access Programme Co-ordinator (Equity representative);

(e) the Dean of the School of Indigenous Studies, or nominee;

(f) one or more nominees of the Scholarships Committee; and

(g) the Undergraduate Scholarships Officer (as a member and Executive Officer).

Application, Selection and Offer Processes and Policies
9. UWA is responsible for the CLS application, selection and offer processes and must make information about the processes, policies and conditions of scholarships readily and publicly available.

Application Processes
10. In respect of Clause 2.15 of the Guidelines relating to the University ensuring information about the CLS application, selection and offer processes are readily and publicly available, UWA will—

(a) provide detailed information on its website including providing an opportunity to apply on-line and to access hardcopy application forms from the web;

(b) promote the scholarship programme to new students via the Prospective Students Office marketing endeavours; and

(c) inform relevant areas on campus including  the UWA residential colleges, and the UWA Student Guild when applications are open.

Selection Policy
11. The Undergraduate Scholarships Sub-Committee is responsible for the selection of scholarship awardees in accordance with the selection policy outlined in 3.2 of the UWA Policy Guidelines.

Offer Process
12.(1) Offers of a CLS may be made prior to a student's confirmation of enrolment with the University but such offers must be made on the condition that the student is eligible to receive a CLS on the student's first census date (as determined in accordance with section 169-25 of the Act) for the scholarship period.

(2) The Scholarships Office makes offers of scholarships in writing to applicants and advises them of the conditions associated with the scholarship.

(3) Students are required to sign and return an acceptance form confirming that the student will, when requested, provide any information relevant to assessing their ongoing eligibility for a CLS.

(4) In line with the provisions of Clause 2.15.10(7) of the Guidelines the Scholarships Office is  responsible for issuing to a student in receipt of a CLS a commemorative certificate in the form approved by the Minister for Education, Science and Training.

Administering Body
13. The Scholarships Office is responsible for the management and administration of the CLS programme.

Method of Payment
14. The scholarship is paid in the following manner:

(a) CECS—one payment totalling 50 per cent of the annual value of a CECS is made in each six month period on or after the student's first census date, as determined in accordance with section 169-25 of the Act for study being undertaken in the scholarship period (i.e. six month period).

(b) CAS—one payment totalling 50 per cent of the annual value of a CAS is made in each six month period on or after the student's first census date, as determined in accordance with section 169-25 of the Act for study being undertaken in the scholarship period (i.e. six month period).

Duration
15.(1) The maximum duration of a CECS is eight scholarship periods (i.e. eight periods of six calendar months) and the maximum duration of a CAS is eight scholarships periods (i.e. eight periods of six calendar months).

(2) Recipients of Commonwealth Learning Scholarships who are enrolled in courses which are longer than four years (e.g. MB BS, BDSc and combined courses) may, at the end of the four year period of the CLS, apply for an extension of scholarship support for the remainder of their course through the UWA SWANS Scholarships Scheme.

Termination of a CLS
16.(1) The University must terminate a CLS in accordance with DEST Guidelines—

(a) if a student ceases to meet the eligibility criteria specified in section 2.10 or, where applicable, any criteria specified by the University under paragraph 2.15.5(4) of the Guidelines other than during a period of deferment; or

(b) once the maximum duration of the CLS has been reached; or

(c) if the University determines that the student—

(i) has failed to maintain satisfactory academic progress; or

(ii) has committed serious misconduct, including but not limited to the provision of false or misleading information in terms of section 2.25.20 of the Guidelines.

(2) The University is not permitted to terminate a student's CLS for any other reason.

Provision of False Information
17. If the University knows or has reason to believe that a student in receipt of a CLS has provided false or misleading information to the University in relation to the CLS, the University must immediately—

(a) re-assess the student's entitlement to the CLS; and

(b) notify DEST of the suspected offence and provide a copy of the student's application and any other relevant information requested by DEST.

Deferment of a CLS
18. The University may approve requests to defer a scholarship subject to the provisions details in 5.2 of the UWA Policy Guidelines.