BHP Billiton Iron Ore Indigenous Scholarship * [F26511]

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.

BHP Billiton Iron Ore Ltd donates funds annually for up to five scholarships to assist Indigenous students undertaking an undergraduate degree course at The University of Western Australia ('the University'). Scholarships provide assistance with the cost of accommodation at the University’s halls of residence or another residential college affiliated with the University and a living allowance while enrolled in the course. (Preference is given to students from the Pilbara and Kimberley regions and other remote/regional areas of Western Australia who are undertaking an undergraduate degree course in Commerce, Economics, Engineering, Law or Science; however students enrolled in other courses are also encouraged to apply).

The scholarship is administered in accordance with the following conditions.

Title
1. The scholarship is called the BHP Billiton Iron Ore Indigenous Scholarship.

Purpose 
2. The purpose of the scholarship is to assist and encourage Indigenous students from the Pilbara and Kimberley regions and other remote/regional areas of Western Australia to undertake an undergraduate degree course at the University.

Value
3. The BHP Billiton Iron Ore Indigenous Scholarship provides—

(a) accommodation fees up to $12,000 compulsory costs per annum at the University’s hall of residence or another residential college affiliated to the University; and

(b) $4000 per annum living allowance; and

(c) $1000 per annum ancillary costs.

Eligibility Requirements
4. (1) To be eligible to apply for a scholarship an applicant must be—

(a) a citizen or permanent resident of Australia; and

(b) an Indigenous person;

(c) be experiencing financial hardship, which may be demonstrated by the applicant—

(i) being in receipt of a means-tested Commonwealth income support payment (such as Youth Allowance, Austudy, Abstudy, disability support pension, Veteran Entitlements, payment of another income-tested benefit or pension); or

(ii) submitting a statement of financial need;

(d) be enrolled, or eligible to enrol, in an undergraduate degree course at the University.

(2) Preference is given to applicants in the order of priority set out below:

(a) to applicants enrolled in or eligible to enrol in a Commerce, Economics, Engineering, Law or Science course who come from the Pilbara or Kimberley regions;

(b) to applicants enrolled in a Commerce, Economics, Law or Science course who within the four years immediately preceding the commencement of the relevant undergraduate degree course either:

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

(ii) have completed their final two years of schooling in a high school or college in a Western Australian regional or remote area; or

(iii) have moved away from their Western Australian regional or remote area home to complete the whole of the majority of their secondary schooling; or

(iv) lived in a rural or remote area of Western Australia for a total of at least two years and have relocated from the regional or remote area to undertake vocational education and training e.g. TAFE for a maximum of two years duration immediately preceding the commencement of their undergraduate course.

(c) to applicants enrolled or eligible to enrol in a Bachelor of Arts course who are residents of the Pilbara or Kimberley or who are qualified under (b);

(d) to applicants enrolled or eligible to enrol in a Commerce, Economics, Law or Science course who are resident in the metropolitan area;

(e) to applicants enrolled or eligible to enrol in a Bachelor of Arts course, who are residents in the metropolitan area;

(f) to applicants who are enrolled or are eligible to enrol in, a course of study in a Faculty other than those listed above.¹Â 

¹ The University must obtain written agreement from BHP Billiton prior to awarding a scholarship to an applicant in this category.

(3) Recipients of scholarships who are enrolled or eligible to enrol in Commerce, Economics, Sciences or Engineering are strongly encouraged to select one of the following majors or programmes within their degree course—

(a) Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Petroleum Engineering and Process and Instrumentation and Control Engineering;

(b) Chemistry, Earth Science, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Environmental Science, Environmental Geoscience or Management, Geology, Geology and Resource Economics, Mineral Geoscience, Petroleum Geoscience, and Metallurgy;

(c) Finance (Corporate), Finance (Investment), Finance (Quantitative), Financial Accounting, Human Resource Management, Management, Managerial Accounting, Economics and Industrial Relations.

Body Responsible for Selection
5. The body responsible for selection is the Scholarships Committee.

Selection Criteria
6. The scholarship is awarded by the Scholarships Committee to the applicant who, amongst those eligible in terms of clause 4(2), best demonstrates in their application and supporting documentation—

(a) academic achievement and potential;

(b) other achievements, abilities, leadership or community service;

(c) financial hardship.

Selection Process
7. Selection of the recipient is made by the Scholarships Committee having regard to the applicants’ academic records, completed application, supporting documentation, the preferences set out in clause 4(2) and in consultation with BHP Billiton.

Awarding Body
8. The scholarship is awarded by the Scholarships Committee.

Method of Payment
9. (1) The scholarship is paid in three parts.

(2) The accommodation fees are paid directly to the University's Hall of Residence or another residential college affiliated to the University.

(3) The $4000 per annum living allowance is paid in fortnightly instalments across the standard academic year (40 weeks).

(4) The ancillary costs of $1000 per annum are paid directly to the student in one instalment, normally following the census date in first semester.

Criteria for Continuation 
10. Continuation of the scholarship from year to year is subject to the recipient—

(a) making satisfactory progress in accordance with the rules for the course for which the scholarship is awarded;

(b) maintaining continuous enrolment at the University as a full-time student in the course for which the scholarship is awarded, unless otherwise approved; and

(c) continuing to reside at the University’s hall of residence or another residential college affiliated with the University, unless there are extenuating circumstances which prevent the applicant from residing in any of these places.

Duration of Award
11. The scholarship is tenable for—

(a) the duration or remainder (whichever is applicable) of the undergraduate course for which it is awarded, including an Honours year if applicable; or

(b) the duration or remainder of the original course if the recipient transfers from the course for which the scholarship is awarded to another course of the University.

Concurrent Awards
12. The scholarship may not be held in conjunction with any other undergraduate scholarship or award except a Commonwealth Scholarship or University-funded scholarships and awards.

Suspension of Scholarship
13. The scholarship may be suspended for up to one year (two semesters) during the tenure of the scholarship subject to approval from the Scholarships Committee.

Administering Body
14. The scholarship is administered by the Scholarships Committee.

Application Procedure
15. Written applications are called for annually on the University Scholarships website at http://www.scholarships.uwa.edu.au/home/undergrad and must be submitted with supporting documentation by the advertised closing date.

Student Opportunity
16. Recipients of the scholarship are provided with the opportunity to participate in the BHP Billiton Iron Ore Mentor Program and to take up vacation employment with BHP Billiton Iron Ore.

Publications
17. Any thesis, dissertation or other publication resulting from research undertaken by the recipient while in receipt of the BHP Billiton Iron Ore Indigenous Scholarship must acknowledge the support of the scholarship and carry the University by-line.

Intellectual Property
18. Intellectual property is governed by the University’s Intellectual Property Policy available on the University’s website at http://www.universitypolicies.uwa.edu.au/page/117132.