Port Macquarie Equity Scholarship

Am I Eligible?

To apply, you must:

1. an Australian citizen, permanent resident or holder of a humanitarian visa
2. be enrolled in your first undergraduate course through the CSU Port Macquarie Campus (Internal or Distance Education mode)
3. be a Commonwealth Supported student (HECS-HELP)
4. be enrolled full time
   -if you are studying part-time (under 24 points or less per session) you are eligible if you have extenuating circumstances preventing fulltime enrolment. Refer to the guidelines for more information
   - study load combines TAFE and CSU study
   
5. provide proof of low income:
   • a copy of your statement of income of a means tested Commonwealth Support Payment (eg, Youth Allowance, Austudy, ABSTUDY, Parenting Payment, Disability Support Pension)
     OR  
   • a copy of your latest ATO Notice of Assessment and your last two pay notices

Preference given to students who have relocated to attend University and resided in a regional, rural or remote areas of Australia for more than 3 years prior to commencing study at Port Macquarie campus of CSU.

Ongoing Eligibility

To retain your scholarship for the next and subsequent session's payment, by the Census Date you need to:

• maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 and above
• remain enrolled (further information in the Guidelines and FAQs)
• continue to have a low income or receive a Centrelink Living Allowance

Students who are taking an approved Leave of Absence from their course will have their scholarship suspended for that session and it will be automatically re-instated by the scholarship office for the following session.  A maximum of 2 sessions of suspension is allowed.

Guidelines

Download the 2013 Port Macquarie Equity Scholarship Guidelines [PDF]

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I didn't receive a confirmation when I submitted by application?

It might take up to 24 hours for your email receipt to come through.

• Have you checked your spam or junk mail folder?
• Did you provide the correct email address?

If you still haven't received the receipt after 24 hours, send an email to ask@csu.edu.au, quoting the submission number (if you got one), your name and DOB.

I applied last year and was unsuccessful, can I apply again?

Yes, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria you should apply again.

What if I am studying part time?

• To be eligible for the scholarship you need to be enrolled full time, which is at least three quarters (or 75%) of an equivalent full-time study load (EFTSL). This equates to three (8 point) subjects or more or 24 subject points or more per semester.
• Students who are enrolled to undertake less than this amount of study are not eligible unless there are exceptional circumstances that prevent the student from studying full-time.
• CSU will take into account factors such as disability, long term illness, indigenous community responsibilities and significant carer responsibilities in determining your inability to study full-time.
• Therefore, if you are applying for the scholarship but only studying part-time, you will need to provide documentation as outlined in the application form demonstrating the special circumstances.

How and when do I know if I was successful or unsuccessful?

You will receive an outcome notice by email by 22 Feb 2013

How do I receive and accept my offer?

The CSU Scholarship Office, Student Services will email your offer by 22 Feb 2013. Your Offer Letter will outline what you have to do.

If I am successful, how and when do I get paid?

• If you are successful payments will occur via electronic funds transfer (EFT) payable at half the annual scholarship value in each of the selected sessions.
• Payments are made within 3-4 weeks from the sessions Census Date.
• Bank details can be entered or updated online

How do I know if my home address is rural or not?

You can check your home postcode listing with this Remote Lookup

Can I suspend my scholarship if I am not going to study for a session and how many times can I suspend my Scholarship?

• As an enrolled CSU student, if you take an approved Leave of Absence from your course, you can suspend your scholarship for a maximum of 2 sessions and it is automatically re-activated next session by the Scholarship Office.
• If you defer your CSU course offer, you will need to reapply for the Scholarship again for the following year.

How to Apply

You need copies* of the following documents before you begin the application process

If you receive a means-tested Centrelink benefit

• Your current Centrelink Income Statement

If you are claiming low income (but are not receiving a Centrelink benefit)

• Health Care Card (if you have one)
• Most recent Australian Tax Office Notice of Assessment
• Most recent payslip including Year To Date earnings

*You must provide scanned copies to be uploaded and submitted with your application. Documents can be provided in PDF, JPG, DOC or TIFF format.