First Nations Emergency Equity Grant
- Applications open
- Available to:
Commencing Students; Continuing Students - Value: up to $1000
- Duration: one off payment, EFT or Voucher
The Charles Sturt University First Nations Student Emergency Equity Grant provides assistance to students who are experiencing financial hardship which is impacting their capacity to study. Grants are provided to help with the costs of accommodation, basic living costs, groceries, textbook and course material/equipment and transport costs. PLEASE NOTE: New students must have passed the Census date of their first session of study to be eligible to apply for this Grant.
Am I Eligible?
To be eligible for this grant you must be:
- A First Nations Australian Citizen.
- studying an undergraduate or postgraduate degree as an active student and have completed one semester of study or be enrolled after the census date of your first semester.
- enrolled in a Charles Sturt University course as a Commonwealth supported student in a Commonwealth supported place.
- full fee-paying students may be considered on a case by case basis.
- continuing students must have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher (pass grade average).
- an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen, a permanent Australian resident or a student with an Australian permanent visa.
- able to demonstrate you are in financial need and your continued study might be placed in jeopardy without assistance
PLEASE NOTE: Once you have submitted your application you are required to attend an appointment with the Scholarship and Finance Support Officer to discuss your application. Please make your appointment here.
If you need assistance please contact Student Central
Frequently Asked Questions
What supporting documentation do I need to submit with my application?
- Current Centrelink income statement or
- Three recent payslips showing year to date income.
- Further documentation to assess your application may be requested at your appointment with the Student Scholarship and Finance Support Officer.
What if I have another scholarship/grant?
If you are receiving any other scholarship or grant for the same purpose you may not be eligible for this grant.
Can I save my application and then finish it at a later date?
Yes you can, as long as you log back in and submit your application before the closing date.
What if I didn't receive the email receipt once submitting my 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 email receipt after 24 hours, send an email to finance.slo@csu.edu.au quoting the application number, your name and student ID.
When will I find out if I was successful?
You will receive an email after your appointment with the Scholarship and Finance Support Officer advising you of the outcome of your application.
If I am successful when and how do I get paid?
Payments will be made by EFT to your nominated bank account and food vouchers will be sent express post.
How do I register my bank details with Charles Sturt?
Register your bank details via online administration.
What if my circumstances have changed since submitting my application form?
You must notify the Scholarship and Finance Support Officer immediately by emailing finance.slo@csu.edu.au. Upon receipt of details regarding a change in circumstances, we may reassess your eligibility.
Can I apply for this scholarship/grant when I’m on a Leave of Absence?
Scholarships/grants cannot be deferred. Recipients who defer their studies of take a Leave of Absence will have their scholarship/grant withdrawn and payment will not be made. These students are eligible to apply in a future session providing they still meet the eligibility criteria.
Charles Sturt University will terminate your scholarship/grant offer if:
- you cease to meet the eligibility criteria;
- you are guilty of academic misconduct;
- the scholarship/grant was awarded on the basis of false or misleading information.
Do I have to tell Centrelink or the Australian Tax Office about my grant?
A scholarship/grant recipient should be aware that payments may be regarded as income by Centrelink or ATO it is the responsibility of the recipient to seek independent advice with respect to implications resulting from receiving this grant.
Guidelines
- The Charles Sturt University First Nations Student Emergency Equity Grant will provide financial assistance to students experiencing financial hardship.
- The grant is to provide help with accommodation costs, basic living costs, groceries, textbook and course material/equipment and transport costs, or for additional accommodation or transport costs associated with attending COVID-impacted internal intensive catch-ups, placements or intensive (residential) schools.
- The grant is valued up to $1,000.
- Is payable by voucher or cash (EFT) to your nominated bank account that you have registered with Charles Sturt University.
- Recipients are limited to the number of Student Emergency Support Grants they may be awarded.
- The Scholarship and Finance Support Officer will be responsible for the assessment, allocation and administration of this grant.
The following are considered as eligible means tested Centrelink Benefits | |
|---|---|
ABSTUDY – Secondary/Tertiary | Parenting Payment |
Age Pension | Partner Allowance |
AUSTUDY | Sickness Allowance |
Carer Payment | Special Benefit |
Disability Support Pension | Widow Allowance |
Farm Household Allowance | Widow B Pension |
Job Seeker Payment | Wife Pension |
Low Income Health Care Card | Youth Allowance |
| Newstart Allowance | |
Terms and Conditions
By accepting the grant offer you agree to:
- fulfil all requirements as set out in these guidelines;
- consent to Charles Sturt University accessing your student records for the purposes of assessing and administering the grant;
- provide any change of individual circumstances in writing to the Scholarships Office scholarships@csu.edu.au;
- provide information and participate in surveys for promotional purposes and review of this grant;
- accept the terms and conditions of this grant.
The University reserves the right to undertake audits of individual student’s records to ensure adherence to these guidelines.
Policy
Charles Sturt University will treat any information provided by the applicant within the terms of relevant privacy legislation. See Charles Sturt privacy policy for further information
Due to privacy laws, any discussion of a grant application or recipient will only take place with the grant applicant/recipient.
The information collected will be used by authorised University staff to assess eligibility and administer the scholarship program. The information may also be used for assessment purposes for other scholarships, grants and equity programs across the University. Recipient names and email addresses may be made available to departments within the University for marketing and research purposes. No details will be used externally for any reason without the recipient’s consent. Students should be aware that they provide information of their own free will.
Personal and health information provided by the applicant will not be made available to any person within the University or external organisation for any other purpose without the applicant’s consent, except where it may be a legal requirement of the University to provide information.
Definitions
- Active Student: A student who is enrolled in subject/s in the current/commencing session. This excludes students on approved Leave of Absence.
- Carer: For Charles Sturt University’s purposes, a carer is defined as a person of any age, who without being paid (excluding Centrelink), cares for another person who needs ongoing support because of a long-term medical condition, a mental illness, a disability, frailty or the need for palliative care. A carer may or may not be a family member and may or may not live with the person. Volunteers under the auspices of a voluntary organisation are not included. Scholarship recipients may be in receipt of a Centrelink Carer Allowance or Carer Payment.
- Census Date: The date at which you can withdraw from a subject or course without financial penalty.
- Commencing Student: A student enrolled in and undertaking subjects in their first session of study.
- Commonwealth Supported Place: A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is a subsidised higher education enrolment. The Australian Government subsidises a CSP by paying part of the fees for the place directly to the University.
- Commonwealth Supported Student: A student enrolled in a CSP is referred to as a ‘Commonwealth supported student’. Students only pay the ‘student contribution’ amount, set by the university, for their units of study. (As defined in the Higher Education Support Act 2003).
- Conditional Offer: An offer of a scholarship which is made based on you continuing to meet the eligibility requirements as at session Census Date.
- Continuing Student: A student enrolled in, and undertaking, subjects in their second and subsequent sessions of study.
- Domestic Student (Student): Means a student with a permanent home address in Australia who is:
- An Australian citizen
- A New Zealand citizen
- A diplomatic or consular representative of New Zealand, a member of the staff of such a representative or the spouse or dependent relative of such a representative; or
- A student with an Australian permanent visa.
- Financial Need: A person is considered to be in financial need if they are in receipt of an eligible means-tested Centrelink benefit or in financial hardship. Refer to Eligible benefits in these guidelines.
- Financial Hardship: A person is considered to be in financial hardship when they find it difficult to provide for themselves, their family or dependents basic necessities such as food, accommodation, clothing, medical treatment and education.
- Full Fee paying: If you're a domestic student in a full-fee-paying place, it means your place receives no financial contribution from the government and you are required to pay the full cost of the course.
- Full-time: A full-time student is one who is enrolled to undertake an amount of study of at least three quarters (or 75%) of an equivalent full-time study load (EFTSL). At Charles Sturt University, this equates to being enrolled in three or more (8 point) subjects, or 24 subject points or more per session.
- Grade Point Average: A grade point is the numerical value assigned to a final grade to allow calculation of a Grade Point Average (GPA). GPA is the average of all final grades obtained by a student for courses within an academic program.
- Indigenous: for the purposes of these Guidelines, means a person who is of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent; identifies as an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander; and is accepted as an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in the community in which he/she lives or has lived.
- Integrated Program: Students are co-enrolled and study at both TAFE and Charles Sturt University. Under this type of arrangement, specific courses are identified and a formal agreement is signed.
- Internal Student: An internal student is a student that is studying the majority of subjects for any given session of the course as an on campus student. For example, if a student is enrolled in four subjects for a session, then three or more subjects must be studied internally (on campus). If a student is enrolled in three subjects for a session, then two or more subjects must be studied internally (on campus). The status as an internal student can change for each session of study.
- Leave of Absence: Official approval to be absent from your study, whilst still maintaining the status of enrolled student.
- Online Student: A student enrolled in 75% or more of subjects in a given session studying online.
- Part-time: A part-time student is one who is enrolled in one or two (8 point) subjects per session, which equates to 8 or 16 subject points per session.
- Postgraduate: A person who has obtained a degree from a university and is pursuing studies for a more advanced qualification.
- Pro Rata: a proportional distribution of the total amount to ensure equal allocation.
- Regional, Remote or Very Remote Area:The Australian Standard Geographical Classification – Remoteness Areas (ASGC-RA) is a geographical system developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to classify different living zones in Australia. Classifications are postcode based and are identified as ‘Remote’, ‘Very Remote’, ‘Major Cities’, ‘Inner Regional’ and ‘Outer Regional’. To find your classification, you can view the following map.
- Special Circumstances: Circumstances which are beyond the student’s control and which a reasonable person would consider is not due to the student’s action or inaction, either direct or indirect, and for which the student is not responsible. This situation must be unusual, uncommon or abnormal.
- Undergraduate: Undergraduate students who are enrolled and are studying for approved undergraduate qualifications at eligible higher education providers. Approved undergraduate qualifications include Bachelor Degree, Associate Degree, Advanced Diploma and Diploma courses of study. Enabling courses do not qualify.
How to Apply
Forms and Documents
Download and save any forms you require for your application
Application
- Complete an online application form.
- Applications will be assessed in accordance with the eligibility criteria and supporting documentation.
- Applications with incorrect or no supporting documentation will be deemed ineligible.
- You may be assessed as eligible but not receive an offer due to quota restrictions.
Outcome
- All applicants will be informed in writing of the outcome of their application.
Acceptance
- Successful applicants are required to accept their grant/scholarship offer.
- Offers not accepted by the offer expiry date will be withdrawn.
Apply online
Applications are OPEN for the 2023 grant and will close at 11:59pm 13 Nov 2023