IBA Scholarship Fund

Scholarships are intended for Indigenous Australians who face financial barriers that might otherwise restrict their options for gaining a tertiary qualification. The Fund acknowledges that mature-age students are often required to make great personal and financial sacrifices in order to complete qualifications that will help advance their personal and career goals.

The Fund provides recipients with financial assistance to relieve the financial burden of study, which may include course fees, telecommunication costs,  accommodation, transport and textbooks.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for an IBA Scholarship you must be:

• of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent.
• of mature age – no younger than 19 years old, and have not finished secondary school within the past 18 months.
• able to demonstrate that you have support to undertake study from your employer, community or an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander organisation.
• a demonstrated ability and capacity to undertake study.
• accepted into an approved course – then enrol and maintain enrolment in your approved course.
• an Australian resident.

Note: Applicants with a current or previous study history will also be required to provide details of an academic referee, and an up-to-date academic transcript/record.

Your studies should be related to the fields of commercial and economic management; for example, business, accounting, financial management and commerce.

Qualifications can be attained throughVocational Education and Training (VET), TAFE courses or higher education including undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Capability/Bridging courses may also be considered prior to higher education.

Important dates

The 2014 Round of the Fund will open in September 2013. If you are interested in applying in the future, IBA suggests you Subscribe to receive our Scholarship news and updates.

Find out more

We invite you to read more about the Fund:

• The current IBA Scholarship Fund Policy document (PDF, 410KB, new window) provides detailed information for applicants from 2011 onward. Note: applicants awarded an IBA Scholarship in the 2008, 2009 and 2010 rounds can refer to the pre 2011 Scholarship Fund Policy (PDF, 394KB, new window).
• IBA Scholarship Fund Flyer (PDF 950KB, new window)
• Indigenous Scholar Alan Holt (PDF 240KB, new window) discusses the impact a scholarship has had on his professional and personal ambitions.
• In A degree of change, graduate Yvette Carolin describes how she balanced study, work and family commitments in achieving her Bachelor of Commerce degree.
• Scholarship graduate  Sharon Ah Chee ( PDF, 89KB, new window) discusses how she plans to apply her Bachelor of Business degree to assist other Indigenous women.
• In The resilient voice scholarship recipient Darryl Rae discusses how he has faced the challenge of distance learning and an unexpected change in his employment status while studying toward his Degree in Community Management.

If you require any further information please contact the  IBA Scholarship Fund team by email (new window) or Freecall 1800 107 107.

Does a scholarship affect my income?

IBA cannot provide advice to applicants about how an IBA Scholarship might affect your taxation status or other Australian Government payments. Below are some suggested contacts for further information:

• Visit  the Australian Tax Office website (external website. new window) (ATO) and enter ‘scholarships’ in the search facility at the top of the page. Or phone the ATO enquiry line on 13 28 61
• Visit the Australian Government Social Securities Guide website (external website, new window) or contact your local Centrelink Office for information about Centrelink payments and scholarships
• Visit the Centrelink website (external website, new window) or phone the ABSTUDY enquiry line on 13 23 17 for information about ABSTUDY and scholarships