November 1, 2022

New scholarship for South Coast, Southern Highlands students

Regional Kick Start Scholarships enable students to study for a university degree close to home

The University of Wollongong (UOW) has launched a new scholarship program for South Coast and Southern Highlands students designed to support regional students with resources and living costs during their first year of study.

The $3,000 UOW Regional Kick Start Scholarships will make it easier for those students to undertake a university degree close to home, enabling them to balance their studies with work, family, and social life.

There are 40 UOW Regional Kick Start Scholarships on offer to all students commencing degree courses in 2023 at the UOW Southern Highlands, Shoalhaven, Batemans Bay and Bega campuses. Both recent school leavers and mature-age students are eligible for the scholarships.

UOW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Patricia M. Davidson said the University was committed to making higher education, and the opportunities it brings, accessible to more people.

“We have a proud history of working closely with our communities to drive increased participation and attainment among underrepresented groups and this new scholarship continues that tradition,” Professor Davidson said.

“Around 50 per cent of our students are first in family, approximately 18 per cent of our domestic undergraduate cohort are from a low socio-economic status background, 29 per cent are from regional and remote areas, 2.9 per cent identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and 11.6 per cent have a disability.

“Our regional campuses have dedicated learning development staff, student support and disability advisors, student counsellors and careers consultants to support students, most of whom are from underrepresented backgrounds.

“Our campuses in the Shoalhaven, Southern Highlands, Batemans Bay and Bega have made higher education more accessible to many people, the Regional Kick Start Scholarships will put a university degree within reach of even more.”

Potential students with a current application to any UOW Regional Campus for commencement in first semester (Autumn) 2023 are eligible to apply now via the UOW website.

Successful applicants will be advised in February 2023, and scholarships will be contingent upon enrolment at the regional campus for at least two semesters in 2023. 

UOW’s regional campuses offer a wide range of study options including courses in accounting, finance and economics; business, marketing and management; education, health, humanities and human inquiry; nursing and medical science; and social science and advocacy.

As well as full degrees, UOW’s 1^st year program allows students to study the first year of a degree at their local campus, and is available for courses including arts; business; creative arts; communications and media; economics and finance; international studies; and politics, philosophy and economics.