Scholarships encourage study in regional Australia

More students will experience study and life in regional Australia with a Morrison Government scholarship that will open up new opportunities outside the capital cities. 

Minister for Education Dan Tehan today launched the $94 million Destination Australia program, which aims to attract 4,720 students to study at regional campuses from next year with scholarships of $15,000. 

The scholarships will be open to domestic and international students to undertake a qualification from a Certificate IV through to a PhD in a regional community. 

“Regional Australia is a wonderful place to live and our regional universities and VET providers offer something different to studying in a capital city, such as a cheaper cost of living, smaller class sizes, and a unique experience of Australia,” Mr Tehan said. 

“Attracting more students, both Australian and international, to study in the regions is part of the Morrison Government’s focus on regional tertiary education. 

“International students who study in regional Australia rate their living and learning experience higher than students based in metropolitan centres yet of the 690,000 international students in Australia last year, just 21,000, or three per cent, of enrolments were in regional Australia. 

“These scholarships will encourage more students to broaden their horizons beyond the big cities and will ensure regional communities share in the benefits of our vibrant tertiary education sector that creates jobs and business opportunities, drives tourism and promotes cultural diversity.” 

Tertiary education providers are encouraged to check their eligibility and to apply via Community GrantsHub. Funding will be finalised later this year, allowing providers to offer scholarships for study commencing semester one 2020. 

Successful providers will be entitled to additional funding to allocate, administer and promote the scholarships to prospective international and domestic students. 

For more information about applying for the program visit www.education.gov.au/destination- australia