Support to reach your full potential
The Brighter Futures Scholarships are awarded to undergraduate students impacted by various types of educational disadvantage, including financial hardship, educational disruption, disability or others, that has impacted their ability to achieve their full potential.
This suite of scholarships will be awarded to commencing and continuing students and includes some scholarships that are specific for students registered with Student Disability and Accessibility Support, some specific for First Peoples students, as well as some specific to students who are Permanent Residents.
To see how this scholarship has benefitted past recipients, check out some of our student stories.
Donor details
The Brighter Futures Scholarship is supported by the Brighter Futures Scholarship Program. Our major external donors currently include:
- The Abedian Foundation, which funds 85 annual Gold Coast campus-specific scholarships (75 for continuing students and 10 for commencing students)
- The Frizelle Family, which funds eight commencing degree-length scholarships and two inclusive scholarships
- Esprit de Vie, which funds two continuing annual scholarships
- Matt Levy, who funds two inclusive scholarships
- Anna Cottell, who funds one inclusive scholarship.
Key points
Targeted to
Students impacted by educational disadvantage
Value
From $5,000 (for one year/80 CP of study) up to $40,000 (for a four-year, 320 CP degree)
Level of study
Undergraduate
Apply by
Trimester 1 2025 Round 2 - 4pm Tuesday 28 January 2025
Scholarship details
To be eligible you must:
- be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, permanent humanitarian visa holder or New Zealand citizen
- be a Griffith University undergraduate student (this includes commencing and continuing students)
- demonstrate educational disadvantage based on a comprehensive assessment by the University
- not have completed the requirements for an Australian bachelor award unless such an award is a prerequisite to your undergraduate program of enrolment and there is no alternate pathway into that program
- have a GPA of 4.5 or above (this applies to continuing students only)
- demonstrate sound academic potential by having achieved an ATAR above 85 or equivalent. Griffith may use your Educational Disadvantage Assessment score* to adjust your ATAR rank.
- not be in receipt of any other scholarship funding.
Additional eligibility for specific type of scholarship:
- Inclusive type is for commencing students with a disability who are registered with Griffith University Student Disability and Accessibility support services
- Permanent resident type is for commencing students who are permanent residents (CSP eligible) who do not qualify for FEE-HELP
- First Peoples type is for commencing Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students. Confirmation of Heritage may be required, such as letter of confirmation obtained from an incorporated Indigenous organisation and stamped with their Common Seal.
*Information provided by individuals in their Griffith online scholarship application is used to conduct a comprehensive Educational Disadvantage Assessment (EDA) in accordance with the following categories:
- Financial hardship
- Home environment and responsibilities
- English language difficulty
- Personal illness and disability
- Educational disruption
- Remoteness or relocation within Australia.
You can apply for this scholarship via our scholarship application process.
Application information
We use the following sections of the application to consider you for this scholarship:
Study details
- Program preferences (commencing students)
- Secondary education history (commencing students)
- Tertiary education history
- Program (continuing students)
- Relocation within Australia
Personal background
- Income and expenditure
- Scholarships
- Circumstances
Application assessment
Students will need to demonstrate educational disadvantage that impacts their ability to achieve their potential.
Information provided by individuals in their Griffith online scholarship application is assessed and ranked in accordance with the following Educational Disadvantage Assessment (EDA) categories:
- Financial hardship
- Home environment and responsibilities
- English language difficulty
- Personal illness and disability
- Educational disruption
- Remoteness or relocation within Australia.
Priority will be given to students who:
- have proven the ability for successful academic progression, as assessed by GPA for continuing students and ATAR (or equivalent) for commencing students
- were on a Brighter Futures single year scholarship in the preceding year.
Value
The maximum value of your scholarship and the trimester instalment amount is dependent on your awarded scholarship type:
| Scholarship Type | Maximum Value | Trimester instalment value |
|---|---|---|
| Educational disadvantage (degree-length) | $20,000 for a 320 CP degree or $15,000 for a 240 CP degree | $625 per 10 credit points |
| Educational disadvantage (one year/80 credit points) | $5,000 for 80 CP (one year of full-time study) | $625 per 10 credit points |
| Inclusive (degree-length) | $20,000 for a 320 CP degree or $15,000 for a 240 CP degree | $625 per 10 credit points |
| First Peoples (degree-length) | $20,000 for a 320 CP degree or $15,000 for a 240 CP degree | $625 per 10 credit points |
| Permanent Resident (degree-length) | $40,000 for a 320 CP degree or $30,000 for a 240 CP degree | $1,250 per 10 credit points |
Payment
Payments are made directly to the recipients' nominated bank account up to six weeks after the census date of each trimester, subject to satisfying scholarship terms and conditions. Instalments are based on enrolled credit points for the trimester, up to the maximum value.
Please note, payments made whilst studying part-time may be taxable.
Early payment
To ease the financial burden of students with initial expenses of the trimester, commencing and returning students who have accepted their scholarship offer and who are enrolled for the upcoming trimester three weeks before Orientation Week will receive an early instalment payment of $500 from their scholarship prior to orientation. This one-off early payment is only available at the start of the scholarship.
Non-financial benefits
- Networking opportunities with donors
- Mentorship through the Brighter Futures Program
- Professional development program.
You will be contacted via email prior to the event/activity by the Advancement Office who organise these.
To remain eligible for the scholarship, you will be required to:
- remain enrolled at Griffith University in an undergraduate degree
- maintain a GPA of 4.5 or above
- not be in receipt of any other scholarships funded by Griffith University.
The above conditions are verified each trimester at census date. If a scholarship recipient fails to successfully meet these conditions, scholarship payments may be withheld, or the scholarship may be terminated.
Applications must be completed and submitted by the closing date.
As part of your scholarship package, you are expected to participate in personal development and networking events (unless mutually agreed with the University); you are expected to attend at least one Brighter Futures Scholarship Program event and one professional development session.
For your personal development session and program activities, you will be contacted via email prior to the event/activity by the Advancement Office who organise these.
For further information, please email the Advancement Office:
Offers are made via email.
Applicants may be shortlisted and be required to provide additional information.
Griffith University reserves the right to withdraw an advertised scholarship at any time.
For students who received their Brighter Futures Scholarship prior to 2024, all details – including the value and duration of your scholarship – remain unchanged and are detailed in the acceptance confirmation email sent to you.
The following terms and conditions apply:
- remain enrolled at Griffith University in an undergraduate degree
- agree any deferment is only made in the same academic year
- maintain a GPA of 5.0 or above
- attend at least one Brighter Futures Scholarship Program event and one professional development session (unless mutually agreed with the University).
The above conditions are verified each trimester at census date. If a scholarship recipient fails to successfully meet these conditions, scholarship payments may be withheld, or the scholarship may be terminated.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to addressing the global challenge of poverty and promoting sustainable development by leveraging our resources, expertise, and partnerships to have a meaningful impact.
Start your application
We've put together a checklist to ensure you make the most of your scholarship application. Once you have all the information and documentation needed, you can create an account in or login to our scholarships system and submit your application.
Get in touch
If you have a question, need some help with your scholarship application, or would like to make a donation, feel free to contact us.