Support for mature age students experiencing hardship

This award supports mature aged students enrolled in a degree hosted by the School of Human Services and Social Work who are experiencing financial hardship, carer responsibilities or social disadvantage.

Key points

Targeted to

School of Human Services and Social Work students

Value

$500

Level of study

Undergraduate and Postgraduate

Apply by

Monday 30 June 2025 for Trimester 2 2025

Scholarship details

To be eligible, you must be:

  • an Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen, permanent humanitarian visa holder or permanent resident
  • enrolled in a degree hosted by the School of Human Services and Social Work by the closing date of this scholarship
  • experiencing financial hardship, carer responsibilities and/or social disadvantage*
  • aged 30 years or over.

*Examples of social disadvantage may include, but are not limited to:

  • having come from a background of poverty
  • being a sole carer for a family member(s)
  • being a parent of a child with special needs
  • having a disability or mental illness
  • being a legal Australian resident who may have had previous experience or status as a refugee.

You can apply for this bursary via our scholarship application process.

Application information

We use the following sections of the application to consider you for this scholarship:

Personal details

  • Date of birth.

Study details

  • Program (current students)
  • Program preferences (commencing students).

Personal background

  • Circumstances
  • Scholarships
  • Income and expenditure.

Statements

  • Personal statement: Outline your challenges in detail, such as social circumstances of significant hardship or disadvantage, family carer and/or parenting responsibilities and all other challenges you have had to overcome.
  • Supporting documentation: You must upload the following in the supporting documentation section:
    • Other: Provide evidence of financial hardship (if applicable), such as a current Centrelink or tax statement.

    Please upload the following formats only: PDF, Word, JPEG or Excel. We cannot guarantee other formats will be accepted.

Value

This bursary is valued at $500, payable in a single instalment.

Payment

Payments are made up to six weeks after census date, subject to the recipient satisfying scholarship terms and conditions.

Payment is made, after census, on confirmation the recipient is enrolled at Griffith University and still meets eligibility requirements.

The recipient will be prepared to attend the School of Human Services and Social Work awards breakfast (when offered), in or around October of the year in which the bursary is awarded, to meet the donor (or as otherwise arranged between the recipient and donor). The recipient will be contacted with further details closer to the event.

Applications, including any supporting documentation, must be completed and submitted by the closing date.

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.

Donor details

This award has been created in memory of Jay Schwer, a Griffith University Bachelor of Social Work student.

The donation for the award has been provided by Dr Katrina Radford in loving memory of Jay on behalf of his family: Jacquelyn Hamilton (mum), Richard Gehres (stepdad), Shana Schwer (sister), Katrina Radford (fiancee) and children.

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.