Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I apply for a scholarship?
- Are part-time students eligible for scholarships?
- What if I have already studied at TAFE?
- How can I maximise my chances of getting a scholarship?
- How do I know if I have moved from a "rural or remote" community?
- Is my application treated confidentially?
- How will applicants be selected to receive scholarships?
- How will I know if I am successful?
- When will I know if I am successful?
- Can I appeal if I am unsuccessful in my scholarship application?
- Can I enrol online if I have been awarded a scholarship or bursary?
- Are scholarships or bursaries transferable if a recipient transfers to another TAFE Institute?
- Am I able to hold more than one scholarship or bursary?
- Will my scholarship be reviewed?
- Can a scholarship or bursary be withdrawn?
- Can I appeal against a decision to withdraw my scholarship?
- What does my scholarship cover?
- How will my scholarship be paid?
- Will my scholarship be counted as income for taxation purposes?
1. How do I apply for a scholarship?
- Read about the different scholarships available here
- Click on the electronic application form link for the scholarship you are interested in. Alternatively, if you are having trouble accessing or downloading these forms, telephone us on 13 72 48 and we can email an application form to you.
- Complete the 'Eligibility Checklist' at the beginning of the application form to ascertain whether or not you are eligible to apply.
- Complete the application form electronically.
- Print out your completed application form and have your nominee/s complete applicable sections.
- Please note: continuing students applying for a Study Support Scholarship must organise for one of their teachers within their current program of study to nominate them for a scholarship, by completing a Teacher Nomination Form available on this website.
- Attach any relevant documentary evidence - certified copies must be attached where indicated.
- Sign the declaration and send your application to the Scholarships Officer, SBIT Scholarship and Bursary Program, Student Administration and Services, Southbank Institute of Technology, Locked Mail Bag 14, South Brisbane Q 4101. Alternatively you can hand your application directly in at the Information Desk, Student Services Centre, Level 1, C Block, Southbank Institute of Technology, 66 Ernest Street, South Brisbane. Applications must be received by the due date in order to be considered for a scholarship.
- Please note: the scholarship process is very competitive and not all applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be awarded a scholarship.
2. Are part-time students eligible for scholarships?
Part-time students are eligible for scholarships only if exceptional circumstances prevent them from studying full-time. This decision will be determined by the Scholarship Selection Panel. Factors that may be taken into account include significant carer responsibilities, disability, travelling time to place of study or any other unique circumstances.
3. What if I have already studied at TAFE?
Previous study at SBIT or another learning institution does not affect your eligibility, however you must be enrolling, or enrolled, for the first time at, or above, the level of your program (i.e. you have not studied a Diploma or higher either at SBIT or any other learning institution, prior to the one you are currently completing or about to start).
4. How can I maximise my chances of getting a scholarship?
Read the terms and conditions of the scholarship/s you are interested in very carefully. Complete all relevant sections of the application form and submit all correct supporting documentation as detailed in the application form. It is necessary to provide the documents requested to verify that you are eligible and to assist in ranking your application relative to other applications. For example, if you are applying for a Study Support Scholarship or an Equity Scholarship and you have indicated in your application that you have a financial disadvantage, you must include correctly verified copies of documents confirming these circumstances. Information which cannot be immediately verified may not be assessed. All information supplied in your application is treated confidentially. Do not attach original documents to your application as these will not be returned to you. All photocopied documents must be certified by a Justice of the Peace or Commissioner of Declarations. Without the required supporting documentation your application cannot be assessed.
5. How do I know if I have moved from a "rural or remote" community?
If you have moved or will have to move from a rural or remote location in order to study at SBIT, and you wish this to be taken into consideration as an educational disadvantage, then you are required to detail this information in Section 9 within your Study Support Scholarship Application Form or Equity Scholarship Application Form. You must also have a suitable person complete a Confidential Statement of Support (Section 11) to verify your rural/remote circumstances.
The Scholarship Selection Panel will make the determination as to whether an applicant meets this criterion, based on the Australian Government’s Institute of Health & Welfare’s guidelines – ‘A Guide to Remoteness Classifications’, in particular the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) – Remoteness Areas Classification. This information can be found online at http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/9993. The classifications within this guideline include:"
- Major Cities of Australia
- Inner Regional Australia
- Outer Regional Australia
- Remote Australia
- Very Remote Australia
You can use the ASGC Remoteness Postcode Look-up Tool to check whether an address is considered to be regional or remote: Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) Remoteness Postcode Look-up Tool. An applicant who has come from a locality belonging to the Major Cities of Australia classification is deemed to not be from a rural or remote community. For an applicant to be classified as being from a rural or remote community, the Selection Panel may consider the following as determining factors:
- the applicant has lived in a regional or remote area of Australia for at least three years prior to the commencement of the current tertiary education course of study; and
- it was necessary for the applicant to move from the regional or remote area in order to undertake tertiary study and as a result, will incur or has incurred additional accommodation costs;
- the distance from the applicant's home to the relevant campus;
- the availability and quality of transport infrastructure between the applicant's home and the relevant campus;
- limitations on the applicant's mobility due to disability and/or carer responsibilities.
6. Is my application treated confidentially?
Yes. All information and documentation supplied by you will be treated confidentially and in accordance with the Queensland Government's Privacy Policy and Procedures. Information on how SBIT manage students' personal information, including practices for disclosure, is available at www.southbank.edu.au/site/legals/privacy.asp
7. How will applicants be selected to receive scholarships?
Selection of recipients for each scholarship is done via a shortlisting and selection process. Applicants are initially assessed against the eligibility and selection criteria, based on the information provided in their applications. A scoring system is applied to this assessment process and applications are rank-ordered according to those applicants that best meet the specific selection criteria for each type of scholarship. Interviews may also be held with shortlisted applicants as part of the selection process.
8. How will I know if I am successful?
Applications will be assessed by the Scholarship Selection Panel and a decision finalised prior to the commencement of Semester 1, 2009. Successful applicants will receive notification as soon as the process has been finalised. All applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application.
9. When will I know if I am successful?
The shortlisting and selection process for each of the different scholarships is expected to take approximately 14 days, however depending on the number of applications received, the process may take longer than this. Also, because applications for continuing (current) students are due just prior to the Christmas/New Year period, the process for these particular applications will not be completed until after New Year. In any event, the shortlisting and selection process for all applications will be completed prior to the commencement of Semester 1, 2009. If you have applied for a scholarship, we would suggest that you do not enrol for Semester 1, 2009 until you have received notification of the outcome of your scholarship application.
10. Can I appeal if I am unsuccessful in my scholarship application?
There is an appeals process students can follow if they feel that their application has not been treated fairly. Students should in the first instance seek explanatory feedback from the Selection Panel. This request must be done in writing via the Scholarships Officer, Student Administration and Services. Feedback from the Panel will be provided to the student within forty-eight hours.
If the student is dissatisfied with the explanation provided by the Selection Panel, they may request a review of the decision by making a submission in writing to the Scholarships Officer, Student Administration and Services. The request for a review of the decision must be made within 14 days of the date of notification of the Selection Panel's decision. If the appeal is not lodged within this specified timeframe, the decision will stand.
An Appeals Committee will review the Scholarship Selection Panel's decision. Advice concerning the outcome of the appeal will be provided to the student within 28 days of receipt of the appeal. Students will be notified of any unforeseen delays in finalising consideration of an appeal. The student requesting the review cannot add or change information within their application for the purpose of the review.
The decision of the Appeals Committee will be final and there will be no further recourse to appeal within the Institute.
11. Can I enrol online if I have been awarded a scholarship or bursary?
No. Successful scholarship applicants will be exempt from enrolling online. Both continuing and commencing students who are in receipt of a scholarship or bursary will be contacted by Student Administration and Services with instructions on having their enrolments processed. Accordingly, if you have applied for a scholarship, we would suggest that you do not enrol for Semester 1, 2009 until you have received notification of the outcome of your scholarship application.
Students must keep their original signed letter, notifying them of their scholarship, as evidence of their success in gaining a scholarship.
12. Are scholarships transferable if I transfer to another TAFE institute?
No. SBIT Scholarships are not transferable to other students, institutes or for other SBIT Programs in any circumstances. All scholarships are allocated by the Southbank Institute of Technology. If a student in receipt of a scholarship ceases to study at SBIT for any reason, including transfer to another TAFE or higher education provider, they relinquish their scholarship.
13. Am I able to hold more than one scholarship or bursary?
Recipients of SBIT scholarships cannot be awarded any other SBIT scholarship or bursary. Previous recipients of SBIT scholarships and bursaries, or students who have had a SBIT scholarship or bursary withdrawn, are not eligible to apply for additional or subsequent scholarships or bursaries.
14. Will my scholarship be reviewed?
Recipients of scholarships will need to maintain satisfactory academic progress throughout their program in order to retain their scholarships. Satisfactory academic progress is defined as gaining competencies across all individual courses each semester.
An assessment of both Director's Academic and Equity Scholarship recipients' academic progress will take place at the end of each semester. Student Administration and Services will contact recipients individually in order to review/discuss their academic progress.
15. Can a scholarship be withdrawn?
Southbank Institute of Technology will review cases individually to determine if a withdrawal is applicable. The Institute may withdraw a scholarship or bursary in the following circumstances:
- the recipient fails to maintain satisfactory academic performance;
- the recipient changes their mode of study from full-time to part-time (except if exceptional personal circumstances prevent full-time study);
- the recipient defers their program of study;
- the recipient withdraws from study;
- the recipient breaches Institute policies, rules and/or regulations or State or Commonwealth laws;
- the recipient is found to have provided false or misleading information in their application.
16. Can I appeal against a decision to withdraw my scholarship?
A student may appeal a decision to withdraw a scholarship or bursary. The appeal must be made in writing, to the Scholarships Officer, Student Administration and Services, within 14 days of the date of the written notification to the student. The request must set out the grounds for the appeal and may include any supporting material that the student believes lends support to their case. If the appeal is not lodged within this specified timeframe, the decision will stand.
An Appeals Committee will review a decision to withdraw a scholarship or bursary. Advice concerning the outcome of the appeal will be provided to the student within 28 days of receipt of the appeal. Students will be notified of any unforeseen delays in finalising consideration of an appeal. The Scholarship or Bursary award in question will be suspended until the outcome of the appeals process has been determined. The outcome of the Appeals Committee's deliberations will be documented in a report setting out the appeal decision, the modifications to the original decision where appropriate, and the reasons for the decision.
The decision of the Appeals Committee is final and there is no further recourse to appeal within the Institute. In the event that no appeal against a withdrawal decision is lodged, the decision will stand and the recipient will not be entitled to re-apply for any Southbank Institute Scholarship or Bursary. In the event that a withdrawal decision is upheld, the recipient will not be entitled to re-apply for any Southbank Institute Scholarship or Bursary.
17. What does my scholarship cover?
Each Study Support Scholarship will be valued at the enrolment cost of the recipient’s selected program for each course, for Semester 1, 2009 only. Any additional costs, including travel, materials or tools of trade such as uniforms, books or equipment required as part of the program will be the recipient’s responsibility. For programs that articulate directly into a university degree program, the scholarship will cover only the SBIT components of the program for the semester.
Each Director’s Academic Scholarship and Equity Scholarship will be valued at the enrolment cost of the recipient’s selected program for each course, per semester (on the condition that competencies are achieved across all courses in the preceding semester). Any additional costs, including travel, materials or tools of trade such as uniforms, books or equipment required as part of the program will be the recipient’s responsibility. For programs that articulate directly into a university degree program, the scholarship will cover only the SBIT components of the program.
18. How will my scholarship be paid?
Scholarship recipients will not receive any money from the Institute. The value of the Scholarship will be recorded on the student’s account with the enrolment cost being funded by the Institute upon enrolment for the particular semester.
19. Will my scholarship be counted as income for taxation purposes?
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) states: "If you are a student receiving full-time education at a school, college or university, your scholarship will be exempt subject to certain exceptions. Both private and public scholarships received by full-time school, college or university students in Australia or overseas can be exempt from income tax".
SBIT does not offer taxation advice regarding scholarships as it cannot be aware of all the financial circumstances of students. The ATO provides a tool to determine scholarship taxability based on certain criteria. To access this tool go to www.ato.gov.au. and type 'scholarships' into the Search option in the top right-hand corner of the page. Alternatively contact the ATO enquiry line on 13 28 61.