Version: 2006-3 Authorised Officer: Institute Scholarship Officer Approved: Ho A&R 11/09/06
Review by end Nov 07
These can be Education (CECS) or Accommodation scholarships (CAS). They are for students doing a first degree rather than a second degree or postgraduate degree courses. (there may be some exceptions in priority areas for Graduate Diplomas in 2007). CECS are reviewed annually and CAS every 6 months. CECS is about $2000 (increases each year) in one payment (in 2006, $2,080 per year) and CAS is about $4000 (increases each year) paid in two payments each of about $2000 (in 2006, $2,080.50 per semester). To be eligible to be awarded a new CECS or CAS scholarship by Batchelor Institute, you must be enrolled in a degree level course (including Diploma and Advance Diploma) at the Institute in a total of at least 6 units for that year as at 31 March (Semester 1 applicants). You only have to apply once in that year. Some students commence studies in Semester 2 and apply for CECS then. For those students the key date is 31 August and both their enrolment in that Semester and the units they propose to do in Semester 1 of the following year are taken into account. Students enrolled in VET or PTS courses are not eligible. Students who are seeking a second degree or a Graduate Certificate/Diploma or Masters degree are not eligible, except for some approved combinations of degree/Graduate Diploma. To maintain your continuing scholarship in subsequent years (can be held for up to 4 years), you must: (a) Have passed a minimum number of units in the preceding year i.e. 3 units out of the minimum enrolment of 6 units. (b) Be enrolled in at least 6 units for the year you reapply as in (3) above as at 31 March. (Note: for all CLS Scholarships you must also obey Institute behavior rules and advise the Institute of any changes in current contact details.) (a) You must have submitted an application form (available on the Institute Website: www.batchelor.edu.au and have provided a recent Centrelink statement (for most students). (b) If you are eligible and there are more scholarships available then there are eligible applicants, you will be offered a scholarship. (c) If there are more eligible applicants than available scholarships, each application will be awarded a score on a fixed scoring system that rewards the neediest students. The students are then ranked and the neediest are offered the available scholarship. In 2006 there were surplus scholarships and this will probably continue for some time. (d) You will receive a letter of offer and you must sign the acceptance statement and provide your bank account details including your BSB number. Note: 1. Your account number is on your regular bank account statement. 2. Your account number is not shown on the saving or credit card linked to your account. (e) Scholarship staff send the request to pay to Finance staff who first must establish a vendor number for you and then instruct your bank to deposit the funds into your bank account. The process can take up to 2 weeks from the time Finance staff receive the request to the time the funds are deposited into your account. Delays can occur if Finance staff have other pressing work demands or if the process spans the end of the month or financial year. Processing of Scholarship requests is
Version: 2006-3 Authorised Officer: Institute Scholarship Officer Approved: Ho A&R 11/09/06 Review by end Nov 07
1. What are Commonwealth Learning Scholarships?
2. How much do these scholarships pay?
3. Eligibility
4. Maintaining a CLS
5. How is a new CECS Scholarship awarded?
given a high priority.
6. What can cause the most serious delays?
(a) You are not eligible. (b) There are more needy students. (c) Your address was wrong or it changed and you did not notify the Institute. (d) Your bank account details were incorrect. (a) Institute Scholarship staff mail a renewal application to you at the end of the calendar year. (b) You complete this form and return it to the Scholarships Officer along with a change in account details form in case these have changed. Less documentation is required than for new applicants. (c) Advise the Institute of any change in contact details. (d) When your completed renewal form is received, Scholarships staff review that calendar year’s academic performance to see if the requirements in 4(a) above are met. (e) Before the instruction to pay process as above is initiated (e.g. after 31 March), your performance in the preceding year and current enrolment for the new academic year are again checked as in 4( a, b). A grade may have been finalised or you may have changed your enrolment. (f) The payment process is easier than in 4(e) above because Finance staff already have a vendor number for you. Again your bank account details must be current.
7. How are continuing CECS scholarships renewed?
8. Who is eligible for a new CAS (Accommodation)?
(a) You might be applying for a new CECS scholarship as well or, you might already hold a CECS scholarship and now have, through change of address, become eligible for a CAS scholarship. These are aimed at supporting students who, in the case of this Institute, have moved to the Darwin, Batchelor or Alice Springs local areas to study. (b) You would usually be a continuing CECS scholarship holder or for the new academic year, be successful in applying for a new CECS scholarship. However, if you have used your four years of the CECS Scholarship and have now become eligible for CAS on a residential basis, a CAS can be awarded if conditions in 4(a, b) are met. (c) The application form used for new CECS scholarships allows collection of residential information. You just fill that out and provide evidence of your residential address e.g. a recent rental receipt or a recent power and water bill receipt (copy only). You held a CAS scholarship in the previous year and you can provide evidence of eligible residential status (as in 8c). Scholarships staff will mail you request for a current evidence of eligible residential status. Your Semester 2 enrolments will also be checked soon after August. This is not unusual for tertiary institutions and ensures that a student could not inflate enrolment plans and then withdraw, after receiving a scholarship payment, without incurring a HECS debt for the late withdrawal in that semester. HECS liabilities are usually greater than the value of the Scholarship. Substantial case review work can still be done prior to these dates if students apply early. Scholarship renewal requests should be submitted before the end of February (or July for mid year CAS reviews).
9. Who is eligible for a continuing CAS scholarship?
10. What is involved in the mid year CAS review?
11. Why is the instruction to Finance delayed until after March 31 or August 31?
Version: 2006-3 Authorised Officer: Institute Scholarship Officer Approved: Ho A&R 11/09/06
Review by end Nov 07
Continuing students are assessed first as a financial commitment of up to 4 years has already been made to those students (subject to performance).
12. Which students are assessed first each year?
13. Do the Scholarships affect Centerlink or other payments? 14. How rigid are closing dates?
No, however you generally cannot receive CAS and another accommodation scholarship. If there are more eligible applicants than available scholarships (not currently the case), those received by the closing date are assessed. If there are surplus scholarships, late applicants, including those received at the commencement of semester 2 can be considered. This allows for a student to complete a 4 year undergraduate program (32 units) if enrolled in 8 units per year and pass all units or take additional load to repeat some units. Some students do better on a less demanding load e.g. have a specific educational problem or work part time or have substantial family responsibilities. The four years allows a student to complete a 3 year program (24 units) by doing the minimum for a CLS i.e. 6 units per year for 4 years if all units are passed. (Note that some units are whole year units and count as two units in that total of 24 units and as two units when assessing if a student is enrolled in at least 6 units for that year.) A student may not have passed sufficient units or may be enrolled in too few units. If a very strong case can be established for personal circumstances that may prevent a student performing well or taking on a substantial number of units, the Institute Scholarship Committee can still award the Scholarship or its continuation. At the Institute, recommendations from Institute staff are relied on to support the student’s case. However, many of the Institute’s students have challenging circumstances and the case must be exceptional. Regardless, applications are assessed in a fair and sympathetic manner. The case is scored on criteria that take into account remote locations, income, dependants, handicaps and carer responsibilities. In essence, this score captures the challenging circumstances noted in 16 rather than the ‘exceptional circumstances’.
15. Why 4 years for the CLS Scholarships?
16. How do exceptional circumstances become influential?
17. If there are insufficient scholarships, how are the applicants ranked?
Unfortunately, the scholarship cannot be continued even if there is one year left in the four year scholarship. Scholarships staff do take into account when a Scholarship commenced e.g. in Semester 2.
18. What happens if I have only a few units left to completed a degree e.g. fewer than 6 in one year?
Unless you address the latter problem by enrolling in more units, your scholarship is suspended. Provided you have not used all four years already, you can reapply the next year as a continuing applicant based on academic performance and enrolment (the Application to Continue form is on the Institute website). Students who held a Scholarship then did not study for one or more years should apply as a new applicant. (i.e. based only on enrolment load), and you can resume your scholarship.
19. What happened if I fail to meet the criteria for a continuing CECS scholarship holder? e.g. too many units are failed or enrolment load is too low?
Yes, but you need to advise the Scholarship Officer, provide your academic record and the number of years you have held a scholarship. You can then be considered as a continuing student for the rest of the four years of the original scholarship. If you are eligible for a CECS scholarship, CAS applicants are just assessed on residential status as in 9 above.
20. Can I move from another university (where you hold CLS) to Batchelor Institute and apply for a scholarship?
Version: 2006-3 Authorised Officer: Institute Scholarship Officer Approved: Ho A&R 11/09/06
Review by end Nov 07
The basic guidelines are provided by Australian Government (available on the Institute website). These can change from year to year. The Institute has some discretionary powers within these guidelines and these procedures are set by the Institute’s Scholarship Committee. Exceptional Circumstances cases are assessed by several members of that committee. If there are more scholarships than applicants, the processing and awarding of scholarships is done by two of the committee (the Scholarships Officer and the Chair of the committee). This is done to allow efficient processing. Lists of rejected applicants (those deemed to be ineligible, students who cannot be contacted or those who reject the scholarship offer) are tabled with the committee and a case can be reviewed if requested by a committee member. If there are more applicants than scholarships, ranking of the applicants involves several of the committee to ensure that equity principles are met.
21. How are CLS scholarships decision made?
The student can write to the Chair of the Institute Scholarship Committee who will liaise with other committee members if there seems to be some basis for the claim (see 24 below).
22. If a student considers that a breach of process has occurred, what option is available? 23. How can the Scholarship Officer assist you?
when there are more scholarships than applicants, the Institute will try to assist students to become eligible to meet requirements. This can involve advice to enrol in more units, (check with your relevant lecturer as well), or trying to contact students whose contact details are not current or whose bank details are wrong. However, there are limits to how much time can be spent on any one case so ensuring thta all necessary documentation is attached, will assist greatly. All communications should be to the Scholarships Officer, preferably in writing. Appeals based on a breach of process can go the Chair or Executive Officer or the Institute Scholarship Officer. Students should not seek to interact directly with Finance staff on payment issues but instead go through the Scholarship Officer. Mailing boxes for communications with the Scholarships Office will be placed in the main office of each School within the Institute and in the main Administration building. Or you can mail directly to: The Scholarships Officer Institute Scholarship Sub-Committee Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education C/- Post Office Batchelor NT 0845 Written communication is preferred as there is no doubt about what details were provided and what the response was. Visits from numerous students wanting to know when they will be paid just adds greatly to the workload and slows down the process for everyone. The Scholarships are not provided as emergency funding and students wanting to convey the desperation of their circumstances cannot speed up the process, no matter how sympathetic Scholarships staff may be.
24. Communication
25. Submitting CLS Application Forms
26. Written communication
Version: 2006-3 Authorised Officer: Institute Scholarship Officer Approved: Ho A&R 11/09/06
Review by end Nov 07