About this scholarship

St Patrick’s College East Melbourne was the first Catholic Secondary School established in Victoria, in 1854. The college provided a Jesuit education for boys until it’s closure in 1968. The College’s alumni body, the St Patrick’s Old Collegians Association, established this scholarship in 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of the closure of the College. This scholarship supports students currently undertaking a Teaching degree at ACU’s Melbourne campus.

Scholarship type

Equity

Value

• The scholarship is valued at $5,000, to be paid instalments of $2,500 per semester.
• There is one scholarship available.

Student type

Current Students

Eligibility

This scholarship is open to applicants who meet all the following criteria:

• Citizenship: domestic
• Faculty: Education and Arts
• Course: any ACU undergraduate teaching degree
• Campus: Melbourne
• Year level: second year or above (as of Semester 1, 2025)
• Study load: full-time
• Financial Hardship
• A minimum Pass grade for at least two-thirds of the credit points undertaken in Semester 2, 2024.
• Contribution to community and/or social justice activities.

Application process

Applicants will be required to provide the following as part of the application:

• A written statement* of approximately 300 words outlining:
  • what you hope to achieve with your degree in the future.
  • how the scholarship will benefit you and your career.
  • any hardships or barriers you have overcome to access higher education **.
• Evidence of financial need (if relevant) For example:
  • Most recent Tax Assessment Notice OR
  • Centrelink Income Statement OR
  • the most recent 60 days of bank transactions AND pay slips from the last 6 weeks.
• If you are the first in your immediate family to attend University, please provide a Statutory Declaration to support this.
• Evidence of your contribution to the community and/or social justice activities (for example a reference letter or certificate).

* Statements are assessed on content, not language skills. If you access assistance from advisors, tutors or AI technology to complete your personal statement, please ensure that your submission accurately reflects your personal situation with regards to the criteria.

** Hardships or barriers may include but are not limited to financial disadvantage, single parent background, ongoing medical conditions, non-English speaking background, living in a regional, rural or remote location or adjusting to life in Australia as a refugee.  

Selection criteria

Applications are assessed based primarily on the strength of the following criteria:

• Financial and other hardships
• Written statement
• Your contribution to the community and/or social justice activities.

Additional weighting will be given to students who are the first in their family to attend University.

Selection process

The recipient will be selected by the Scholarships Office.

Ongoing requirements

To remain eligible for this scholarship, recipients are required to maintain the followin each semester for the duration of the scholarship:

• A minimum pass grade average for all enrolled units
• A full-time study load in a teaching degree at the Melbourne campus

Other

• Recipients will also be requested to submit an impact statement for the donor explaining how the scholarship has assisted them. The letter should be submitted to the Scholarships Office no later than 1 October each year.
• Recipients are encouraged to attend award and appreciation events to meet scholarship donors.