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 of the following ACU degrees:
  • Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary)
  • Bachelor of Education (Primary and Secondary)
  • Bachelor of Education (Primary and Special Education)
  • Bachelor of Education (Primary)
  • Bachelor of Education (Secondary and Special Education)
  • Bachelor of Education (Secondary)
  • Bachelor of Education (Secondary) / Bachelor of Arts (Design Innovation and Technologies)
  • Bachelor of Education (Secondary) / Bachelor of Arts (Humanities)
  • Bachelor of Education (Secondary) / Bachelor of Arts (Mathematics)
  • Bachelor of Education (Secondary) / Bachelor of Arts (Technology)
  • Bachelor of Education (Secondary) / Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts)
  • Bachelor of Education (Secondary) / Bachelor of Exercise Science
• Campus: Melbourne
• Year level: second year or above (as of Semester 1, 2026)
• Study load: full-time
• Financial hardship
• A minimum Pass grade for at least two-thirds of the credit points undertaken in Semester 2, 2025.

Application process

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

• A written statement* of approximately 300 words outlining:
  • how the scholarship will benefit you and your career, and what you hope to achieve with your degree in the future
  • financial hardship you have faced in accessing higher education 
  • your engagement, or planned engagement, in community and/or social justice activities.
• Evidence of financial need. 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.
• If you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, Confirmation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status is required (for more information on this requirement please visit COA).

* 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.

Selection criteria

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

• Evidence of financial hardship
• Written statement
• Additional assessment weighting will be applied for applicants who are:
  • engaged in, or planned to engage in, community and/or social justice activities
  • the first in their family to attend university 
  • Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Selection process

The recipient will be selected by the Scholarships Office following consultation with the donor.

Ongoing requirements

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

• A minimum pass grade average for all enrolled units
• Full-time enrolment at Melbourne campus in the same course under which the scholarship was received

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.
• Recipients have the option to receive support from a qualified mentor associated with St Patrick’s College. Participation is not mandatory. If a recipient chooses to engage with a mentor, the Advancement Office will facilitate the introduction. Details will be included in the scholarship offer email.