Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing Scholarship

Prospective candidates should ensure they meet all criteria before submitting their application.

To be eligible you must:

• be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person
• be an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident
• be currently employed by or intend to work for an ACCO or a mainstream health organisation in a Victorian Aboriginal SEWB (social and emotional wellbeing) team or role
• be a resident of Victoria
• be enrolled in one of the following courses in Trimester/Semester 1 2025 at Deakin University:
  • H300 - Bachelor of Health Sciences (majoring in Psychological Science or Psychology for Allied Health)
  • H313 - Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion
  • H330 - Bachelor of Social Work
  • H344 - Bachelor of Psychological Science
  • H355 - Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
  • H452 - Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours)
  • H558 - Graduate Certificate of Counselling
  • H603 - Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science
  • H650 - Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced)
  • H658 - Graduate Diploma of Counselling
  • H744 - Master of Professional Psychology
  • H750 - Master of Psychology (Clinical)

Currently enrolled students who meet all of the above criteria are also encouraged to apply. If successful, the scholarship will apply to studies undertaken from Trimester/Semester 1 2025 only.

As a scholarship recipient, you must:

• agree to the following information being provided to the Victorian Aboriginal community-controlled health organisation (VACCHO) and the Department of Health (Mental Health and Wellbeing Division):
  • ongoing scholarship and program progression information
  • information for the provision of additional support
  • survey results (de-identified)
  • that your name, program and scholarship maybe publicly announced or otherwise published by the Department of Health and VACCHO
  • any other evidence as reasonably required by the Department of Health and VACCHO from time to time
• maintain satisfactory academic performance for the duration of the scholarship
• participate in an external evaluation of the scholarship whereby your contact details will be provided to an external organisation for the sole purpose of undertaking the evaluation to ensure the scholarship is meeting its outcomes and for implementing continuous quality improvement
• not be in receipt of any other scholarship
• acknowledge the Department of Health and VACCHO in all consequential media and documentation.

Supporting documents

To support your application please upload a letter of support from your employer outlining how they will:

• support flexible work arrangements and/or study leave so that you can study full time or part time while working within an Aboriginal SEWB team
• support you through the mentor program.

If you are not currently employed by an ACCO or mainstream health organisation you may wish to upload a letter of support from a community member outlining your commitment to Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing and your ability to balance both your work commitments.

Please choose Document type - 'Domestic scholarships - Evidence of leadership, volunteering or community activities or other achievement' when you upload your documents.

Application tips

Applying for a scholarship isn’t just about meeting the eligibility criteria.

It’s a good idea to think about why you want a scholarship, how it will help you and what you have to offer the Deakin community.

Read our 5 top tips on applying for a scholarship

Apply directly to Deakin

You can apply for this scholarship directly to Deakin through our Scholarship Application Portal.

When applying direct to Deakin for this scholarship, select either the 'Undergraduate Scholarship Application Tri/Sem 1 2025' or the 'Postgraduate Scholarship Application Tri/Sem 1 2025' option and, if eligible, your application will automatically be considered for this scholarship.

This reduces the number of scholarships you have to apply for and increases your chances of receiving a Deakin scholarship.

Apply for this scholarship

The scholarship application process is highly competitive with a limited number of scholarships available. Unfortunately, not all eligible applicants will receive one.

Your application will be assessed and ranked based on the details you provide and your supporting documentation. VACCHO, Department of Health and Deakin University will then shortlist applicants.

Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to have an informal scholarship yarn with a small panel who will get to know you and understand your career aspirations and why you are interested in this scholarship.

If you are successful, you will be contacted by both the email address and phone number you nominated within your application portal account, unsuccessful applicants will not be contacted.

You'll find out if you were successful usually within four weeks of the application closing date. If you have not received an offer by this time, you have been unsuccessful. You can view the status of your application via your scholarship application portal account.

If you are eligible for this scholarship and would like guidance on how to apply for any of the courses listed above please complete Expression of Interest form. This form has been designed to assist you with the course application processes. Once completed we will contact you within 24 hours to help get you started on your university journey.

The Department of Health has also put together FAQs on the Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing scholarship program for you and your employer to assist you with this program.