Ray Ahearn Scholarship

The Ray Ahearn Scholarship offers financial support to students who are studying on the Warrnambool campus, from the region and are experiencing an area of hardship. This scholarship is supported by a generous donor who is committed to increasing educational pathways, and building a brighter future for students who choose to study at Deakin. As a recipient of this scholarship, you are joining a network of donors and students who believe in changing the future for the better.

Important dates

Applications for Trimester/Semester 1 2025 open 5 September 2024.

Applications for Trimester/Semester 1 2025 close 7 January 2025 at 5pm.

Scholarship offer rounds

Early Round: To be considered for these early round scholarship offers you will need to submit your application and all supporting documentation by 5 December 2024 at 5pm.

Round 1: To be considered for these Round 1 scholarship offers you will need to submit your application and all supporting documentation by 7 January 2025 at 5pm.

We will be aiming for full allocation at this round.

Re-offer Round: To be considered for any remaining scholarships, not taken up in previous offer rounds, you will need to submit your application and all supporting documentation by 31 January 2025 at 5pm.

All scholarships will be offered within six weeks of the Re-offer round closing date.

Benefits

This scholarship offers cash payments up to $7500 per year for three years, or $5625 per year for four years, depending on the course duration.

The total maximum value of this scholarship is $22,500.

Eligibility criteria

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

To be eligible you must be:

  • an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa
  • commencing a bachelor degree in Trimester 1 2025 at Deakin's Warrnambool campus (on campus study)
  • enrolled full-time
  • living in one of the following Local Government Areas: Warrnambool, Moyne, Glenelg, Corangamite or Southern Grampians
  • able to demonstrate an area of hardship.

Preference will be given to students who:

  • have a disability or medical condition
  • are studying a course offered by the Faculty of Health.

Conditions

As a scholarship recipient you must:

  • write an introduction statement about your goals for study and what it means to receive the scholarship
  • provide a completion statement at the conclusion of your studies.

Your application

Supporting documents

As part of the application process, you will also be required to upload current supporting documentation.

When you apply for this scholarship, you may like to supply evidence of your financial and/or medical hardship (if applicable).

Make sure you choose the correct document type when you upload your documents as it will make a difference. If your documents are uploaded into the incorrect type they will not be considered when assessing your application. Remember it is quality, not quantity, that you need to provide. Aim to provide current, relevant and concise documents.

Read more about supporting documentation

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

How to apply

Apply through VTAC

If you’ve applied to study at Deakin through VTAC and have completed a VTAC scholarship application, you’ll be considered for this scholarship.

Apply directly to Deakin

If you didn't complete a VTAC scholarship application, are applying directly to Deakin for a course or already have your 2025 course offer, you can apply for this scholarship directly to Deakin through our Scholarship Application Portal.

When applying direct to Deakin for this scholarship, select the 'Undergraduate 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.

What happens next?

Your application will be assessed and ranked based on the details you provide and your supporting documentation.

We will commence offering scholarships progressively from mid-December 2024. To give your application the best chance possible of being considered in all offer rounds, you should submit your application and supporting documentation by 5 December 2025 at 5pm.

If you are successful, you will be contacted by the email address you nominated in your application portal account, unsuccessful applicants will not be contacted. You'll find out if you are successful usually within six weeks of the Re-offer round 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.

Next offering period

This scholarship is yet to be confirmed for any future offering periods. Please check back at this page at a later date for any updates.