The VCA enjoys substantial support from a number of generous donors and consequently has a broad range of scholarships, awards and prizes on offer to its students.

Responsibility for administering scholarships, awards and prizes is undertaken by individual disciplines and by Student and Academic Services Unit.

• Student and Academic Services Unit administers all College- wide scholarships, awards and prizes including the Commonwealth Learning Scholarships
  
• Discipline specific scholarships, awards and prizes are listed under the individual discipline's heading.
• A number of scholarships for Indigenous students are listed under the Wilin Centre, the VCA's Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development.

Other opportunites sit with the University of Melbourne Scholarship Office website and via External Links. External opportunites include links to government bodies and philanthropic organisations.

For information on a range of scholarships, awards and prizes including the Commonwealth Learning Scholarships.

• College-wide scholarships for all students
  (administered by Student and Academic Services Unit)
  

• Art
• Dance
• Drama
• Film & Television
• Music
• Production

University of Melbourne’s Scholarships Office homepage lists a range of undergraduate and postgraduate opportunities, together with scholarships for international students.

Melbourne Scholarship Office

The following link also provides information on further opportunities for scholarships outside the VCA through links to scholarship search engines, government bodies and philanthropic organisations.

External Scholarships

A list is provided to assist the following students identify the scholarships, awards and prizes that they are eligible to apply for.

• Postgraduate students
• International students
• Indigenous Australian students

To clarify whether your scholarship, award, prize or bursary qualifies as income for the purposes of taxation and Centrelink please refer to the following links.

• Guide to Social Security Law
• ATO (Australian Tax Office)
• Centrelink

Before applying for any Scholarship or Award
Before you apply ensure that you have:
* Identified the best Scholarship or award to suit your needs
* Read the complete Scholarship application
* Read the terms and conditions
* Obtained support from your Coordinator and Head Of Discipline in the form of a written letter (where required)
* Checked that you fulfil all eligibility requirements for the Scholarship or Award
* Assessed the financial implications of receiving scholarship monies. Scholarship monies are counted as income, which may affect those students on a Centrelink payment. More detailed information is available above under "Centrelink and Taxation information"

All scholarship and award application forms terms and conditions are available on-line by visiting: http://www.vca.unimelb.edu.au/scholarships/ or in the case where they are not present on the web, applications will be available from the individual discipline.

Putting Together an Application
* Always use the application form supplied
* Always write clearly - ideally it is better to access the form on-line, and type in your answers. This makes the Assessment Panel's job much easier
* Always address every question
* In the case of additional information please make sure all attachments are noted on the application form
* Never use staples or bind your application (applications need to be photocopied and distributed to the panel)
* Paper clips are sufficient as long as applications are enclosed in a clear plastic folder.
* Always label your application with your name, discipline, and the name of scholarship for which you are applying.

Instructions for support material
It is imperative that your support material be as strong as possible. Your support material will need to clearly demonstrate your abilities and be relevant to your intended project. The majority of support material is presented in visual format. Never hand in "Original Only Copies" Keep footage to a minimum; the panel may be assessing a large number of applications and unable to view extensive footage (2-3 minutes of edited footage is recommended)
Always supply accompanying notes recording the:

1. Type of support material supplied
2. Technical notes where appropriate
3. Explain the relevance of your support material to your application

Applicants are advised to think innovatively about presenting support material. Supporting material must engage the panel.

Examples of effective support materials:
* Visually entertaining, eg: images/film of art works being created/performed
* Good use of technology to present materials
* DVD/CD are the preferred method of support material
* Power Point presentation for still images
* Active rather than static
* Tightly edited
* Providing a range of small samples of different aspects of the work/practice
* Explanatory commentary integrated into the presentation of the materials

Examples of less effective support materials
* Footage that is too long
* Poor quality pictures without any explanation
* VHS/ Audio only/ Slides are not recommended
* Low quality images/presentation that is too dark, where the disk is damaged or where the sound is distorted
* No explanatory information incorporated into presentation of materials
* Music applicants audio material only - accompanying vision is much more effective and competitive especially for a College wide Award
* Support material is clear, not damaged, scratched or too dark to view this will disqualify you.

Final Note
Before you hand in your application ensure that you have:

* Indicated whether you would like your support material returned to you, to do this you will need to provide a self addressed envelope or you will need to come and pick support material up at the Student and Academic Services Unit or from the individual discipline.
* Clearly labelled and have your name clearly printed on your support material

What about -Scholarship Interviews?
Some scholarship selection processes will involve an interview with the Selection Panel.

These panels typically include a representative of the VCA Director or Academic Registrar,Coordinator of Student Services and Scholarships, and the benefactor or their representative.

These panels do their utmost to put interviewees at ease, and make the interview process as informal as possible. However it is still wise to prepare for an interview, much as you would for a job interview. Preparing for the interview will be assisted by checking over the Terms and Conditions of the Scholarship, in particular the selection criteria.

The selection criteria will depend on each individual scholarship, but common selection criteria include;
* Artistic merit
* Career aspirations and likely success
* Academic achievement
* Proposed use of the funds (how the proposed use of funds will contribute to the student's ongoing development)

Applicants need to also be able to clearly articulate their:
* Reasons for applying for the scholarship
* Passion for the art form
* Knowledge of their art practice and their professional networks
* Artistic goals and objectives
* Plans for the future, both short term and medium term
* How the scholarship will assist them to realise their goals


About the Scholarship Process
* Included in the terms and conditions of the Scholarship or Award will be a timeline
* An email will be sent assuring you that your application has been received and is being processed
* Successful and Unsuccessful letters are sent by post
* Always alert the Discipline/Student and Academic Services Unit to your change of address
* Please contact the Student and Academic Services Unit to clarify where the process is at

About Reporting on your Scholarship or Award
It is a condition of some Awards or Scholarship that a biannual progress report is completed.
* Student and Academic Services Unit will contact you
* You will need to include a brief letter reporting on your activities and include a statement of your results.

The VCA requires that recipients of grant and scholarship funds complete an acquittal report within 4 to 6 weeks of completion of the scholarship/project or activity. Acquittal reports inform internal and external accountability for the use of sponsor's funds.

Please download the form below

Acquittal form

For Scholarships, prizes and awards that are not project based but are financial aid measure students will be contacted if an acquittal is required.