2015 CSU Science Scholarship Guidelines

Science Scholarship
2015 Guidelines
www.csu.edu.au
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................... 1
2. DEFINITIONS ......................................................................................................... 1
3. SCHOLARSHIP DETAILS ..................................................................................... 2
4. POLICY .................................................................................................................. 2
5. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA ............................................................................ 3
6. ONGOING ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA ....................................................................... 4
7. SCHOLARSHIP OFFER PROCESS ...................................................................... 5
8. PAYMENT .............................................................................................................. 6
9. SCHOLARSHIP EXPENDITURE ........................................................................... 7
10. EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES ...................................................................... 7
11. DEFERMENT/SUSPENSION ................................................................................. 7
12. SCHOLARSHIP TERMINATION ............................................................................ 8
13. PROVISION OF FALSE INFORMATION ............................................................... 8
14. TERMS AND CONDITIONS ................................................................................... 8
15. PRIVACY ................................................................................................................ 8
16. RELEVANT LEGISLATION ................................................................................... 9
17. AMENDMENTS ...................................................................................................... 9
18. VERSION CONTROL ........................................................................................... 10
CSU Science Scholarship Guidelines 2015
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ACKGROUND
1.1. Students are facing increasing financial pressures as costs associated with tertiary
education continue to rise.
1.2. CSU understands that students may be interested in careers in progressive areas such as
DNA identification technology and genome discovery or ecological and natural resource
management.
1.3. In recognition of this, CSU offers students a helping hand to explore their passion for
science via lucrative scholarships for on campus applicants in science-based fields.
2. DEFINITIONS
2.1. ATAR: Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. The ATAR is a rank that allows the
comparison of students who have completed different combinations of HSC/VCE courses.
It is calculated solely for use by institutions to rank and select school leavers for admission
to tertiary courses and by CSU to determine eligibility for our merit scholarships.
2.2. Carer: For the purpose of this Scholarship, a carer is defined as a person of any age, who
without being paid (excluding Centrelink), cares for another person who needs ongoing
support because of a long-term medical condition, a mental illness, a disability, frailty or
the need for palliative care. A carer may or may not be a family member and may or may
not live with the person. Volunteers under the auspices of a voluntary organisation are not
included. Scholarship recipients may be in receipt of a Centrelink Carer Allowance or
Carer Payment.
2.3. Census date: The date at which you can withdraw from a subject or course without
financial penalty.
2.4. Commencing student: A student enrolled in, and undertaking, subjects in their first year
of study at CSU and who have not previously completed a degree.
2.5. Commonwealth supported student: As defined in the Higher Education Support Act
2003. For example, a HECS-HELP student.
2.6. Full-time: A full-time student is one who is enrolled to undertake an amount of study of at
least three quarters (or 75%) of an equivalent full-time study load (EFTSL). At CSU, this
equates to being enrolled in three (3) or more (8 point) subjects, or 24 subject points or
more per session.
2.7. Grade Point Average: A grade point is the numerical value assigned to a final grade to
allow calculation of a Grade Point Average (GPA). GPA is the average of all final grades
obtained by a student for courses within an academic program.
2.8. Internal student: An internal student is a student that is studying the majority of subjects
for any given session of the course as an on campus student. For example, if a student is
enrolled in four (4) subjects for a session, then three (3) or more subjects must be studied
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internally (on campus). If a student is enrolled in three (3) subjects for a session, then two
(2) or more subjects must be studied internally (on campus). The status as an internal
student can change for each session of study.
2.9. Regional Bonus: Is an equity program offered by Charles Sturt University which adds an
extra five points to a student’s ATAR score for Regional, Remote or Very Remote
students, which improves their selection rank. Similarly, if a non Year 12 applicant resides
in a Regional, Remote or Very Remote area, their entrance rank will be increased by five
points
2.10. Regional, Remote or Very Remote area: The Australian Standard Geographical
Classification – Remoteness Areas (ASGC-RA) is a geographical system developed by
the Australian Bureau of Statistics to classify different living zones in Australia.
Classifications are postcode based and are identified as ‘Remote’, ‘Very Remote’, ‘Major
Cities’, ‘Inner Regional’ and ‘Outer Regional’. To find your classification, you can view the
following map.
3. SCHOLARSHIP DETAILS
3.1. In 2015, the CSU Science Scholarship (Scholarship) is awarded to students with an ATAR
score of 80 or above and studying selected undergraduate science-based courses as
outlined in sections 5 and 6 below.
3.2. The Scholarship is valued at up to $4,000 per annum, payable for up to a maximum of
four (4) years on the condition that the recipient continues to meet the ongoing eligibility
criteria as given in section 6 of these Guidelines.
3.3. The Scholarship is paid in two (2) equal instalments of up to $2,000 for the first and
second sessions of each year, within 3-4 weeks of the session’s Census date.
3.4. The Scholarship is payable in cash (EFT).
4. POLICY
4.1. To receive a Scholarship, a student must meet the eligibility criteria outlined in section 5
and complete an application form.
4.2. It is important that students provide supporting documentation when requested.
Applications with incorrect or no supporting documentation that has been requested as
part of the application process will be deemed ineligible, or the particular section/s to
which the missing documentation relates will not be assessed.
4.3. The CSU Scholarships Office will assess and rank the successful candidates from among
all eligible applicants.
4.4. A Scholarship recipient who undertakes a program of study overseas or as a
Commonwealth supported student with another University approved by CSU as a crossCSU Science Scholarship Guidelines 2015
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institutional arrangement will not be precluded from accessing the Scholarship during this
period. This is on condition that the program of study counts towards the requirements for
the course of study in which the student is enrolled at CSU and ongoing eligibility criteria
is maintained by the Scholarship recipient during this period.
4.5. The effect of deferring study or applying for Approved Leave of Absence is outlined in
section 11.
4.6. A Scholarship recipient should be aware that Scholarships are regarded as income by
Centrelink and it is the responsibility of the recipient to seek independent advice with
respect to any taxation or Centrelink implications resulting from receiving this Scholarship.
4.7. Due to privacy laws, any discussion of a Scholarship application or recipient must take
place only with the Scholarship applicant/recipient.
4.8. Scholarship applicants awarded this Scholarship part way through their course will receive
up to the session amount for the session in which the Scholarship was awarded and for
the remainder of their course, providing the ongoing eligibility criteria in section 6
continues to be met. This means that the total Scholarship amount received will be a pro
rata amount.
5. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
5.1. To be eligible for this Scholarship in 2015 a student must, by the Census date of their first
session in 2015:
(a) be studying their first undergraduate degree;
(b)
b
e a commencing student at CSU in 2015;
(c) be enrolled as a full-time student;
(d) be enrolled as an internal student;
(e)
h
ave an ATAR score of 80 or above (inclusive of the Regional Bonus), or
demonstrate high level attainment in other studies, achievements and/or work
experience;
(f)
be an Australian Citizen, permanent Australian Resident or the holder of a
Humanitarian Visa; and
(g) not be in receipt of another scholarship or grant, either from CSU or elsewhere, to
the value of $7,500 or more per annum.
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(h) be enrolled in one of the following courses at CSU as a Commonwealth supported
student:
2015

Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management

Bachelor of Computer Science

Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management

Bachelor of Pharmacy

Bachelor of Science
6. ONGOING ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
6.1. To continue to be eligible for a Scholarship, the recipient must, by the Census date of
each subsequent session, continue to:
(a) be enrolled as a full-time student;
(b) be enrolled as an internal student;
(c)
m
aintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5.0 or higher (credit average);
(d) be an Australian Citizen, permanent Australian Resident or the holder of a
Humanitarian Visa;
(e) not be in receipt of another scholarship or grant, either from CSU or elsewhere, to
the value of $7,500 or more per annum; and
(f)
be enrolled in one of the following courses at CSU as a Commonwealth supported
student:
Courses Accepted previous to 2015 for the CSU Science Scholarship:

Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management

Bachelor of Agriculture Science

Bachelor of Agriculture Science (Integrated Honours)

Bachelor of Applied Science (Parks, Recreation and Heritage)

Bachelor of Clinical Science

Bachelor of Computer Science

Bachelor of Environmental Science

Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management

Bachelor of Equine Science

Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science

Bachelor of Medical Science (Pathology)
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
Bachelor of Medical Science - with specialisations

Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Nuclear Medicine)

Bachelor of Pharmacy

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science (Agriculture - with specialisations)
7. SCHOLARSHIP OFFER PROCESS
7.1. Application
7.1.1 To be selected for the Scholarship, students are required to complete an
application form and provide all supporting documentation.
7.2. Selection
7.2.1 Scholarship applicants will be assessed to determine if they meet the eligibility
criteria as set out in section 5 of these Guidelines.
7.2.2 Sections will only be assessed if the required documentation is provided. Where
documentation required to determine eligibility is not supplied, the applicant will be
deemed ineligible.
7.2.3 Applicants will be assessed and ranked based on the information provided in the
application and supporting documentation, in accordance with section 5 of these
guidelines.
7.2.4 There are no interviews required.
7.2.5 Students may be assessed as eligible but not receive this Scholarship due to quota
restrictions as there are often more applications than funds available.
7.2.6
A
pplicants that are ineligible will be notified by CSU in writing.
7.3. Provisional Offer
7.3.1 CSU will contact each eligible Scholarship applicant and make a provisional offer,
which is made on the condition that the student is still eligible to receive the
Scholarship at Census date.
7.3.2
The provisional offer will include:
(a) the value of the scholarship;
(b) a link to the Scholarship guidelines;
(c) a link to the CSU student portal with instructions on how to accept the offer;
and
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(d) the date by which to accept the offer.
7.4. Final Eligibility Assessment
7.4.1
S
cholarship final eligibility assessment will be conducted after:
(a) the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) main offer round date;
(b) the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) round one - main
undergraduate offer round date; and
(c)
Census date.
7.4.2 A Scholarship provisional offer is retained by the applicant on condition that the
student meets the Scholarship eligibility criteria as at the Census date of each
session of enrolment.
7.4.3 Applicants that are no longer eligible to receive the Scholarship will have their
provisional offer withdrawn and no Scholarship payment will be made. Ineligible
applicants will be notified by CSU in writing.
7.5. Scholarship Acceptance
7.5.1 The successful applicant is required to accept the offer, as instructed on the
provisional offer.
7.5.2 If a student accepts their Scholarship, CSU will notify them in writing that it has
received their acceptance.
7.5.3 If a student has been made a Scholarship provisional offer, they have accepted it,
but they do not meet the eligibility requirements at Census date, the offer will be
withdrawn and the scholarship will not be paid.
7.5.4 If a student has been made a Scholarship offer, but they have not accepted it, the
offer will be withdrawn and the Scholarship will not be paid.
8. PAYMENT
8.1. If a student has been made a Scholarship offer, they have accepted it and are still eligible
at Census date, payment will then proceed.
8.2. Scholarship payments will occur via electronic funds transfer (EFT) to the bank account
registered with CSU by the Scholarship recipient.
8.3. If a Scholarship recipient does not register bank details with CSU, a cheque for the
Scholarship payment will be mailed to the student’s mailing address.
8.4. To register bank details with CSU, students can do this on the Student Administration
website and go to Personal Details to enter or change bank details.
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8.5. Scholarship payments are made within 3-4 weeks after the Census date of eligible
sessions.
8.6. Scholarship recipients should be aware that money received from the Scholarship is
counted as income for the purposes of Taxation and the Social Security Act.
8.7. Scholarship recipients will be asked to acknowledge in their application and acceptance of
their Scholarship that it is their responsibility to seek independent advice with respect to
any Centrelink and Taxation implications.
9. SCHOLARSHIP EXPENDITURE
9.1. Scholarship payments are expected to be spent on general education costs associated
with studying at CSU.
10. EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
10.1. CSU will take into account factors such as long term illness, disability, ongoing effects of
trauma or abuse, indigenous community responsibilities, course constraints outside a
student’s control and significant carer responsibilities when considering the initial and
ongoing eligibility criteria of being a full-time student for this Scholarship.
10.2. Students must complete a Special Circumstances form if they are unable to meet the fulltime study requirements as defined above.
10.3. If this Scholarship is awarded based on part time study, the payment amount will be a
proportion of the full amount for each session based on the number of subject points
enrolled at Census date.
11. DEFERMENT/SUSPENSION
11.1. Scholarships cannot be deferred. Scholarship recipients who defer their studies will have
their Scholarship withdrawn and the Scholarship will not be paid. These students are
eligible to apply in a future session providing they still meet the initial eligibility criteria
outlined in section 5.
11.2. Scholarship recipients taking an Approved Leave of Absence in any session will have their
Scholarship suspended for that session and will not receive any payment for that session.
The Scholarship is automatically re-activated the next session the student enrols in
subjects.
11.3. Scholarship recipients may apply to have their Scholarship suspended for a maximum of
four sessions of Approved Leave of Absence over the duration of their Scholarship.
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12. SCHOLARSHIP TERMINATION
12.1. CSU will terminate the Scholarship if:
(a) the student ceases to meet the initial eligibility criteria or ongoing eligibility criteria
as specified in sections 5 and 6 of these guidelines, other than during a period of
approved suspension; or
(b) the maximum duration of the Scholarship has been reached; or
(c) CSU determines that a student is guilty of academic misconduct; or
(d) CSU determines that the Scholarship was awarded on the basis of false or
misleading information.
13. PROVISION OF FALSE INFORMATION
13.1. If CSU knows or has reason to believe that a Scholarship recipient has provided false or
misleading information to CSU in relation to this Scholarship, CSU will immediately:
(a) provide the student with an opportunity to explain; and
(b) re-assess the student’s entitlement to the Scholarship.
14. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
14.1. Upon receipt of a Scholarship, students agree to fulfil all requirements as set out in these
guidelines.
14.2. In accepting a Scholarship offer, students consent to CSU accessing the student’s records
for the purposes of assessing and administering the Scholarship.
14.3. A Scholarship recipient must provide in writing, at the earliest possible convenience, the
details of circumstances that have changed from the application form. These changed
circumstance details are to be provided to the CSU Scholarships Office at
[email protected]. Upon receipt of details regarding a change in
circumstances, CSU may re-assess the Scholarship recipient’s eligibility.
15. PRIVACY
15.1. Charles Sturt University (University) recognises the importance of protecting personal
information provided for the administration of the Scholarship/Grant program. The
University is bound by the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW),
the Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth) as amended in the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act
2000 (Cwlth) and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW).
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15.2. The information collected will only be used by authorised University staff to assess
eligibility and administer the Scholarship/Grant program. The information collected may
also be used for assessment purposes for other scholarships, grants and equity programs
across the University. Students should be aware that they provide information of their own
free will.
15.3. Personal and health information provided by the applicant will not be made available to
any person within the University or any person or organisation outside the University for
any other purpose without the applicant’s consent, except where the University may be
legally required to do so.
15.4. Applicant files will be held in a secure online environment which is accessible only to
authorised employees and will be kept for the appropriate legal time limit and then
destroyed.
15.5. Students may access their personal information to ensure that it is accurate, relevant to
the purpose for which it was collected, not misleading, incomplete or out-of-date.
Students may also ask the CSU Scholarships Office to amend any of the information held
about them or to add comments or explanations in relation to their information. To do any
of these things students should contact the CSU Scholarships Office at
[email protected].
15.6. Students dissatisfied with the way the CSU Scholarships Office has handled their personal
information may apply to have the matter reviewed by lodging a formal application with the
CSU Ombudsman.
16. RELEVANT LEGISLATION
16.1. The following legislation, as amended from time to time, is directly relevant to this policy:
(a) Higher Education Support Act 2003;
(b) Freedom of Information Act 1982;
(c) Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth) as amended in the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector)
Act 2000 (Cwlth);
(d) Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW); and
(e) Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW).
17. AMENDMENTS
17.1. Amendments may be made to these guidelines from time to time by the CSU Scholarships
Office.
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18. VERSION CONTROL Date
23 September
Version
2
Author
Description / Amendments
Rebecca Gransden
Second version 2015
8 Jan 2014
1.1
Jacinta Ducat
Inclusion of Bachelor of Medical Radiation
Science as an eligible course.
9 Sep 2013
1.0
Melissa Peake
First version for 2014
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