Frequently asked questions: Undergraduate nursing and midwifery scholarships program

It is a one-off $7,500 payment available to eligible recipients of the Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery scholarships university component. To be eligible, you must have worked for at least two years as a registered nurse or midwife in a Victorian public health service whilst maintaining an average of 0.6 FTE.

The university component provided up to $9,000 in support during undergraduate studies. The health service component follows on from this, recognising post-graduation employment.

Applications for the Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery scholarships university component of this program closed on 11 September 2024.

No, to be eligible for the health service component of the scholarship you must be directly employed as a registered nurse or midwife by an eligible Victorian public health service.

An eligible Victorian public health service refers to a public health service listed in Schedule 1 – 5 (inclusive) in the Health Services Act 1988.

Secondments, providing they are in your capacity as a registered nurse and/or midwife and you continue to meet the other eligibility requirements (for example maintaining an average of 0.6 FTE), do not impact your eligibility for the health service component of the scholarship if you remain employed by an eligible Victorian public health service.

To support your application for the health service component you must provide evidence pertaining to your employing Victorian public health service as the organisation will be required to verify your employment.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• have received the full Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery scholarship university component scholarship
• have been employed for two years as a registered nurse or midwife in a Victorian public health service, maintaining an average of 0.6 FTE across that period
• have been employed as a registered nurse or midwife in a Victorian public health service within 12 months of completing your studies, or by 30 June 2029, whichever comes first
• be a domestic resident, for the purposes of the health service component this is defined as either:
  • an Australian citizen,
  • a New Zealand citizen (including dual citizens of Australia or New Zealand),
  • an Australian permanent resident, or;
  • an Australian permanent humanitarian visa holder

Note: Applications for the Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery scholarship university component closed on 11 September 2024.

No, you need to be a recipient of the full Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery scholarships university component to be eligible to receive the health service component payment of this program.

Yes, if you have worked in the Victorian public health service as a registered nurse or midwife at an average of 0.6 FTE or more over the 2 years.

Yes, if your cumulative employment as a registered nurse or midwife was at multiple employers within the public health service and meets an average of 0.6 FTE for two years you are eligible to submit a claim.

You should nominate your primary employer (highest FTE) in your application. You can also list up to four additional employers to demonstrate that you meet the two-year 0.6 FTE requirement.

No. You are only eligible to submit a claim once you have been employed for two years as a registered nurse or midwife in a Victorian public health service, maintaining an average of 0.6 FTE across that period. Your employment must commence within 12 months of completing your studies, or by 30 June 2029, whichever comes first.

You must have commenced employment within 12 months of completing your course or by 30 June 2029, whichever occurs first, to receive the final claim under this program.

Long periods of leave, such as maternity leave, workers’ compensation, or long service leave, will not affect the two-year employment requirement. However, to be eligible, you must:

• Remain employed by a Victorian public health service throughout the two-year period.
• Not be on long-term leave at the time of application, unless you have already completed the two-year employment requirement before commencing the leave.

Receiving the Nursing and Midwifery Sign-On Bonus will not affect your ability to claim the Health Services Component (to a total amount of up to $7,500 including any payments already received under the Nursing and Midwifery Sign-On Bonus).

If you have already received a payment under the Nursing and Midwifery Sign-on Bonus, the team will contact you to assist you in claiming the Health Service Component of the Undergraduate Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship program.

Claim submissions open on Tuesday, 11 November 2025.

You can submit your claim via the website using the claim form.

FTE stands for Full-Time Equivalent. It’s a way to measure an employee’s workload compared to a standard full-time schedule.

To calculate your FTE:

• FTE = (Hours Worked / Standard Full Time Hours)

You can also find your FTE listed on your Certificate of Service.

The Ahpra number is a registration number with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. It is made up of a combination of 3 letters and 10 digits. Eg. NMW1234567890.

Your Ahpra registration number can be found on your registration certificate or by logging onto the Ahpra website.

Your USI is a 10-digit reference made up of letters and numbers (eg. 3AW88YH9U5). It is assigned to every student who undertakes nationally recognised training. If you don’t know your USI, you can retrieve it via the USI website.

You can request a Certificate of Service from your employer’s HR or payroll department.

The certificate must be on official letterhead and include:

• your full name,
• your role,
• your employment dates,
• your FTE (Full-Time Equivalent), and
• your employment status.

Following the assessment of your claim, should it be deemed unsuccessful, you will receive an email outlining the reason for this decision.

If your circumstances subsequently change and you meet the eligibility criteria, you are encouraged to reapply while the program remains open. For further information regarding your eligibility, please contact us at nams@grants.vic.gov.au.

You must remain employed at a Victorian public health service for at least 2 years to be eligible for the health service component. You will not be eligible for the payment if you leave the Victorian public health service before two years of employment is completed.

If you have received the university component of the scholarship you will not be expected to return the money. However, you will not be eligible to receive the health service component of the scholarship.

No. Each applicant is eligible for one Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery scholarships health service component payment only.

It is a one-off payment of up to $7,500 for eligible applicants.

There will be two assessments and payment cycles each year:

It is strongly recommended that you seek professional financial advice before submitting a claim to understand how the final scholarship payment could affect your personal tax situation.

Receiving a scholarship payment may impact benefits received under Australian Government schemes. Please consult a Services Australia or a qualified advisor to understand how this may apply to your circumstances.

The Undergraduate nursing and midwifery scholarships are available to new domestic nursing and midwifery students who commence eligible studies between 1 January 2023 and the Semester 2 census date for 2024 and meet the following criteria.

To be eligible for the university component of the scholarship you must be:

• a domestic student. For the purposes of this scholarship, this is defined as:
  • an Australian citizen
  • a New Zealand citizen (or dual citizenship holders of either Australia or New Zealand)
  • an Australian permanent resident, or
  • an Australian permanent humanitarian visa holder and
• enrolled in and currently studying a course:
  • that is a program of study approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia as listed on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) website to obtain a first qualification that leads to general registration as a registered nurse or midwife and
  • offered by an education provider located in Victoria or a border community and be attending the course at an eligible campus for the purpose of undertaking the approved program of study (see Appendix 2 for a list of eligible providers and border community campuses) and
  • with the first year of study commencing in 2023 or 2024 and be enrolled as at the Semester 1 and Semester 2 census dates for 2024 and remain enrolled for a minimum 0.5 EFTSL (Equivalent full-time student load)
  • Students who commence studying an Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery program of study post the 2024 Semester 2 census date will not be eligible.
• a current Victorian resident or resident of a border community for the duration of your approved nursing or midwifery program of study.

Please note that the university component is now closed and will not be accepting new applications.

To be eligible for the health service component of the scholarship you must:

• have been a recipient of the full university component of the scholarship for your program of study and
• have been employed for two years as a registered nurse or midwife in a Victorian public health service, maintaining an average of 0.6 FTE across that period
• have been employed as a registered nurse and/or midwife at a Victorian public health service within 12 months of study completion or by 30 June 2029, whichever comes first and
• be a domestic resident. For the purposes of the health service component this is defined as either:
  • an Australian citizen,
  • a New Zealand citizen (including dual citizens of Australia or New Zealand),
  • an Australian permanent resident, or;
  • an Australian permanent humanitarian visa holder.

The scholarship funds are intended to assist with the costs incurred whilst undertaking entry-to-practice nursing and/or midwifery studies, including the costs associated with undertaking clinical placements. Students may decide to use the scholarship funds towards living expenses while studying.

As scholarship payments are made at the conclusion of the academic year, it is likely that students will have already incurred costs associated with study. The scholarship payment may be seen as a reimbursement for those costs or used towards upcoming costs such as upfront course fees, payment of student debts, education provider amenities fees, textbooks and study equipment, uniforms, parking, and accommodation or general living expenses.

No, the scholarship is only available for new domestic students commencing in 2023 or 2024. Individuals who have previously completed in full or partially completed an Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing or midwifery program of study prior to 2023 are not eligible.

Providing the eligibility criteria were met, courses that commenced in 2023, regardless of start date were in-scope. For applicants commencing in 2024, applicants could apply in Round 3 and students needed to commence studies in either Semester 1 or 2 of 2024 and remain enrolled post the Semester 2 census dates to be eligible. Students who commenced studying an Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery program of study post the 2024 Semester 2 census date will not be eligible.

The majority of courses commence in Semester 1 and Semester 2 respectively. To receive the scholarship, you still needed to apply in a scholarship application round post your course census date.

If you are enrolled in a double degree or honours degree that includes nursing and midwifery you will be eligible for the university component if you meet all other eligibility criteria.

In line with the scholarship administration, $3,000 per annum is only available over the first 3 years of study, up to a maximum of $9,000.

You must obtain employment at a public health service in the year immediately following completion of your program of study to obtain the remaining $7,500 component of the scholarship.

If you meet all of the eligibility criteria, you will be eligible for the scholarship. However, if you receive credit for whole semesters or years of study, you will only receive the university component scholarship payments for the years of study you complete as an Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and/or midwifery student (e.g., you have previously completed or partially completed a degree in another health discipline, you are awarded RPL for your previous studies and are admitted into second year of a bachelor of nursing degree. In this example, you will be eligible for $6,000 ($3,000 per year of nursing and/or midwifery study).

If you are enrolled in a 2-year entry-to-practice program of study (for example, graduate-entry courses) that leads to your first general registration as a registered nurse or midwife, you are eligible for the Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) scholarship university component. This includes the Master programs of study available via the University of Melbourne and Monash University and graduate entry bachelor degrees (excluding EN to RN entry courses).

In line with the scholarship administration, funding was available over the 2-year duration of the program of study, and you may receive a $6,000 scholarship.

EN to RN programs of study are excluded from this initiative, however enrolled nurses who meet the eligibility criteria are eligible for a scholarship.

If you chose to study part-time, you were eligible for the Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) scholarship if you met all other eligibility criteria and providing the part-time study was at least a minimum of 0.5 Equivalent full-time study load.

In line with the scholarship administration, $,3000 per annum was available over the first 3 years of study up to a maximum of $9,000.

If you do not obtain employment in a Victorian public health service as a registered nurse and/or midwife (at an average of 0.6 FTE or equivalent pro rata) within 12 months of study completion or by 30 June 2029, whichever is earliest, 4 years from study commencement, you will not be eligible for the final $7,500 payment.

$9,000 is the maximum amount an individual can receive in the university component scholarship funding. If you move between universities, you will still be eligible for the university component scholarship providing you continue to meet the eligibility criteria and the education provider and course you move to are eligible under the scholarship initiative.

If you move to another course at the same university, you will be subject to the maximum scholarship amount of $6,000 for 2-year courses and $9,000 for 3 and 4-year courses, with a maximum amount of $9,000 per individual, as long as you continue to meet the eligibility criteria for the university component.

Universities may provide a Leave of Absence period to enable students who are experiencing extenuating circumstances in their personal or academic life (e.g., significant financial, emotional, medical, employment or study related difficulties). Individuals should contact their university to discuss their individual circumstances and to request a Leave of Absence.

Students should have completed a minimum of one semester in an eligible nursing and/or midwifery course. Following this the only breaks in study accepted under the scholarship are where an individual has an approved Leave of Absence from their education provider for compassionate reasons. Whilst a student is on a Leave of Absence period, they will not be eligible for the scholarship payments. However, the Leave of Absence will not impact the student’s scholarship eligibility once they recommence studies providing they continue to meet all of the eligibility criteria, including the minimum of 0.5 equivalent full-time study load across the academic year.

All students must meet the eligibility requirements, this includes undertaking an eligible entry-to-practice course that has an onsite attendance component. Where a university offers an eligible course via different attendance modes, students must be enrolled with onsite or hybrid attendance.

In line with the scholarship administration for the university component, $3,000 per annum is only available over the first 3 years of study up to a maximum of $9,000.

If you do not obtain employment in a Victorian public health service as a registered nurse and/or midwife (at an average of 0.6 FTE or equivalent pro rata) within 12 months of study completion or by 30 June 2029, whichever is earliest, you will not be eligible for the final $7,500 payment.

A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is a place at a university or higher education provider where the Australian Government subsidises a student’s tuition fees. This subsidy does not cover the entire cost of study. The remaining portion of the tuition fees which the student is liable for is referred to as the 'student contribution amount'.

All students are also liable for costs not covered by tuition fees (CSP or full fee-paying), for example additional fees charged by education providers (e.g., Student Amenities Fees), uniforms, books and equipment, transport, and accommodation.

Education providers are responsible for assessing and determining a student’s eligibility for a CSP.

Availability of CSPs varies between courses and education providers and not all universities and courses offer CSPs. Where a CSP is not available or in instances where the student does not meet the CSP criteria, education providers may offer a student a full fee-paying place. For more information about CSP and full fee-paying places visit the Government’s Study Assist website.

Students who meet the eligibility criteria for the university component of the scholarship will receive the scholarship regardless of their place in the course being a CSP or full fee-paying.

No, individuals are responsible for organising associated payments to their chosen education provider by the due date. This includes deferral by HECS-HELP/FEE-HELP loans and up-front payment of fees.

These scholarships aim to reduce financial disincentives associated with undertaking an Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing or midwifery degree, including the costs associated with undertaking clinical placements, and are not designed to only support the university fee costs.

University component round 1 (2023 intake)

Applications open 26 Apr to 24 May 2023 (now closed)

University component round 2 (2023 intake)

Applications open 4 Oct to 1 Nov 2023 (now closed)

University component round 3 (2024 intake)

Applications open 24 July 2024 to 11 September 2024 (now closed)

Health service component payment

There will be two assessments and payment cycles each year:

In order to be paid the scholarship, individuals must apply for the scholarship and be deemed eligible.

Individuals will need to provide personal bank details for the scholarship payment to be made.

Payments will be made directly into a recipient’s bank account.

All personal information, including bank details will be managed in accordance with relevant privacy and data handling requirements.

You can retain the scholarship support received over the years of study (to a maximum of $9,000).

If you do not obtain employment in a Victorian public health service (at an average of 0.6 FTE or equivalent pro rata) within 12 months of study completion or by 30 June 2029, whichever is earliest, you will not be eligible for the final $7,500 payment.

No, applying to work at a public health service is a competitive process and applications for graduate programs will be managed as per the usual graduate program recruitment process. Places in graduate programs are awarded to candidates based on merit, suitability and meeting the relevant eligibility criteria. Individual health services will decide who they employ in graduate programs.

Yes, if you meet the other eligibility criteria and are employed as a mental health nurse in a Victorian public health service then you are eligible for the health service component of the scholarship.

To receive the health service component of the scholarship individuals must be employed in a Victorian public health service within 12 months of study completion or by 30 June 2029, whichever is earliest.

The scholarship is provided to the individual by the Victorian Government for the purpose of assisting with study related costs only. Other than what is set out in the scholarship terms and conditions and in the funding guidelines, scholarship recipients will not be required to provide services in return for the scholarship and at no time will the scholarship recipient be considered an employee of the Victorian Government for tax purposes.

The scholarship payment may impact your tax liability or other benefits paid under an Australian Government scheme such as Austudy, Abstudy, aged or disability, carer allowances, pensions or the like. Please obtain relevant professional advice and/or refer to the Australian Tax Office website.

The Victorian Government is not required to withhold tax (PAYG) from scholarships paid. Individuals should seek individual tax advice.

The Australian Taxation Office does not consider scholarships as Ordinary Time Earnings (OTE), therefore the scholarship will not attract superannuation.

The Victorian Government does not pay superannuation on behalf of scholarship recipients.

New South Wales

• Balranald Shire
• Bega Valley Shire
• Berrigan Shire
• City of Albury
• City of Broken Hill
• City of Wagga Wagga
• Edward River Council
• Federation Council
• Greater Hume Shire
• Hay Shire
• Lockhart Shire
• Murray River Council
• Murrumbidgee Council
• Snowy Monaro Regional Council
• Snowy Valleys Council
• Wentworth Shire

Note: The Silver City Highway between the Broken Hill and Wentworth local government areas is part of the NSW-Victoria border bubble.

South Australia

• Berri Barmera Council
• City of Mount Gambier
• District Council of Grant
• District Council of Loxton Waikerie
• District Council of Robe
• Kingston District Council
• Naracoorte Lucindale Council
• Renmark Paringa Council
• Southern Mallee District Council
• Tatiara District Council
• Wattle Range Council