Undergraduate Nursing and Midwifery Scholarships Program

The Scholarship Program

The Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery scholarships program aims to train and upskill the next generation of registered nurses and midwives through scholarships that will help reduce financial disincentives associated with undertaking an undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing or midwifery degree, including the costs of clinical placements.

Scholarships for eligible recipients include:

1. University Component: up to $9,000 towards course costs over a maximum of 3 years. This includes $3,000 per annum in line with a 3-year bachelor’s degree.
2. Health Service Component: an additional $7,500 if committed to employment at a Victorian public health service for at least 2 years. An average of 0.6 FTE or equivalent pro rata is required.

The total maximum scholarship value is $16,500.

Scholarships are administered annually.

Funding is provided by the Department of Health and delivered in partnership with the Department of Government Services.

Health Service Component claim information

The Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery scholarships Health Service Component is designed to encourage recently graduated registered nurses and midwives to work in a Victorian public health service. This component follows on from the University Component.

Eligible nursing and midwifery graduates who received a scholarship under the Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery scholarships University Component of this Program may now be eligible to receive an additional once-off payment of $7,500 if they have been employed as a registered nurse or midwife for at least two years in a Victorian public health service within 12 months of completing their studies, or by 30 June 2029, whichever comes first. Graduates must maintain an average of 0.6 full time equivalent (FTE) across the period.

Assessment of claims and subsequent payment will occur semi-annually according to the following schedule. Please note that some applications may require additional review and therefore fall outside of these dates.

Eligibility to receive a claim payment

As outlined in Section 6.1 of the Undergraduate nursing and midwifery scholarship program guidelines, to be eligible for the Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery scholarships Health Service Component you 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.

Claim process and requirements

As outlined in Clause 4 of your Grant Agreement, to receive funding for a Health Service Component claim, you must provide evidence of your eligibility to the Department of Health and Department of Government Services’ satisfaction.

For your claim to be considered for funding, you must provide the following evidence:

• primary Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) number (this is the Ahpra number for your nominated role)
• Unique Student Identifier number (USI)
• proof of employment via a Certificate of Service or equivalent from current and/or previous employers from past 2 years.

In addition to the evidence listed above, you must also provide:

• One of the following (current) proof of identity documents:
  • an Australian passport or New Zealand passport
  • a Medicare card
  • a Victorian driver licence or learner permit
  • a foreign passport for those issued with an Australian visa.
• Australian bank account details for where you would like the funds paid.

Terms, Conditions and Privacy Statement

For clarification of the Terms, Conditions and Program Privacy Statement please refer to Section 9 and Section 10 of the Undergraduate nursing and midwifery scholarship program guidelines.

Key dates

University Component round 1: 2023 intake

Applications opened: 26 April to 24 May 2023 (now closed)

University Component round 2: 2023 intake

Applications opened: 4 October to 1 November 2023 (now closed)

University Component round 3 (final round): 2024 intake

Applications opened: 24 July 2024 to 11 September 2024 (now closed)

Health Service Component payment

*Note the third-year scholarship payment only applies to students undertaking a 3-year full time course

Contact

Email: nams@grants.vic.gov.au with any questions.