Charles Darwin University Nations Australian Commonwealth Scholarship 2025

First Nations Australian Commonwealth Scholarships help facilitate choice and participation in Higher Education by First Nations students from low socio-economic backgrounds and from rural and regional areas.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirments
• Interview Process
• Application Documents
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineJuly 25, 2025
• Value$2,500 - $5,000
• Study LevelMasters , PhD , Undergraduate
• SponsorCharles Darwin University
• City to studyNorthern Territory
• School to studyCharles Darwin University
• Eligible CountryAustralia

Benefits

Undergraduate/postgraduate/TEP Students

• Semester 1 applicants:  $5,000 per year ($2,500 per semester)
• Semester 2 applicants:  $2,500

Duration of Scholarship 

• 2 semesters for semester 1 applicants; 1 semester for semester 2 applicants
• Applicants need to reapply each year for this scholarship.

Maximum Payments (includes current year and subsequent years)

• Enabling:  2 payments
• Undergraduate:  8 payments
• Postgraduate:  4 payments

If you received a First Nations Commonwealth scholarship in the previous years, you can reapply.

Requirements

Ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria of this scholarship before applying.

• Must identify as a First Nations Australian student. You may be required to provide supporting documentation to confirm Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent
• Must submit evidence of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent:

   

  • A Confirmation of Indigeneity letter stamped with a community seal and/or signed by a delegate of an incorporated Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community organisation that you identify with. If you currently do not have proof of heritage or are unsure of how to obtain this document please contact First Nations Student Support, or
  • Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) if in receipt of ABSTUDY.
• Must be enrolled in an Enabling or Higher Education course (excluding research)
• Must be enrolled in at least 20 credit points in the current semester
• Must demonstrate financial hardship by providing evidence one of the following:

   

  1. Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN)- as evidence of receiving a Centrelink (or other commonwealth) means-tested income support payment (such as Austudy, ABSTUDY, Youth Allowance etc), or
  2. 02 recent payslips- as evidence of receiving a personal taxable income below $85,000 annually, or
  3. a statement of financial need- as evidence when the annual income exceeds the threshold amount.
• Must be required to relocate and enrol as an internal student- to be eligible for the Accommodation Scholarship (see below for detailed eligibility)
• Must not be in receipt of a current First Nations Australians Commonwealth Scholarship

   

• Must have received a minimum Pass in more than 50% of the credit points attempted during the previous academic progression period (for continuing or previously enrolled students)
• You may not be eligible for a scholarship if you are in receipt of a Centrelink Start-Up loan/Scholarship and/or a Relocation Scholarship and/or ABSTUDY Residential Costs Option

Interview Dates and Process

After submitting an application, you will receive an automatic reply acknowledging receipt of your application. Within 3-5 business days, your application status will be updated to either:

• Eligible - if all the eligibility criteria are met and appropriate documentations are submitted.
• Ineligible - at least one eligibility criterion is not met. You may receive an email with further advice.
• Pending- you need to take further actions (e.g. update enrolments or provide further documents).

After applications close, eligible applications will be assessed and scored by a selection committee. Semester 1 applications are usually scored by the end of April, and those of semester 2 applications by the end of August. Scholarships that include interviews conducted by the donors may fall outside these timeframes.

All applicants will receive emails regarding their application outcomes. The outcome decisions made by the selection committee and/or by the donor are final and cannot be overturned. 

Application Documents

Scholarships requiring First Nations status require providing confirmation of heritage:

• A Confirmation of Indigeneity letter stamped with a community seal and/or signed by a delegate of an incorporated Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community organisation that you identify with, or
• Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) if in receipt of ABSTUDY.

If you currently do not have proof of heritage or are unsure of how to obtain this document, please contact First Nations Student Services (FNSS).

Application Deadline

July 25, 2025

How To Apply

Are you qualified and interested in this opportunity? Kindly go to Charles Darwin University on login.microsoftonline.com to apply

To check the status of an application, log in to Scholarship Finder. Click on the My Scholarship Applications tab, and you can see the status of each of your applications and their action dates.

More questions? Search ASK CDU to find out more about scholarships.

For more information, kindly visit Charles Darwin University scholarship webpage.