Ten Top Tips for a Good Scholarship Application
Below you will find ten invaluable tips for lodging a competitive scholarship application at Curtin University.
- Completed application
- Signed & Witnessed
- Proof of Citizenship
- Documentation
- High school results
- Curtin Academic Transcript and Curtin Enrolment Advice
- Personal statement
- Applicants with disabilities or medical conditions
- Applicants with parents or children with disabilities or medical conditions
- Proof of income
1. Completed application
Ensure all questions are answered; this may seem obvious but you would be surprised at the number of incomplete applications we get.
2. Signed & Witnessed
The majority of applications must be signed, witnessed and dated. If this is required then applications not signed and witnessed will be considered ineligible. It is preferable that the witness is not a relative, and must be over 18 years of age.
3. Proof of Citizenship
Many applications will require you to prove your citizenship; to do this please provide a certified copy of one of the following - they are listed in order of preference:
- Passport
- Citizenship Certificate
- Birth Certificate
- Birth Extract (Please note: if you have any name changes since your birth you will need to provide further documentation to confirm the change).
If you have misplaced your birth certificate the following website provides information on how you can request a new birth certificate. Please note there is a fee to request a new birth certificate, details are on the Registrars' of Births, Deaths and Marriages website
For many scholarships you will be deemed ineligible if you do not prove your citizenship.
4. Documentation
The submission of supporting documentation is essential; without it claims cannot be supported and this may result in the information not being considered in the application. Every application will have a list of the documents that you must provide. Please use that checklist and provide certified copies only. Examples of the types of documents often required are:
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- Centrelink statement
- Income statement / payslips or current bank statement for the last month.
- Health Care Card
- Academic Transcript
- Enrolment Advice
- TAFE or other schooling certificates
- High School Completion certificate (showing highest level completed and school name)
- Medical certificate or letter (for either yourself or the family member for whom you are making a claim)
Certified copies
Most scholarships require certified copies of all original documents to keep on records. We advise that you do not send original documents with your application. This applies for any documentation you send in with your application. The only exceptions will be Curtin Enrolment Advice and Curtin Academic Transcripts, which can be printouts from e-student. If documentation is not certified your application will be deemed ineligible. Please see our Certified Documentation page for further details.
5. High school results
Many scholarship applications require the highest level of High School results you achieved and which High School(s) you attended. The document(s) we require are a certified copies of your High School reports or Secondary Graduation Certificate / Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) or your Curriculum Council results.
6. Curtin Academic Transcript and Curtin Enrolment Advice
If you are current Curtin student you may be required to provide a Curtin Academic Transcript and a Curtin Enrolment Advice. These documents can be obtained through e-Student. Go to OASIS from the Curtin homepage to access e-Student to print out your Curtin Academic eRecord and Curtin Enrolment Advice.
7. Personal statement
To optimise your application outcome, anything you state in your personal statement should be backed up with supporting documents that are relevant to what you have stated. The more proof you can give in your application to validate your statement, the better and it will improve your chances of being awarded a scholarship.
8. Applicants with disabilities or medical conditions
If you state that you have a disability or medical condition, you will need to provide either a certified copy of a medical certificate or current Centrelink Income Statements with Disability Payments listed on them.
9. Applicants with parents or children with disabilities or medical conditions
If you state that your parents or children have a disability or medical condition, you will need to provide proof of this otherwise it may be disregarded. A certified copy of a Medical Certificate or a certified copy of a current Centrelink Income Statement with disability payments listed on them for that person is acceptable. If you have any referral letters from doctors or hospitals, a certified copy of these will also be accepted.
10. Proof of Income
Certain scholarship applications will require information regarding your income.
Receiving Centrelink payments: If you are receiving Centrelink Payments you will be required to provide a certified copy of your current (within the last 3 months) Centrelink Income Statement.
Not receiving Centrelink payments: If you do not receive Centrelink Payments you will need to provide a certified copy of your current monthly statement of your bank account. The statement will need to show your regular monies going into your account.
Currently working: If you are working, you will need to provide certified copies of your latest three current payslips.
Partnered: If you are partnered you will need to provided proof of income for both you and your partner.
