• Section 1 - Audience
• Section 2 - Purpose
• Section 3 - Scope
• Section 4 - Policy
• External Funding Bodes/Partners, including Donors
• Withdrawal / Cessation of Payments
• Discontinuation of Scholarships
• Review
• Record and Information Management

Section 1 - Audience

(1) This policy applies to any person, unit, division, college or committee responsible for the establishment, administration, management, awarding, and communication of enabling, undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships taught through coursework (hereafter referred to as ‘scholarships’). It is also relevant to University of Newcastle (University) students, alumni, and external funding bodies/partners, including donors.

Section 2 - Purpose

(2) This policy:

1. supports the intent of University scholarships to bring value to our communities by fostering achievement, realising promise, and enabling opportunity;
2. supports a framework for equity, transparency, and consistency in the establishment, management and awarding of scholarships funded by the Australian Government, University, and external funding bodies/partners, including donors;
3. recognises the strategic importance of scholarships to the University and its broader community, and maximises opportunities to promote a portfolio that attracts, supports, and retains students; and
4. supports the University's financial commitment to maintaining a portfolio of scholarships for University students and upholds the University's commitment to equity, excellence, community leadership, and future readiness. 

(3) This Policy should be read in conjunction with the Coursework Scholarships Procedure.

Section 3 - Scope

(4) This policy applies to all University scholarships where the funding is administered by the University. The policy does not apply to:

1. higher degree by research scholarships;
2. University awards and prizes;
3. fee waiver arrangements or agreements applied according to the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (note a fee waiver is sometimes referred to as a scholarship for marketing purposes, but is excluded from this Policy where it is applied as a discounted program fee and offered to all students within a defined cohort. For instance, to all students from a particular country and/or to any student completing a prior qualification to a specific standard);
4. Study Abroad and Outbound Student Mobility programs;
5. third-party sponsorship agreements;
6. Newcastle Australia Institute of Higher Education Scholarships; and
7. staff scholarships.

Section 4 - Policy

(5) The University seeks to increase the range and number of scholarships available and align these to its strategic intent.

(6) The University will encourage financial support from industry, government, business, community organisations and alumni and philanthropists, and will strategically allocate University revenue and funds to scholarships.

(7) Scholarship eligibility requirements, terms and conditions, and selection criteria will be clearly expressed and made available to applicants to inform their application. Acceptance of the scholarship by a recipient will be considered as acceptance of the terms and conditions provided with the offer.

(8) Decisions made by any University selection panel are final and cannot be appealed. Applicants may access the University Complaint Management Procedure in accordance with the Complaint Management Policy.

(9) Each scholarship will be:

1. established and administered in accordance with terms and conditions approved by a delegated authority; and
2. sustainable to implement, administer, monitor and review.

(10) The establishment, selection and awarding of scholarships will comply with the University's Code of Conduct, Ethical Framework, Conflict of Interest Policy, and Privacy Management Plan.

(11) Approved University scholarships may be recognised as suitable for inclusion on academic records and the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS).

(12) The University reserves the right not to offer a specific scholarship in a particular year even if that scholarship has eligible recipients.

External Funding Bodes/Partners, including Donors

(13) Philanthropic funds received for the purpose of an approved scholarship will be managed in accordance with the University’s relevant policies and procedures, as well as the Code of Practice for Australian Philanthropy.

(14) Where a scholarship requires the formation of selection panels, complex administration or system development, the University reserves the right to notify a donor that a specified proportion of the fund, which will be no more than 5% of the sum annually awarded, will be used to support its administration.

(15) All selection panel members, donors and any other person acting for and on their behalf must observe and comply with the University’s Privacy Management Plan in the commitment to respect and protect the privacy and confidentiality of applicant's and recipients personal information. 

(16)  The University reserves the right to not accept funds for a scholarship from a donor, and to not accept particular conditions on such funding.

(17) The University will not be responsible for funding a scholarship established by a donor unless there is a legal obligation to do so.

Withdrawal / Cessation of Payments

(18) The University reserves the right to:

1. withdraw an offer of a scholarship where it is substantiated that the offer was based on incorrect, incomplete or misleading information;
2. recover payments made from a scholarship if it is substantiated that the applicant has intentionally provided incorrect, incomplete or misleading information in their application for the scholarship; and
3. withhold further payment of scholarship funds where a recipient fails to meet the eligibility requirements and/or terms and conditions of the relevant scholarship that were in place at the time of the offer. 

Discontinuation of Scholarships

(19) The University reserves the right to discontinue a scholarship. In the event that a scholarship is discontinued, the University will:

1. communicate the discontinuation in a timely manner to students and/or donors who may be impacted, where practical; and
2. where practical and reasonable, identify possibilities for alternate funding arrangements for students who may be impacted.

(20) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Vice President has the authority to discontinue a scholarship if required.

Review

(21) The University will review the structure and minimum value of existing scholarships annually to reassess its conditions, value add, and alignment to University strategy.

(22) The University may collate and analyse student feedback to continuously improve scholarship processes and offerings.

Record and Information Management

(23) All records and information relating to scholarships will be managed in accordance with the University's relevant policies, including but not limited to:

1. Privacy Management Plan;
2. Privacy and Information Access Policy; and
3. Records and Information Management Policy.