New Regional Scholarships Represent a Rethink
A new suite of regional scholarships by La Trobe University will target non-school leavers and other underrepresented student cohorts to support regional and rural Australians who may face barriers to university study.
While traditional scholarships mainly focus on high-achieving school leavers, the Regional Achievement, Regional Access and Regional Indigenous scholarships deliberately expand the reach.
The $7000 scholarships support undergraduate and postgraduate courses, with the first intake expected next year. The scholarships will be consolidated under a new framework along with existing regional scholarships to simplify the process for all students and ensure offerings are clearer and more accessible.
Dyllan Gazzara’s journey from military service to nursing studies was shaped by a life-changing experience with his son’s health at just 6 weeks old.
The Bachelor of Nursing student at the Albury-Wodonga campus highlights how La Trobe’s regional scholarships support talented individuals whose educational paths are anything but conventional.
“I received the La Trobe Indigenous Scholarship in first semester of my first year and it’s been very helpful,” Dyllan said.
“As a father of three under the age of three, the scholarship helped ease the financial pressure of studying full time. It covered essential costs like uniforms, my first aid course and daily travel to Myrtleford for placements - all while supporting my family at home.”
For La Trobe Vice-Chancellor Excellence Scholarship recipient Bella Seamer, a Bachelor of Education student at the Albury-Wodonga campus, the generosity of donors has a real and lasting impact.
“Money philanthropists generously donate will not only assist students, who may have financial difficulties or other disadvantages in their lives, but it will invest into the careers of future people that will make an impact in society,” Bella said.
“We need nurses, doctors and teachers for our future and it’s the philanthropists that help ensure all students have the chance to study what they want without external circumstances disabling them.”
La Trobe has committed up to $1 million in 2026 to match philanthropic donations dollar for dollar. Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell says, “We know that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. That’s why La Trobe is investing in scholarships that reach beyond the school leaver to mature-age students, single parents and others who deserve a pathway to university.
“By matching every philanthropic dollar with university funding, we’re doubling the impact. This is not just an investment in students, it’s an investment in the future of our regions.”
It’s in response to ambitious targets outlined in La Trobe’s Regional Growth and Innovation Strategy, announced this year in May, to award 1000 scholarships by 2030 and drive student growth across its regional campuses.
Donors are invited to join this movement and invest in the future of regional Australia. For more information or to contribute, visit: Giving, La Trobe University.
Students can apply for the Regional Indigenous and Regional Access scholarships via an online application form by 7 December. Students who’ve applied for eligible courses in VTAC, UAC or directly will be automatically considered for the Regional Achievement scholarship.