View Current

Prizes and Scholarships Procedures

This is not a current document. To view the current version, click the link in the document's navigation bar.

Section 1 - Overview

(1) These procedures outline the roles and responsibilities relevant to the establishment, management and administration of coursework Prizes and Scholarships awarded by the University.

Top of Page

Section 2 - Scope

(2) These procedures apply to:

  1. coursework Prizes and Scholarships awarded by the University;
  2. all University Representatives involved in the management, administration and promotion of coursework Prizes and Scholarships awarded by the University; and
  3. all eligible Candidates and recipients of coursework Prizes and Scholarships awarded by the University.

(3) Coursework Prizes and Scholarships established prior to the implementation of the Prizes and Scholarships Rule are not required to meet the minimum values articulated here, but where possible, should be renegotiated to meet these approved minimum values.

Top of Page

Section 3 - Procedures

Establishment of and Changes to Prizes and Scholarships

(4) The University will establish Prizes and Scholarships in accordance with the Prizes and Scholarships Rule.

(5) All offers to establish a new Prize or Scholarship whether University or donor funded, must be directed to the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate.

(6) Proposals for the establishment of a University funded Prize or Scholarship may be made by any section of the University. If approved, the section of the University making the proposal will be responsible for funding the Prize or Scholarship, and financial consideration should form part of the proposal. The proposal drafter should liaise with the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate.

(7) The Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate will oversee acceptance, receipt, electronic records and acknowledgement of donor funded Prizes and Scholarships in accordance with the Advancement Policy.

(8) Discretionary powers should be vested in the University, which enables it to alter the conditions of the Scholarship or Prize to the extent that such alteration is necessary to meet the original conditions as closely as possible.

(9) A Condition of Award form must be completed for all proposals for new or changed Prizes and Scholarships:

  1. for donor funded Prizes and Scholarships the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate completes the Conditions of Award form;
  2. for University funded Prizes and Scholarships the proposal originator completes the Conditions of Award form; and
  3. the section of the University making the proposal or changes must gain the relevant stakeholder support and endorsement noted on the form prior to submission for formal approval.

(10) The completed Conditions of Award form is submitted to the University Teaching and Learning Committee (UTLC) for approval. For School, discipline and unit Prizes the Conditions of Award form must first be endorsed by the School Teaching and Learning Committee before submission to UTLC. Once approved by UTLC the Conditions of Award form is submitted to the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer for final approval.

(11) If the funding for the Prize or Scholarship is to be provided from an external source, normally a funding agreement will be completed by the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate in consultation with  the Office of the Chief Legal and Governance Officer. The funding agreement is to be signed before it is presented to the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer for final approval.

(12) The University Secretariat will inform the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate when the Conditions of Award have been approved. The Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate will then brief Student Success on the new or amended Conditions of Award.

(13) The approved Conditions of Award will be added to the register and University website maintained by the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate.

(14) Administration of the Prize or Scholarship will then commence in accordance with the Conditions of Award and the Prizes and Scholarships Rule and Procedures.

(15) The Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate will review the Prize or Scholarship in the final year of the funding agreement. The Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate contacts the donor to ascertain whether the Prize or Scholarship will be renewed or withdrawn before the next selection cycle.

(16) The Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate in consultation with the donor and the Administering Body, detailed in the Conditions of Award may decide to withdraw a Prize or Scholarship. If a Prize or Scholarship is withdrawn or is not renewed when the term expires it is deleted from the register after the last time it is awarded.

Conditions and Eligibility Criteria for Selection and Bestowal of Prizes and Scholarships

(17) The criteria on which a Prize or Scholarship is to be bestowed are set out in its Conditions.

(18) The title of a Prize or Scholarship should provide appropriate recognition for, in the case of a donor-funded award, the donor, or in the case of a commemorative Prize or Scholarship, the person or entity being recognised.

(19) For continuing Prizes and Scholarships the conditions must include the criteria for continuation.

(20) Selection of recipients must be a comparative and competitive process.

(21) Those eligible for consideration must be ranked on the basis of the extent to which they demonstrate that they satisfy the selection criteria.

(22) In ranking Candidates, regard must be given to the application and supporting material, if any, and candidates may be interviewed.

(23) Even if a Candidate meets the selection criteria for a Prize or Scholarship, it will be bestowed only if there is a Candidate of sufficient merit.

(24) The University has the authority to make the final decision on the selection of Prize and Scholarship recipients subject to funding being available.

(25) Subject to approval Prizes and Scholarships may be bestowed on the basis of one or more of the following eligibility or ranking criteria:

  1. academic merit;
  2. demonstration of other outstanding achievements, abilities, leadership or community service;
  3. demonstration of financial hardship;
  4. demonstration of educational disadvantage;
  5. indigenous Student status; and/or
  6. membership of any targeted equity group.

(26) Awarding of all Prizes shall be subject to the following conditions unless expressly provided to the contrary in the approved Prize Conditions of Award:

  1. the candidate has satisfied all conditions of the selection criteria for the prize;
  2. all the work required for the prize has been completed by the candidate while enrolled at the University of New England;
  3. the candidate is not repeating the unit or other work upon which the award of the prize is based;
  4. in the case of eligibility based on declared marks, where two or more Students obtain the same mark, the Prize is to be shared;
  5. in the case of eligibility on the basis of performance in any single unit for which a mark is declared, the Student obtains an overall mark of at least 75%; and
  6. in the case of eligibility on the basis of performance in any sequence of units or in a course for which marks are declared, the Student obtains a grade point average of at least 6 (75%).

(27) The value of a Prize or Scholarship is normally stated in the Conditions of Award, where possible. The minimum value:

  1. of a Prize will be $500; and
  2. of a Scholarship will be $5000 per annum.

Duration or Continuation of a Scholarship

(28) Where the Scholarship conditions include a provision to the effect that 'one Scholarship will be awarded each year' and an award is made 'for the length of the course', unless the Conditions of Award otherwise specifies, one 'new' award will be made each year, concurrent with the continuing award(s) to the recipient(s) to whom a Scholarship was awarded commencing in the previous year(s).

(29) Where a Scholarship is made 'for the length of the course', the duration will be calculated on the basis of the standard duration of the course requirements, as specified in the course rules or as specified by the donor. That course must be the specific course defined in the individual Conditions of Award, or the course in which the Student was enrolled when the Scholarship was approved, unless the Conditions of Award allow for a Student to apply to transfer to another course.

(30) Where a Scholarship is made for a continuing period of more than one trimester, the conditions for continuation of the Scholarship will include a requirement that the Student remains enrolled in the relevant course of study and gains a minimum passing grade in all units in which they were enrolled in the previous trimester. Exceptional personal circumstances, supported by documentary evidence, may be taken into consideration if the Student has not satisfied the conditions for continuation of the Scholarship.

(31) Students who are granted a period of approved leave will normally forfeit their Scholarship unless stated otherwise in the conditions for the individual Scholarship. If not stated in the Conditions of Award, only under exceptional personal circumstances, supported by documentary evidence, can a Student apply for a suspension of their Scholarship. The Student will need to make a case on why they should be allowed a suspension of their Scholarship and submit to Student Success. The Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate will present the Student's case to the donor where appropriate.

(32) If the recipient of a Scholarship is granted a suspension of their Scholarship and does not resume their course of study and take up the Scholarship, within a period of no more than one year, the Scholarship will be withdrawn.

(33) The Conditions of Award for any individual Scholarship may specify that, in the event that the recipient of a Scholarship withdraws from or fails to make satisfactory progress in their course of study, or fails to satisfy other requirements for continuation of the Scholarship, the balance of the award monies otherwise payable to the recipient will either:

  1. revert to the scholarship fund; or
  2. be awarded to the next eligible applicant; in that case:
    1. the amount of the Scholarship available to that subsequent recipient will be the original value of the Scholarship less any amount already paid to the first recipient; and
    2. the duration of the Scholarship will be the normal duration less any period of time during which it was held by the first recipient.

Review of Prizes and Scholarships

(34) Prizes and Scholarships should be reviewed every five years at a minimum (or sooner if an individual award is due for renewal) and should assess their conditions and viability, recipient feedback (where appropriate) and factors relating to communication and management. Reviews should ensure compliance with these Procedures, the Prizes and Scholarships Rule and related University rules and policies.

Selection of Prize Recipients

(35) In September of each year the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate notifies the relevant Administering Body of available Prizes and the timelines for selecting the recipient(s) of each Prize.

(36) The Administering Body works in cooperation with Student Success to identify from Callista potential Prize recipients for which no application is required.

(37) The Administering Body will select and approve Prize recipients and notify Student Success and the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate within the advised timeline.

(38) Student Success will notify successful recipients including instructions for accepting the Prize and the offer lapse date by when successful applicants must accept their Prize.

(39) When the recipient has accepted the Prize, Student Success will advise the Administering Body who will annually note the prize recipient's name on the University website.

(40) For University-wide Prizes the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate will note the prize recipient's name on the University website.

Application for Scholarships and Selection of Recipients

(41) Candidates for a Scholarship must apply using the manner specified and by the due date published by the University each application round.

(42) An application must be accompanied by all required documentation which has been properly certified by either the issuing body or people qualified to certify documents (where applicable). Scanned documents will be accepted but applicants should be prepared to provide original documents or original certified copies of required documents upon request at any time.

(43) Student Success will:

  1. receipt and process Scholarship applications (where applicable);
  2. recommend to the Coursework Scholarship Committee who should receive a Scholarship;
  3. set an offer lapse date by when successful applicants must accept their Scholarship;
  4. advise all applicants in writing of the outcome of their application and ensure that the successful Scholarship recipients formally accept the offer and the terms and conditions.

(44) The Coursework Scholarship Committee will approve Scholarship recipients. The minimum size of this Committee will normally be three people and is chaired by the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Innovation). The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Innovation) will determine membership of the Committee.

(45) When the recipient has accepted the Scholarship, Student Administration and Services will advise the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate who will advise the donor (where applicable).

Management of Scholarship Candidature

(46) When recipients are required to meet certain conditions to be eligible for payment(s), Student Success will:

  1. ensure each recipient is eligible for payment before each payment is made;
  2. notify recipients in writing if they become ineligible to receive payments;
  3. where possible, in liaison with Financial Services, recover any overpayments made to recipients; and
  4. in consultation with the Office of Advancement determine if conditions can be varied or waived for a particular recipient, according to the respective Conditions of Award and/or relevant University rules or policies.

Prize and Scholarship Recipients

(47) To retain eligibility for Prize and Scholarship payments, recipients must:

  1. accept their offer as instructed before the offer lapse date;
  2. provide banking details as required and ensure that these remain current for the duration of payments;
  3. comply with any associated conditions; and
  4. notify Student Success of any planned or actual changes to their enrolment that may affect their eligibility or payments immediately prior to making any such changes.

Funding Arrangements

(48) Where funding is provided by a donor/sponsor, the University will request the payment be directed to the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate.

(49) Prizes and Scholarships may be funded by the donor on an annual basis or by means of an endowment administered by the University.

(50) The Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate will receive the payment, provide a receipt and arrange for the recording of the payment.

(51) For University funded Prizes or Scholarships, the Administering Body will annually transfer monies to the UNE Foundation via the Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate.

Payment

(52) Student Success will administer all payments to Prize and Scholarship recipients in liaison with Financial Services.

(53) The value of a Scholarship will normally be paid in equal instalments. Payment of instalments will commence in the first trimester of enrolment in which the Scholarship was awarded and will continue in consecutive trimester/s of enrolment providing the Student has satisfied any Conditions of Award. Payments will be made after the HECS census date in the relevant trimester/s.

(54) Unless otherwise stated, the amount of each Scholarship payment is calculated on the basis of full-time enrolment, that is, 24 credit points per trimester. If the Student is permitted to undertake a lesser load, payments will be made on a pro rata basis subject to the Conditions of Award and the agreement of the donor.

(55) The value of a Prize will normally be paid in accordance with its Conditions.

(56) Payment to recipients of Prizes and Scholarships will be made electronically into Australian bank accounts.

(57) The University must not provide advice to recipients about any financial or taxation implications for individual Students. Students will be informed that their Prize or Scholarship may affect income tax liability or Centrelink payments and that they should consult the Australian Taxation Office and/or the Department of Human Services.

Advertising and Marketing

(58) The Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate will maintain up to date Prize and Scholarship terms and conditions information on the University website and provide information to relevant officers for use in publications for which they have responsibility within the University.

(59) Student Success will maintain Scholarship application information on the University website and determine appropriate ways of promoting the scholarships to eligible Students.

Records Management

(60) The records management requirements under the Prizes and Scholarships Rule must be met for all correspondence, notes, meeting minutes and reports arising from the application of the Rule and these Procedures.

(61) All decisions regarding the Prize or Scholarship are to be documented and maintained in the official file including:

  1. all versions of the approved Condition of Award;
  2. establishment information;
  3. copies of all relevant signed agreements and/or contracts;
  4. documents related to funding;
  5. award approval and review dates; and
  6. recipient details.

Authority and Compliance

(62) The Procedure Administrator, pursuant to the University's Prizes and Scholarships Rule, makes these procedures.

(63) University Representatives and Students must observe these Procedures in relation to University matters.

(64) These Procedures operate as and from the Effective Date.

(65) Previous Procedures relating to prizes and scholarships are replaced and have no further operation from the Effective Date of this new Procedure.

Top of Page

Section 4 - Definitions

(66) Administering Body means the area of the University assigned responsibility for aspects of the administration and management for particular Student Prizes and Scholarships.

(67) Candidate is a Student or prospective Student or graduate of the University who has met the requirements to be considered for the bestowal of a Prize and/or Scholarship, including submission of an application where that is required.

(68) Effective Date is the date on which this procedure will take effect.

(69) Eligibility criteria are the conditions required for applicants to be considered for the bestowal of a Prize and/or Scholarship (e.g. must be an Australian citizen or international Student).

(70) Prize is an award made on the basis of academic performance that carries no condition for further study. The benefit is usually financial but may include a certificate or some other form of recognition.

(71) Scholarship for the purposes of this Rule, means any scholarship or bursary and is an award usually made on the basis of academic merit and/or equity providing a benefit to a student undertaking a course of study. The benefit is usually financial and may include full or partial remission of fees, costs associated with studying and/or living allowance or stipend.

(72) Selection criteria are the bases on which to discriminate between eligible applicants to determine which of them will receive the prize and/or scholarship (e.g. academic merit or financial need).

(73) Student means an Admitted Student or an Enrolled Student, at the relevant time.

  1. Admitted student means a student who has been admitted to a UNE course of study and who is entitled to enrol in a unit of study or who has completed all of the units in the UNE course of study.
  2. Enrolled student means a student who is enrolled in a unit of study at UNE.

(74) UNE Act means the University of New England Act, 1993, No 68 (NSW).

(75) University Representative means a University employee (casual, fixed-term and permanent), contractor, agent, appointee, UNE Council member, adjunct, visiting academic and any other person engaged by the University to undertake some activity for on behalf of the University. It includes corporations and other bodies falling into one or more of these categories.