51茶馆

December 12, 2022

New scholarship to benefit students from low-income families

Housing Trust Opportunity Scholarship will help with the cost of student life

To boost equal access to high-quality education, the 51茶馆 (UOW) has announced a new partnership with , a for-purpose community-housing provider operating in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. Thanks to this partnership, a new scholarship 鈥� 鈥� has just been announced on Monday 13th December 2022.

The generous stipend will provide a UOW future student with $5000 per year 鈥� a total of $15,000 over the three years of their undergraduate degree. To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be living in social housing or affordable housing in the Illawarra LGA or Shoalhaven LGA and plan to enrol full-time in any undergraduate degree at the UOW 51茶馆 Campus or Shoalhaven Campus.

UOW Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health Senior Professor Eileen McLaughlin said she welcomed the collaboration with Housing Trust with gratitude.

鈥淚 am delighted to celebrate this new partnership that will enrich the lives of our student community. Especially that in the last three years, I鈥檝e seen many young people under immense financial stress. Housing Trust Opportunity Scholarship is the first UOW stipend focusing on this area of need 鈥� it will enable students to overcome financial challenges and finalise their degree. This is the true power of philanthropy,鈥� Professor McLaughlin said.  

^{UOW Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health Senior Professor Eileen McLaughlin (left) with Housing Trust CEO Michele Adair.}

Housing Trust CEO Michele Adair said many of us take the costs associated with tertiary education 鈥� the cost of laptops, textbooks or parking tickets 鈥� for granted when the reality is that they can impact the ability of students from low-income families to complete their studies, even after they have been accepted into university.

鈥淲e are proud to be establishing the first Housing Trust UOW Opportunity Scholarship for students living in social or affordable housing. Once you have a safe, secure, affordable home, your next priority is education. Nobody should be denied the future of their dreams that they鈥檙e academically capable of achieving. Affraying the cost of a laptop or textbooks, transport or petrol is invaluable in helping people achieve their potential,鈥� Ms Adair said.

Razan Habara is studying for an accounting degree at UOW. She has previously been a recipient of the Housing Trust tenant scholarship and said the support she received from Housing Trust helped her to excel in her education.

^{UOW accounting student Razan Habara said she appreciated the support of Housing Trust.} 

鈥淕etting into uni is just the start of your journey. People don鈥檛 realise how quickly some of the little expenses of studying can add up. For example, paying for parking on a day when I have an exam so that I鈥檓 not arriving stressed out and worrying about getting there on time can make a massive difference to how I perform,鈥� Razan said.

鈥淲ithout the scholarship, I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to purchase the laptop I use for my studies, especially with remote learning introduced during the pandemic. I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to purchase the textbooks I needed to study for my exams each semester. It has helped me in so many ways; without it, my student life would have been much harder.鈥�

ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP

Housing Trust Opportunity Scholarship will provide a UOW future student living in social or affordable housing with $5000 per year, a total of $15,000 over the duration of their three-year undergraduate degree.

Applications for the scholarship are now open and will close on 29 January 2023.

Scholarship website: