Indigenous Scholarships
The Veterans’ Fund Indigenous Scholarships support Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander post 9/11 military veterans, to undertake a minimum of one-year full-time study in the Australia to USA direction or the USA to Australia direction. These scholarships will provide support of up to USD $40,000 to use toward travel, living, tuition and other associated educational costs and may be used in conjunction with other veteran support such as the GI Bill.
The following scholarships are available each year to Indigenous Veterans:
- Veterans’ Fund Undergraduate Scholarships: Supports American and Australian indigenous veterans pursuing or planning to pursue undergraduate study in any disciplinary field, in the country of the other.
- Veterans’ Fund Graduate Scholarships: Supports American and Australian indigenous veterans pursuing or planning to pursue to Graduate-level (Masters, Ph.D. or Postdoctoral Research) study or research in any disciplinary field, in the country of the other.
Applicants do not have to be accepted into the accredited educational institution at the time of application, though should be actively looking for placement.
Submission Period
Australia to USA: Open for applications from January 1 to March 31.
USA to Australia: Open for application on July 25 to September 30.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible to apply for the Undergraduate or Graduate Veterans’ Scholarship in the Australia to USA direction, applicants must:
- Be an honorably discharged post 9/11 military veteran from Australia;
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident (dual citizens are not eligible);
- Be a recognized member of an Indigenous Australian or Torres Strait Islander community;
- Be undertaking or planning to undertake Undergraduate or Graduate level study (Masters, Ph.D. or Postdoctoral Research) at an accredited educational institution in the U.S.;
- Be studying or planning to study for a minimum of one-year full-time in the U.S.
To be eligible to apply for the Undergraduate or Graduate Veterans’ Scholarships in the USA to Australia direction, applicants must:
- Be an honorably discharged post 9/11 military veteran from the U.S.;
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (dual citizens are not eligible);
- Be a recognized member of a Native American, Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian community;
- Be undertaking or planning to undertake Undergraduate or Graduate level study (Masters, Ph.D. or Postdoctoral Research) at an accredited educational institution in the Australia;
- Be studying or planning to study for a minimum of one year full-time in Australia.
Application links to apply online will be made available on this page when each application round is open (as per the dates listed above). Once you have started your application you can save, leave and go back any time before submitting by the due date. Please ensure to save your application each time you exit the browser in case of unforeseen technical difficulties.
The following documents will be required when applying for the Veterans’ scholarship in either direction. All documents that are not images/video should be saved and uploaded as a PDF:
- High resolution colored headshot with a plain white background (minimum 1MB/300 DPI);
- Video presentation (1-2 minutes) introducing yourself and your study/anticipated study in the country of the other;
- Passport biographic page;
- Confirmation of Identity from Indigenous community;
- Military discharge papers;
- 1-page resume;
- Academic transcripts from your previous Graduate and/or Undergraduate study, if applicable, and;
- Detailed budget outlining expenses and income throughout the year of supported study – please use the Veterans’ Scholarships Budget Template as a guide, available to download in the application portal.
Applicants are required to provide 3 Letters of Recommendation. These can be from commanding or former commanding officers, unit leaders, veteran organisation executives, workplace managers/supervisors, academic supervisors, clinical or professional supervisors, or community leaders who can credibly attest to your service, character and suitability.
NB: Applicants will be required to provide proof of indigeneity when applying for the Veteran Scholarships as an Indigenous Australian or Native American.
For further information please visit the FAQs page.
Please read our Frequently Asked Questions prior to starting an application.
Inquiries
To make inquiries about these scholarships please contact our Education Team at [email protected] | +1 212 338 6860 x 205.