Narrm Scholarship

At Melbourne, we celebrate the variety of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives that you can bring to our student community.

The Narrm Scholarship Program is designed to help you with the cost of living during your studies, including relocating to Melbourne, if you meet certain eligibility criteria through Access Melbourne as a domestic undergraduate student.

The program will also provide you with access to enrichment activities throughout your studies to help you feel connected to your fellow students and ready to launch into your career after you graduate.

What is the Narrm Scholarship?

The Narrm Scholarship Program provides financial and enrichment support to eligible Indigenous Australian students, and to students applying to study at the University through VTAC’s Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS), known as Access Melbourne, commencing in 2024 or later.

The name Narrm, which is the Woi-wurrung word for the Melbourne region meaning ‘place’, signifies our commitment to being a place where you feel safe and respected, where you can cultivate meaningful relationships, feel that you belong and participate fully in university life.

What does the Narrm Scholarship include?

The Narrm Scholarship provides eligible students with:

  • A living allowance of $6,500 per year of undergraduate study, up to four years (plus an additional year if you enrol in a Diploma in General Studies, a concurrent diploma, a bachelor extended degree or a bachelor with honours).
  • A tailored enrichment program to support your transition to university, your success throughout your studies and your career readiness by the time you graduate, so you can find your feet and your crowd.
  • An additional relocation allowance of $3,000 if you come from a regional or remote area of Australia.

How are scholarships allocated?

Narrm Scholarships will be guaranteed to students who are Indigenous Australians, and also to students whose home address is in a low socioeconomic area (as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) in data that will be provided to the University when you apply for Access Melbourne under SEAS Category 1.

In addition to the guaranteed scholarships for the above categories, we have approximately 200 additional Narrm Scholarships across our other Access Melbourne categories. Eligible students meeting the SEAS criteria, for example those with a disability or medical condition, or students experiencing difficult personal circumstances, will be considered for a Narrm Scholarship based on overall level of disadvantage.

If you’re eligible for a scholarship, you’ll be offered one automatically.

Guaranteed living allowance for Indigenous Australian students

The cost of living and studying in Melbourne can make it challenging to balance university study alongside work and family commitments. To help you focus on your studies, the Narrm Scholarship Program includes a living allowance.

The Narrm Scholarship provides a guaranteed living allowances of $6,500 per year of undergraduate study (up to four years) for Indigenous students eligible through SEAS Category 1 (personal details and location).

If you’re an Indigenous student who is also from a regional or remote area of Australia, you will receive an additional $3,000 relocation allowance as a one-off payment.

Find out more

Relocation allowances

A relocation allowance will also be offered to all students who apply through Access Melbourne and come from a regional or remote area of Australia.

So, if you’re awarded a Narrm Scholarship and come from a regional or remote area of Australia, you’ll also receive a relocation allowance of $3,000.

If you’ve applied through SEAS and are from a regional or remote area but do not meet the above criteria and therefore don’t receive a Narrm Scholarship, you’ll nonetheless receive a relocation allowance, called a Melbourne Relocation Scholarship, of $1,500.

If you’ve applied through Access Melbourne and you’re eligible for a relocation allowance, we’ll let you know and pay this to you automatically.

Frequently asked questions

  • How is the living allowance paid for students who study part time?

    The Narrm Scholarship living allowance will be paid in half-yearly instalments of $3,250 for the duration of your undergraduate study up to a maximum of four years. A further year will be paid for students who enrol in a Diploma in General Studies, a concurrent diploma or a bachelor degree with honours.

    For more details, please see the University’s coursework scholarship terms and conditions.

  • Can I still participate in the enrichment program if I don't receive a Narrm Scholarship?

    All students enrolling at the University through Access Melbourne will be offered a suite of enrichment activities that tailor established University services to Access Melbourne students.

    While some enrichment activities will be delivered within the curated Narrm Scholarship Program, other activities and services are designed to offer support to all Access Melbourne students, including those who receive the Melbourne Relocation Scholarship.

  • What other scholarships do you have?

    We offer more than 1200 scholarships for new and current students.

    To browse all the available scholarships at the University of Melbourne, see scholarships.unimelb.edu.au.

  • Who can I contact for advice?

    If you have a question about studying or applying with us, you can find help at the support centre.