Margaret Abernethy Scholarship for Leadership in Community Engagement

Key scholarship details

Application status

Opening soon

Applications open

28 Aug 2026

Applications close

27 Sep 2026

Benefit amount

Up to $16,000

Eligible study level

Undergraduate

Eligible student type

Domestic and international students

Eligible study stage

Current study

Benefit duration

One or more years

Summary

The Margaret Abernethy Scholarship for Leadership in Community Engagement was established by was established by the Melbourne Foundation for Business and Economics in honour of Professor Emerita Margaret Abernethy, former Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics, and offered to high achieving students who demonstrate outstanding leadership skills in community engagement.

Benefits

This scholarship provides a living allowance of $16,000 paid in two equal instalments after the census dates in semester 1 and semester 2.

Recipients of the scholarship will be admitted into the Abernethy Scholars Program which provides unique opportunities including:

Access to the Faculty’s Career Mentoring Program
Invitations to a variety of leadership events hosted by the Faculty
An academic mentoring opportunity with Professor Emerita Margaret Abernethy, the Sir Douglas Copland Chair of Commerce and former Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics.

Eligibility and selection criteria

Eligibility

To be considered for this scholarship, you must:

Be a currently enrolled full-time student who has completed the first year of the Bachelor of Commerce degree (completed at least 100 points of study)
Not be in your final year of the Bachelor of Commerce
Be able to demonstrate community engagement in Australia

Selection criteria

The scholarship will be awarded by the Faculty of Business & Economics on the recommendation of the Dean of the Faculty (or nominee). Selection is based on:

Participation in activities or organisations which demonstrate involvement in community or volunteer work undertaken within Australia.
Academic merit, interpersonal skills and leadership potential, and interview performance.

Application

How to apply

When the scholarship is open for applications, click on the “Submit an application” link, below. Your application will require:

A cover letter addressing the scholarship's eligibility criteria
Your resume
A copy of your current Statement of Results (available from the Student Portal)

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview.

Submit an application

Recipient feedback

Receiving this scholarship was a strong motivator to pursue new opportunities and it provided me with an excellent base to learn from during my studies. The award recognised my contributions to our public and university communities, such as extensive involvement in student clubs including Cainz, Enactus, GCG and ESSA. This acknowledgement helped to me reflect on the importance of adopting a considerate and open mindset, and encouraged me to continue engaging in volunteering initiatives, such as supporting the Ukrainian Centre in London. For me, an important part of the scholarship was the opportunity to meet with Margaret Abernethy regularly in a less formal setting (such as for coffee in the Spot café) and learn from her wisdom. She acted as a sounding board, for example, and gave me advice on topics such as student exchange in the context of career development. These learnings, along with the scholarship's financial support, helped form my decision to study in London. This was an incredible experience which sparked my interest in the city and motivated me to move to the UK post-graduation. Ultimately, the scholarship has offered a range of highly formative experiences and has significantly inspired and supported my life decisions.

Sabre Konidaris

The information listed here is subject to change without notice. Where we have listed information about jointly run scholarships programs, please also see our partners' websites. Information describing the number and value of scholarships awarded is indicative.

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