Emeritus Professor John Jackson Scholarship

This scholarship provides up to $25,000 per year for the standard duration of your program:

• $5,000 towards tuition fees
• up to $20,000 paid as a stipend

One scholarship available.

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

• be an Australian citizen
• be commencing first year, enrolling full-time in Semester 1 and 2 in a diploma, advanced diploma or undergraduate degree program at RMIT in 2027, and have a program offer by 23 December 2026
• have completed Year 12 of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) the year previous to your enrolment at RMIT
• be able to demonstrate you are experiencing financial hardship, for example if you:
  • receive a Centrelink/Department of Veterans’ Affairs low-income support payment, or
  • hold a low-income Centrelink Health Care Card
• be able to demonstrate circumstance(s) that impact your ability to study, or be from an RMIT priority group, including:
  • living with a disability, long-term medical condition, or identify as neurodivergent
  • have experienced or currently experiencing significant personal or life difficulties
  • have relocated/will be relocating from interstate or a rural or regional area to Melbourne to study at RMIT (check eligibility using the Regional Adjustment Calculator)
  • are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  • are an early school leaver, mature-age student, or you entered university via a TAFE pathway
  • are a current or former refugee
  • are from a low socioeconomic (low SES) background
  • have recently completed secondary schooling at a SNAP (School Network Access Program) school
• be able to demonstrate academic potential/merit
• not have previously been enrolled in further education.

It is preferred that you apply direct to RMIT for this scholarship.

Direct to RMIT applications

The online application form will be made available here when applications open. 

VTAC applications

Apply online through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) website (www.vtac.edu.au).

Supporting documentation

Depending on your circumstances, you will need to provide different types of evidence and material to support your scholarship application. Applications without supporting documents will not be considered.

Please visit Supporting Your Application for more information.

Application questions

If you are shortlisted for the scholarship, you will be contacted to answer further application questions. Please check the email address you nominate in your scholarship application form at least twice per week. It is expected that the online application will take approximately thirty minutes to complete. The questions are listed below to allow you time to prepare your answers in advance. When you answer these questions, please use your own words, ideas and experiences — we want to hear your voice, not something written by AI or copied from another source.

• What program are you currently studying (or about to start) at RMIT, and why did you choose this program?
• What are your career plans after you finish your studies at RMIT?
• How will your RMIT program help you prepare for this future career?
• How would receiving a scholarship support you to continue and complete your studies at RMIT?

Find out more about applying for scholarships.

Applications for Semester 1 2027 open 1 August 2026.

Timely applications: If you submit your Access and Equity Scholarship Application by 31 August 2026, we’ll let you know if we need any additional documentation.

Applications for Semester 1 2027 close 2:00pm Tuesday 20 October 2026. No late applications will be accepted.

View the Coursework Scholarships Office’s terms and conditions (PDF, 698KB).

The Emeritus Professor John Jackson Scholarship was created to provide support to students who have experienced significant family/social and economic difficulties and challenges but who are passionate in their desire for tertiary education.

The scholarship offers assistance with fees in order to minimise a recipients’ tuition debt later in their career, as well as a substantial allowance to assist with everyday experiences such as transport costs and student requirements such as text books. This allowance is designed specifically to minimise if not eliminate the time a recipient’s must devote to earning supplementary income during their university course.

We welcome all eligible students to apply, and encourage applications from students who:

• are LGBTIQ
• are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders
• have been born overseas, be from a non-English speaking background and recently migrated to Australia, including former Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders
• have a long-term medical condition or disability which impacts study
• are relocating from regional Victoria to study at RMIT
• have completed secondary education at a School Network Access Program school
• are experiencing difficult family circumstances which impact their education.

Emeritus Professor John Jackson had a distinguished career at RMIT. Professor Jackson was the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Resources), a position he held from 1999 to 2003. He was later appointed Emeritus Professor in 2004. Emeritus Professor Jackson saw the University grow as an international provider of educational excellence and established new territory in research.

Emeritus Professor Jackson was at the forefront of these endeavours and his legacy continues to this day. Though he sadly passed away in 2006, his vision was to provide assistance to students so they could undertake a tertiary education without worry of financial constraints.

RMIT University is honoured that Emeritus Professor Jackson has remembered the University and its students with his generous contribution. His gift will now live on by acknowledging student excellence and financial need.

Quotes from past recipients:

"The scholarship has really helped me financially by allowing me to have stable accommodation. From being homeless to now having a roof over my head and at uni, this scholarship has really had a significant impact on my life. " - Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) student

"This scholarship has changed my life as I was able to have amazing experiences that would have never occurred otherwise. I was able to do a subject in Ravenhall prison last year, attended a subject in Malaysia as well as do an internship in India. All of which would have never been possible without the scholarship." - Bachelor of Criminology and Psychology student

Find out how to contact the Coursework Scholarships Office.