For an Indigenous visual art/fine art undergraduate student who can demonstrate artistic merit and circumstance/s impacting their education; worth up to $30,000.
Applications now closed
This scholarship provides:
- $10,000 per year for up to three years for full-time enrolled students
- $5,000 per year for up to 6 years for part-time enrolled students
It is possible to retain this scholarship if the recipient pathways from a Diploma of Visual Arts to an Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts to a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
One scholarship available.
To be eligible for this scholarship you must:
- identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- be able to meet RMIT’s Indigenous Eligibility* requirements by providing documentation that confirms you are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander heritage by the application close date
- be an Australian citizen
- be enrolling full-time or part-time in Semester 1 2028 in one of the following programs:
- be able to demonstrate circumstance(s) that impact their ability to study, or are 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 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
- are an early school leaver, mature-age student, or you entered university via a TAFE pathway
- are from a low socioeconomic (low SES background)
- be from an under-represented background such as completing secondary school at a SNAP (School Network Access Program) school
*Please see the RMIT Indigenous Eligibility page for what supporting documentation is required. For further information contact the Ngarara Willim Centre at iap@rmit.edu.au or on (03) 9925 4885.
If no Diploma of Visual Arts/Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Fine Arts students have applied and are awarded this scholarship, the scholarship will awarded to a student who meets all other criteria, has applied via RMIT or VTAC's Access and Equity Scholarship Application for semester 1, 2025, and with a first preference to undertake a Bachelor of Arts program.
The online application form will be made available here when applications open.
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.
You will need:
- To meet RMIT's Indigenous Eligibility requirements by providing documentation that confirms you are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander heritage by the application close date.
- A selection of five examples of your own, original artistic work (.jpeg or .mp3/mp4) (no larger than 1MB (1024KB) formatted to open on MAC hardware). These can be uploaded directly to your application, or you will need to provide the web link(s) if they have been uploaded to Soundcloud, Vimeo or YouTube.
Please visit Supporting Your Application for more information.
Application questions
It is expected that the online application will take approximately thirty minutes to complete. The main application questions are listed below to allow you time to prepare your answers prior to starting the online application.
- 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?
- Describe the artistic merit evident in your work.
Find out more about applying for scholarships.
Applications are now closed.
This scholarship will next be offered for Semester 1 2028, with applications opening August 2027.
Applications are now closed.
View the Coursework Scholarships Office’s terms and conditions (PDF, 698KB).
This scholarship is awarded in honour of respected Elder Uncle Brian McKinnon (Dodd) of Noongar and the Amangu mob of the Yamatji Nation and is funded by the estate of Gerard Driesen.
Uncle Brian was a driven artist of more than 40 years and RMIT School of Art’s inaugural Vice Chancellors Pre-doctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, with his PhD ‘I Used to Walk so Softly on this Land’. Uncle Brian’s contribution to the fields of contemporary painting, Aboriginal art, and cultural education is significant in terms of his sustained professional practice, but also due to the passion and care he brought to engaging with community while also challenging the colonial legacies of these institutions.
Uncle Brian was a well-respected community member, colleague, mentor and friend to many staff and students at RMIT and within the Ngarara Willim Centre.
The Uncle Brian McKinnon Memorial scholarship was established to assist a RMIT Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander student with artistic merit who wishes to pursue the arts as a career path.
Image: Brian McKinnon, Source NITV radio
Find out how to contact the Coursework Scholarships Office.
Notice to applicants
The scholarship application process is highly competitive with a limited number of scholarships available. Unfortunately, not all eligible applicants will receive one.
Only successful candidates will be notified via email to their RMIT student account.
For information about other financial assistance available to RMIT students, please speak to one of our Student Welfare Advisors.
