Steve Ashton Scholarship

The scholarship is worth up to $30,000 per annum for full-time enrolled recipients for the standard full-time duration of program, up to $15,000 per annum for part-time enrolled recipients for the standard part-time duration of program:

• Up to $10,000 for diploma programs
• Up to $15,000 for graduate certificate programs
• Up to $22,500 for graduate diploma programs
• Up to $30,000 for masters by coursework programs

Note: the scholarship is paid fortnightly commencing after the census date and is therefore is unsuitable to be used to pay tuition invoices.

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must

• be enrolling in semester 1 2025 at RMIT in one of the following programs: 
  • Diploma of Business (C5406)
  • Diploma of Leadership and Management (C5047)
  • Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (GC047)
  • Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (Executive) (GC129)
  • Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management (GC161)
  • Master of Human Resource Management (MC263)
  • Master of Business Administration (MC199)
  • Executive Master of Business Administration (MC162)
• have completed an accredited course in architecture recognised by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia, which satisfies the academic requirement for registration as an architect in Australia

Applications will be judged on merit against the following criteria:

• Track record of the applicant in professional achievements to date. Preference will be given to those displaying initiative, including having established their own practice.
• Applicant’s ability to demonstrate a meaningful contribution to the profession, volunteer work and/or leadership potential.

Complete the online application by the close date. Partial applications will not be assessed.

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:

• Your curriculum vitae, no more than two pages in length
• A copy of your testamur or transcript for your accredited course in architecture
• Evidence of current membership of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA)

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 in advance prior to starting the online application.

• Discuss your professional achievements to date, including how you have demonstrated initiative in your career.
• Discuss your contribution to the profession, including any volunteer work and your leadership potential.
• How do you intend to use the Steve Ashton Scholarship to enhance your career?

Find out more about applying for scholarships.

Applications now open.

Applications close 11:59PM Sunday 23 February 2025. No late applications will be accepted.

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

This scholarship is made possible by a generous donation from the Ashton-Nixon Bequest, in memory of Stephen Ashton AM, who died in 2016 from mesothelioma. Steve was an architect who founded Ashton Raggatt McDougall together with Howard Raggatt and Ian McDougall in 1988, which later became ARM Architecture. ARM is an iconic architectural practice with a reputation for creative design and problem solving and has won multiple awards, including the Victorian Architecture Medal on five occasions. See armarchitecture.com.au.

Steve, Howard and Ian were awarded the RAIA Gold Medal in 2016. Steve was awarded membership of the Order of Australia (AM) posthumously in 2017 for significant service to architecture through management and design roles, to professional organisations, and to motor sport.

Steve graduated in architecture from the University of Melbourne. He always thought that his Graduate Diploma of Business Administration had played an important role in the evolution of ARM and its subsequent successes. Steve and his wife, Rosemary Nixon AM, a dermatologist, established the Ashton-Nixon Bequest before he died, with the aim to provide a scholarship for architects to obtain professional training, be it in running a business, in leadership or other skills, which will enable their practice to develop and thrive. See ashtonnixonbequest.com.au.

Find out how to contact the Coursework Scholarships Office.