George Alexander Foundation Scholarship

The George Alexander Foundation Scholarship provides $8,000 per year for two years.

To be eligible for this scholarship you must:

• be an Australian citizen
• be enrolled full-time in the standard semester 1 and 2 at RMIT in a bachelor degree in 2022
• have completed at least one year of your program
• have at least two years full-time study remaining (full-time through 2022 and 2023)*
• be able to demonstrate academic merit
• show initiative and commitment in your academic or personal life
• be active in your community (i.e. volunteer work, university clubs and committees, student leadership or sporting teams)**
• demonstrate leadership potential
• not have completed the same level of program or higher, e.g. if you are studying a Bachelor of Applied Science (Construction Management), you should not have previously completed another bachelor degree.

* Bachelor of Architectural Design (BP250) students who are going into their third year of full-time study and directly into the Master of Architecture (MC163) the following year are eligible to apply (if all other eligibility criteria are met).

**Due to the impact of COVID-19, community involvement prior to March 2020 will also be considered. If you have been involved in the community during COVID-19 (e.g. online volunteering) you may also discuss this in your application. 

Postgraduate students are ineligible to apply.

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.

Please visit Supporting documentation for more information.

You will need:

• one letter of recommendation, preferably from an academic, dated no more than three months ago
• your curriculum vitae, no more than two pages in length
• one letter of recommendation from an organisation external to RMIT to support your statements regarding your community participation dated no more than twelve months ago.

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.

• Provide a written statement of at least 750 – 1,000 words to demonstrate how you meet the GAF selection criteria.*
• Tell us about your community and family background and how a GAF scholarship will help you achieve your educational goals (in 100 words or less).
• List and describe three core values that motivate you and guide your actions every day.
• What do you aspire to be? (100 words or less)
• How does the course you have chosen help you get closer to this vision? (100 words or less)
• What are the long-term life goals that you would like to work towards in your future? (100 words or less)
• What imprint do you wish to leave behind whether in your career or through your personal aspirations? (100 words or less)

*GAF assesses all applications against three key selection criteria categories as defined in the following ways:

• Academic Achievement is reflected not just in your end of year result; excellence also includes participation in academic forums, competitions, additional merit awards, extra-curricular courses undertaken, and achievements gained through special interest programs.
• Community Involvement demonstrates how committed you are to your community by volunteering for a variety of events, social and environmental causes, sporting and arts clubs, and charity programs, both within the school environment and in the broader community.
• Leadership Potential speaks to your willingness to take on roles that require responsibility and demonstrate leadership, whether this is through school executive and committees, sporting membership and leadership, part-time and casual work, extra-curricular hobbies and skill.

Find out more about applying for scholarships.

Expecting to open for semester 1 2023 applications in early August 2022.

Expecting to close to semester 1 2023 applications in mid October 2022, date still to be confirmed.

View the Coursework Scholarships Office’s terms and conditions.

As part of this scholarship, you will undertake leadership training (through Future Edge) and each year contribute at least 15 hours of volunteer work.

George Alexander (1910–2008) was an engineer who studied Industrial Management and Executive Training at RMIT. George was particularly aware of the obstacles he had faced as a child and his own lack of education, so he was inspired to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds get a start in life. In order to achieve this, he created the George Alexander Foundation to use his wealth in a constructive way.

Watch 2015 GAF Scholarship recipient Cassie Cohen shares her experiences on YouTube.

Find out how to contact the Coursework Scholarships Office.