What Will a Scholarship Fund?

Western Chances Scholarships, valued at an average of $1,000 per year, can support a variety of areas including, but not limited to:
• Laptops
• Textbooks
• Home internet
• MYKI
• Calculators
Scholarships can be tailor-made for specific educational needs.

Student Eligibility 

To be eligible for a Western Chances Scholarship, a student must: 

• Be aged 12 to 25 years at time of first scholarship application.  

• Be enrolled at a government secondary school within one of the following council regions – Brimbank, City of Greater Geelong, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton, Moonee Valley or Wyndham, and/or reside within one of these local government areas. 

• Be enrolled at TAFE, university, or a community service organisation and a resident in the above local government areas. 

• Demonstrate high academic/artistic achievement, motivation and commitment to education or a pathway.  

• Demonstrate financial need or hardship.  

If you are a teacher or welfare professional working with young people in Melbourne’s west, or the City of Greater Geelong, you can play an important part in assisting Western Chances to provide scholarships by becoming a nominator.  

Every suburb in Melbourne’s west, and the City of Greater Geelong, has students who face enormous barriers to education, and many are working hard against the odds to achieve their dreams. Our scholarships help overcome some of those barriers. Our nominators identify eligible students and assist in distributing much needed educational funds that help change lives.

Who are our Nominators?

Any education or welfare professional supporting an eligible young person can nominate:
• Principals
• Teachers
• Career guidance counsellors
• Music, dance, or drama instructors
• Welfare professionals

Upcoming scholarships rounds

Secondary Scholarship Applications
The 2024 ‘renewal’ scholarship round is now open and will close at 5.00pm on Monday, 25th March 2024.

Tertiary Scholarship Applications
The 2024 ‘new’ and ‘renewal’ scholarship rounds are now open and will close at 5.00pm on Monday, 25th March 2024.

To get started

For secondary scholarships click here

For tertiary scholarships click here

How we can support you.

If you would like to talk to a member of our team, please contact:

How we can support your school

The Western Chances team is here to support your school on every step of the scholarship journey.

The ways we can support you:
• Presentations to school Principal, Leadership Team, Teachers/ Nominators
A Member of our Programs team can visit your school to deliver a presentation providing an overview of our Scholarship Program including how to identify recipients, gather supporting documents and submit an application.

• Identifying potential Western Chances scholarship recipients
We can assist you to identify potential scholarship recipients within your school.

• Triaging potential applications
Unsure of whether the recipient meets the criteria for a Western Chances scholarship? The Western Chances team can provide a triage session via Zoom or in-person to discuss individual applications.

• Completing scholarship application forms
We can provide a triage session via Zoom or in-person to discuss individual applications.

• Acquitting scholarship funds – Business Managers
Our team are here to support you through this process and can provide assistance to Business Managers for the acquittal of scholarship funds.

For more information visit our Scholarship Frequently Asked Questions page.

Stories to inspire

“To many of our students, a scholarship means hope and with hope comes opportunity, the hope to follow their passion and dreams and most often, the opportunity to continue their studies after secondary school. In most cases, I receive the words of thanks and the gratitude felt by our students, text messages and tears in some cases! In saying this I am just the messenger! I truly value the importance of our relationship with Western Chances and acknowledge and share so you are aware the scholarships you provide change lives, and for this we sincerely thank you!”
- Nominator

“I’m the oldest of five in a single-parent family that experienced financial disadvantage. The Western Chances scholarship meant I could buy a laptop and textbooks, which are really expensive. Suddenly there was less pressure – instead of worrying about how to pay for things, I could concentrate on my studies. Knowing that I had the support of the Western Chances team was a great help financially, but it also boosted my self-esteem and helped me realise I could achieve my goals. Having support available if I needed it was incredible. Western Chances is brilliant. I’d like to thank them so much for everything they’ve done for me. I’m proud to be part of the Western Chances community”
- Ebony