Western Chances scholarships are awarded to talented and motivated young people in Melbourne’s west and the City of Greater Geelong, who have been recognised by their nominators, teachers and the wider community.

You’re on the way to supporting a young, committed person achieve their dreams. If you work with, or teach a young person that meets the eligibility criteria, we encourage you to become a nominator to give them access to financial support that will help them reach their potential. A step-by-step guide follows that will assist you through the application process.

 

Step 1

Register for our schools portal

Step 2

Identify Eligible Students

Learn how to identify potential scholarship recipients, by reading our guide in our school portal.

Step 3

Collect supporting documents

Read the application form and our program guides carefully before submitting an application.

Step 4

Submit an application and help change the life of a young person

The Renewal round is now open and will close at 5.00pm on Monday, 25th March.

Scholarship Round

The 2024 scholarship renewal round is now closed.

All scholarships are now being assessed with outcomes advised in mid-July. Payment of scholarships will be made to schools in late-July.

The ‘new’ scholarship round will open in July 2024. Please contact the Programs team for further information.

New Nominators

If you are new to our program, please register here for our schools portal

Existing Nominators

If you are an existing nominator, please click the link below to access our schools portal

Read our top Frequently Asked Questions below.

  • A Western Chances scholarship can support a variety of items including, but not limited to:
    Calculators Computers, laptops & software Headphones (up to $150) Home internet fees (up to $450) MYKI Specialist course specific equipment and/or uniform, tools, musical instruments, art materials etc directly relating to education pathway (up to $350) Specialist study programs Stationery, printing & photocopying (up to $250) Study desk/chair Textbooks Tutoring (if it is a subject the recipient is not already excelling in) VCE Revision/study notes, seminars, practice exams VTAC Application fees Year 12 specific uniform

  • Secondary Students must be nominated by someone who has a professional relationship with the candidate. This person could be a school Principal, teacher, welfare coordinator, career guidance counsellor, music, dance or drama instructor, or a professional from a community or welfare organisation.

    Parents, guardians, family, or friends do not qualify as nominators for Western Chances scholarships.

  • New scholarships open in early Term 3 for 6 weeks and are awarded and paid in November.
    Renewal scholarships open in early Term 1 for 6 weeks and are paid in June/July.

  • All applications must be accompanied by supporting documentation that addresses the talents and motivation of each student, as this is used to validate each application.
    Supporting documents will be provided in our scholarships portal.

  • Application forms are submitted online via the Western Chances scholarship portal.
    Secondary students - Applications will need to be submitted by a nominator

  • If you still have any questions or require assistance with the scholarship process do not hesitate to contact the programs team:

    Email the Programs Team