• Section 1 - Governing Policy
• Section 2 - Sourcing and Prioritising Donor Funds for Scholarships
• Section 3 - Negotiating Scholarships
• Section 4 - Approval for the Conditions and Amendment of Scholarships and Awards
• Section 5 - Maintenance of the Scholarships Browser
• Section 6 - Determining Recipients Against Published Criteria
• Section 7 - Administration and Payment
• Section 8 - Reporting and Compliance
• Section 9 - Promotion of Scholarships to Current and Prospective Students
• Section 10 - Presentation Events
• Section 11 -  Revisions to this Procedure
• Section 12 - Associated Information

Section 1 - Governing Policy

(1) This Procedure is governed by the Scholarships and Awards Policy.

Section 2 - Sourcing and Prioritising Donor Funds for Scholarships

(2) Advancement and Alumni will source philanthropic donor funds for:

1. new scholarships; and
2. an existing or new fund for pooled donations such as the Creating Opportunity Fund.

(3) Advancement and Alumni will be informed as to priority areas of need through:

1. the goals of the ACU Strategic Plan;
2. recommendations arising from the periodic review of scholarship offerings in accordance with clause (4); and
3. recommendations from the Faculties, First Peoples, Pathways, Marketing and External Relations and the Scholarships Office.

(4) A periodic review of scholarship offerings will be coordinated by the Provost, or nominee and will include an analysis of:

1. their alignment with the goals of the ACU Strategic Plan;
2. the impact of scholarships on the recruitment, retention and success of students;
3. the identification of priority areas of need for future scholarship offerings with appropriate stakeholders;
4. the appropriateness of categories on the scholarship browser; and
5. the potential pool of applicants for proposed new scholarships or scholarship categories.

(5) External donor offers of funding for scholarships and awards with a value of more than $2,500 must be referred to Advancement and Alumni for consideration and response.

Section 3 - Negotiating Scholarships

(6) The minimum donation negotiated for a named scholarship will normally be $12,000 over three years with a scholarship benchmark of $4,000 per annum.

(7) The Scholarships Office will provide a scholarship rules template. In addition to the conditions set out in the Policy, criteria to be specified are:

1. Name of scholarship
2. Background and intended purpose
3. Value and schedule of payment, including maximum duration
4. Eligibility criteria
5. Application process including documentation required
6. Selection criteria
7. Selection process, including composition of the selection committee where relevant
8. Endowment payment details
9. Ongoing eligibility requirements, including other specific provisions in relation to the award.

(8) Advancement and Alumni will liaise with donors regarding the scholarship rules using the prescribed template.

(9) The participation by donors in the selection of recipients will:

1. only be agreed to by exception in accordance with clause (23) of the Scholarships and Awards Policy;
2. be limited to selection from applicants assessed as eligible by the Scholarships Office;
3. be limited to staff from the donor organisation appropriately qualified to select recipients for a placement, workplace program, employment or representative duties; and
4. be limited to membership of a selection panel which includes staff from the appropriate Faculty and/or Scholarships Office.

(10) Prior to the finalisation of the donation negotiations and the drawing up of the agreement, Advancement and Alumni will consult the Scholarships Office on details of each scholarship for the purpose of confirming the scholarship rules.

(11) Following finalisation of the donation negotiations, Advancement and Alumni will obtain funds from donors, according to the agreement, and ensure they are deposited into a discrete ACU account.

Section 4 - Approval for the Conditions and Amendment of Scholarships and Awards

(12) The Scholarships Office will draft the scholarship rules for each ACU scholarship for submission to the Academic Registrar for approval

(13) Advancement and Alumni will consult the Scholarships Office on any changes to the scholarship rules so that appropriate action may be taken in relation to the administration of the scholarship.

(14) The Scholarships Office will consult Advancement and Alumni on any significant changes to opening and closing of each scholarship round in order to complete necessary negotiations with donors.

(15) Faculties and Directorates are responsible for ensuring that the conditions for all Faculty or Campus awards are established and approved according to the Scholarships and Awards Policy and these Procedures.

Section 5 - Maintenance of the Scholarships Browser

(16) The ACU scholarships browser will be maintained by the Scholarships Office which will include the details of:

1. ACU scholarships; and
2. external scholarships that may be relevant to ACU students as approved by the Academic Registrar.

(17) Advancement and Alumni, Faculties, and members of the Executive will provide the Scholarships Office with any information received about externally funded scholarships which may be relevant to ACU students for promotion through the ACU scholarships browser.

Section 6 - Determining Recipients Against Published Criteria

(18) The Scholarships Office will:

1. liaise with University Admissions Centre (UAC) in relation to the lodgment, assessment and offer of Commonwealth Scholarship and Institution Equity Scholarship applications; and
2. manage the processes by which applications for scholarships, other than Commonwealth and Institution Equity Scholarships (IES), may be lodged and assessed against agreed selection criteria.

(19) The Scholarships Office will manage the assessment and selection processes in accordance with the approved selection criteria and will seek advice where:

1. the selection requires that assessment is made by a selection committee, in which case the Scholarships Office will refer the constitution of a selection committee to Advancement and Alumni or the relevant Faculty; and/or
2. the eligibility criteria are specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, in which case the Scholarships Office will consult with First Peoples and Pathways prior to selection; and/or
3. the assessment relates to International Student Scholarships in which case the Scholarships Office will refer selection to Global Engagement to select recipients in accordance with the approved selection criteria.

(20) The ongoing eligibility assessment for continued receipt of ACU scholarships and Commonwealth Scholarships will be managed by the Scholarships Office.

(21) Faculties and Directorates are responsible for the selection and offer processes and any ongoing eligibility requirements, including required communication of the outcomes of these assessments, for all awards that are not managed by the Scholarships Office.

Section 7 - Administration and Payment

(22) The Scholarships Office will

1. verify eligibility for scholarship payments;
2. provide recipient details of donor funded scholarships including course, duration of course and contact details to Advancement and Alumni for the purposes of scholarship donor events and the tracking of scholarship payments and funds; and
3. manage payments or fee waivers of ACU and Commonwealth scholarships.

(23) Advancement and Alumni will

1. manage scholarship donor funds; and
2. manage payments for awards in response to the submission of request forms from Faculties and Directorates.

Section 8 - Reporting and Compliance

(24) The Scholarships Office is responsible for the development, maintenance and operation of reporting systems for ACU scholarships. The Scholarships Office will:

1. prepare routine reports on ACU recipients for selection, payment and assessment purposes and for strategic purposes;
2. ensure that Australian Government conditions, reporting requirements and timelines are met;
3. prepare reports to funding bodies on recipients and the value of scholarships awarded; and
4. provide information to Advancement and Alumni for the purpose of donor reports as required.

(25) Faculties, and Directorates are responsible for providing recipient details for awards with a value of $1,000 or greater to the Scholarships Office to record on the Student Management System.

(26) Advancement and Alumni will provide annual reporting on scholarship uptake, awarding and impact to donors of scholarships and awards of more than $2,500.

(27) An Annual Report will be compiled by the Provost, or nominee which is inclusive of:

1. numbers of applications received against scholarship offerings provided by the Scholarships Office;
2. a report on the impact of the scholarships on the recruitment, retention and success of students provided by the Scholarships Office;
3. a list of the recipients (excluding personally identifiable information) of all ACU scholarships and awards with a value of $1,000 or more provided by the Scholarships Office.

Section 9 - Promotion of Scholarships to Current and Prospective Students

(28) Managing the promotion and publicity of scholarships to current and prospective students is the responsibility of:

1. Marketing and External Relations; and
2. Global Engagement in the case of international students.

(29) Bi-annual campaign planning will be led by Marketing and External Relations in collaboration with the Provost, Advancement and Alumni and the Scholarships Office which will consider:

1. the nature and volume of promotional material required;
2. target markets to whom scholarships need to be promoted; and
3. consideration of appropriate timing.

Section 10 - Presentation Events

(30) Advancement and Alumni will manage events for donors and presentation to recipients of donor funded scholarships by:

1. setting the requirements, event date, and due date for provision of recipient information in consultation with the Scholarships Office; and
2. managing the event.

(31) Faculties and Directorates are responsible for events for recipients of their respective awards of less than $2,500.

Section 11 -  Revisions to this Procedure

Section 12 - Associated Information

(32) For related legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines and any supporting resources please refer to the Associated Information tab.