Scholarships terms and conditions for 2020

All students offered scholarships will receive a scholarship offer containing the details of the scholarship and these Terms and Conditions. You will be advised how to accept or reject your scholarship in your scholarship offer. If you do not complete the acceptance as instructed, your scholarship offer may be withdrawn and/or reallocated.

Once you respond to your scholarship offer in WES, you will no longer be able to view your scholarship offer details.

Monash administers scholarships in accordance with these terms in the ordinary course of such administration, but nonetheless retains discretion in relation to the payment of scholarships.

3.1 Scholarship value

The total value of your scholarship is outlined in your scholarship offer. For scholarships paid per credit points, the total scholarship value is based on the minimum number of credit points required to complete the degree you are enrolled in at the time you receive your first scholarship payment.

This does not include advanced standing. Your scholarship will be terminated once you have been paid the total scholarship value or become ineligible to continue receiving payment under these Terms and Conditions.

For example:

• Scholarship value $6000 for a full-time study load (48 credit points), paid per year until the minimum points for your degree are completed
• Degree length - 252 credit points (equivalent to 5.25 years full-time study)
• Total scholarship value $31,500 = (252/48) x $6000

3.2 Payment dates

You must accept your scholarship offer by the due date, as instructed in your scholarship offer, to be eligible to receive payment. You will be sent instructions on how to receive your scholarship payment. If you do not provide the CSU with these details by the required date, your scholarship may be terminated.

Your payment date will depend on the census date of your units.

Unit census date payment dates:

• Between 16 Feb and 30 Apr - Late April/Early May due to the 2020 semester 1 Census date change
• Between 1 May and 30 Sep - Late September
• Between 1 Oct and 31 Dec - Mid December
• Between 1 Jan and Feb - Late January

3.3 How your payment is calculated

Depending on your scholarship, any payment to you will be administered in accordance with one of the below calculation methods. All options are subject to the enrolment requirements outlined in section 4.2.

3.3.1 Credit point calculation

Your scholarship payments will be calculated according to the number of credit points you are enrolled in at the census date.

For example:

• $6000 for a full-time study load (48 credit points) paid per year until the minimum points required to complete the degree are completed
• Enrolled credit points in one semester = 18
• Scholarship payment
  $2250 = ($6000/48) x 18

You will not be paid for units that are studied at another university or that do not form part of your degree (e.g. Diploma of Languages units). Students awarded scholarships commencing in semester one will not be paid for any units completed prior to be being awarded the scholarship (e.g. Summer B)

3.3.2 Per annum calculation

Scholarships paid 'per annum' are paid at 50 per cent of the yearly value in semester one and 50 per cent in semester two, regardless of your enrolled credit points. If you enrol in full-year units, your payment for those units will be made in semester one. One-off scholarship payments, industry or course-based, or students enrolled in trimesters, may be paid differently. This will be outlined in your scholarship offer.

Enrolling in more than one degree

If you are enrolled in two degrees concurrently, you will only receive payment for study in the degree for which the scholarship was awarded. For example, if you are in receipt of a scholarship paid for study in the Bachelor of Arts, you will not receive payment for study in the Diploma of Languages.

3.4 Payment of Travel grants

Monash awards travel grants to encourage and support students undertaking international study programs for credit towards their degree.

3.4.1 Travel commencement

Travel grants must be used in the same calendar year in which they were awarded. Travel must commence in the calendar year the scholarship was awarded, although travel may extend into the next calendar year. Exceptions in special circumstances may be considered for use of the grant in the following year. Requests must be made in writing and submitted online.

3.4.2 Payment

Payment is ordinarily made in the payment period closest to when you are enrolled to travel.

3.4.3 Enrolment

Travel must be for an international study program, that is for credit towards your course (i..e you remain enrolled as a student at Monash). You must maintain an enrolled status while you are travelling in order to be eligible for the travel grant. If your enrolment does not show as overseas, you may be asked to provide confirmation of your travel arrangements. Evidence must be submitted via email to ebs.csu@monash.edu

This can include the following:

• Monash Abroad's approval to travel
• Confirmation from overseas host University
• Faculty's approval to enrol in an overseas exchange unit

3.4.4 Multiple travel grants

Only one travel grant may be awarded per international study experience. Normally this is on the basis of one travel grant per calendar year. However, if you are undertaking two separate international study programs in the one calendar year, you may be offered more than one scholarship. However this should be confirmed with CSU.

3.5 How your scholarship is paid

There are two ways a scholarship can be paid:

• into your nominated bank account; or
• to your course fees (not including the Student Services and Amenities Fee – SSAF).

A list of scholarships that allow payment towards your course fees is available on the scholarships website. You must select this option in WES before 15 March each year.

If your scholarship allows for option 2 and you choose this option, in most cases your course fees will be due and processed by CSU before scholarship payments are made. Payment to your course fees is only paid after the Census dates for each fee period. If your course fees are less than the scholarship payment amount due, the balance will be paid directly to your bank account. (refer also section 3.3.1).

3.6 The effect of an encumbrance on your scholarship

If you do not pay course fees, charges or fines, Monash may place an encumbrance on your Monash account. If you have an encumbrance placed on your Monash account at the census date, you may not be paid your scholarship until the encumbrance is removed. If you do not return any overpaid scholarship monies, or scholarship monies paid in error by the specified timeframe, the University may place an encumbrance on your Monash account that suspends certain services.

You may be permitted to hold more than one scholarship. Generally, you may hold one merit and one equity scholarship at a time. In addition, you may also hold an accommodation, travel/placement or music scholarship. A summary of Monash scholarships which you can hold at the same time is available on the scholarships website.

You cannot receive two scholarships at the same time that both pay your course fees. In this case, the scholarship of lesser value will be terminated. Students are not eligible to receive a financial incentive/grant and scholarship at the same time. Students (including those studying under an Australian scholarship program) must not be in receipt of any other scholarship grants or financial incentives funded by Monash or be sponsored by other bodies or institutions.

5.1 Specific criteria

Scholarships are awarded based on published eligibility criteria. You must meet the eligibility requirements to receive your scholarship payment. The eligibility requirements for each scholarship are outlined on the CSU website.

You will be reassessed for eligibility prior to each payment. If Monash determines that you do not meet the eligibility criteria or scholarship conditions at this or any other time, your scholarship may be placed on probation, suspended pending further investigation or terminated.

5.1.1 Scholarships events

If you attend any scholarship events, photos of you at the event (along with your name and scholarship), may be forwarded to your secondary school or used for Monash promotional purposes. If you do not wish Monash to forward or use these photos, you must notify the Coursework Scholarships Manager in writing prior to the event.

5.1.2 Privacy

If you are offered a scholarship, your scholarship details may be passed on to your faculty. Details of merit scholarships you have received may also be given to your secondary school. Details of the selection process or reasons you were awarded the scholarship will remain confidential. If you do not wish for Monash to forward these details to your secondary school, you must notify the Coursework Scholarships Manager in writing.

5.1.3 Donor scholarships

If you are in receipt of a donor funded scholarship, you may be required to provide a report to the donor. Monash will contact you with details of when you will be required to provide the report. Scholarship details and other information relevant to your scholarship application or enrolment may also be passed on to the scholarship donor.

5.1.4 Healthy Lifestyle Allowance

If your scholarship includes a Healthy Lifestyle allowance, you may be asked to provide evidence that the allowance is used for its intended purpose.

5.1.5 Monash Staff members

You are not eligible for coursework scholarships and grants if you are, or become, employed full-time by Monash on a continuing basis or a fixed term contract for 12 months or greater. You must notify the CSU if you are or become a staff member.

5.1.6 Indigenous scholarships

5.2 Enrolment requirements

All scholarships are awarded on the basis that you will maintain an enrolled status in your course of study. Your scholarship may be terminated if your enrolment status is inactive at census date.

5.2.1 Full-time enrolment

Scholarships that require full-time enrolment are listed on the CSU website. To maintain full-time enrolment, you must be enrolled in at least 18 credit points per semester (equivalent to 0.375 EFTSL). If you are enrolled in less than 18 credit points a semester, or 36 credit points per year, you are considered part-time.

5.2.2 Part-time enrolment and taxation

If you are enrolled part-time (less than 18 credit points) you may need to declare your scholarship as assessable income in your tax return. All enrolled units studied at Monash and/or another university, will be considered part of your enrolment for tax purposes. You must provide proof of enrolment if studying units at another university. Scholarships that are paid to course fees will not be taxed.

Recipients of scholarships that are not income tax exempt, are responsible for declaring the income on their tax returns and are encouraged to seek their own personal tax advice.

Further information can be obtained from the ATO website and the Monash website.

5.3 Deferring your scholarship

Your scholarship offer will outline if your scholarship can be deferred. If you are able to defer your scholarship you must also defer an approved course at Monash. For more information on deferring your course offer, refer to the enrolments website.

If you have received approval from your faculty to extend the length of your course deferral, your scholarship deferral will also be extended, up to a maximum of 1.5 years. If you defer a scholarship offer and do not defer a course offer, your scholarship offer will be withdrawn.

5.4 Deferring, taking intermission or a leave of absence

Unless otherwise noted in these Terms and Conditions, if you intermit your course your scholarship will also be automatically intermitted. If your scholarship offer states that your scholarship cannot be deferred, you are not permitted to intermit the scholarship in the first semester it is awarded. You will not receive scholarship payments whilst you are on intermission.

When you re-enrol at Monash, your scholarship payments will resume according to the Terms and Conditions outlined herein. You can only intermit your scholarship if you also intermit the course which your scholarship is paid for. You must seek faculty permission to intermit your course.

For more information on intermission, please refer to the intermission website.

5.5 Transferring your scholarship to another degree

If you transfer to a new course, you may also be eligible to transfer your scholarship. You are not required to contact the CSU to advise of your transfer.

Each semester, the CSU will identify and transfer eligible scholarships to approved courses. If you are not sure of whether your scholarship will transfer to a new course, please contact the CSU via Ask Monash.

If your scholarship is transferable, you will only be paid (for scholarships paid per credit point) for the minimum number of credit points remaining for you to complete either the original course that the scholarship was awarded for, or the new course – whichever is of shorter duration.

For example:

• Original course - Bachelor of Laws (which requires 192 credit points, or equivalent four years full-time to complete)
• Transferred course - Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws (which requires 252 credit points, or 5.25 years to complete)
• Outcome - Your scholarship would be paid for the minimum number of credit points to complete the Bachelor of Laws degree (192 credit points).

For scholarships calculated other than by credit points, you will still only be paid for the original duration of your course.

5.6 Discontinuing your course

If you discontinue your course, your scholarship will be terminated. If you return to Monash, you are required to reapply for scholarships and there is no guarantee that you will be re-offered the same scholarship. If you are unsure how changes to your enrolment will affect your scholarship, you should submit an enquiry online.

In 2019, up to $8,223 of equity and merit based scholarships are to be exempt from the income test.

This amount (which will be indexed each year), is allowed on top of any Commonwealth Scholarship monies also being received. Scholarship amounts in excess of the capped value will be assessed as income for the purpose of assessing your eligibility for Centrelink benefits. If your scholarship pays or waives your course fees and you have no choice in how your scholarship is paid (i.e. you cannot choose to receive the scholarship into your bank account), your scholarship will not be considered income by Centrelink.

Please retain your scholarship offer – your scholarship details will be required by Centrelink. To request an additional letter outlining your scholarship payments, submit an enquiry through.

Further information can be found via the Centrelink website.

To retain your scholarship, you must:

• maintain your residency status and advise the CSU within fourteen days if you change your residency status. If you are in receipt of an international scholarship, your scholarship will be terminated if you are granted Australian permanent residency or citizenship,
• provide verification of your circumstances during the term of the scholarship as requested,
• maintain enrolment in an approved course at a Monash campus in Australia; and
• adhere to Monash's academic and administrative policies.

You must also meet any additional criteria as outlined in your scholarship offer and listed under individual scholarship entries on the coursework scholarships website.

7.2 Academic requirements

Your academic progress will be reviewed each semester, to assess your eligibility for your scholarship. The academic retention required for your scholarship is listed in your scholarship offer and the coursework scholarships website.

Students who are in receipt of a one-year scholarship may have their scholarship terminated after the first semester if they fail to meet the required academic performance. Students who are in receipt of an industry or course-based scholarship may have their scholarship terminated upon failure to meet performance requirements as outlined in their individual agreements. The academic requirements to maintain enrolment in your course may be different and this information is available from your faculty.

7.3 Assessment of Weighted Average Mark (WAM)

WAM is the average mark you achieve across all completed units in a course. For further details on how the WAM is calculated, refer to the exams website.

Your WAM for the most recent semester will be accessed as generated via the student administration system. If your semester WAM falls below that required for your scholarship, your overall course WAM will be assessed.

7.4 Financial verification

Some scholarships require confirmation of your income either each semester, or each year. Failing to verify your circumstances, or if your income is above the threshold, you are considered to have failed to meet retention for that semester.

7.5 Procedure for students that fail to meet retention

Your scholarship retention requirements will be assessed each semester, and within two weeks of the release of results. If your academic performance falls below the required WAM (see 7.3), or you fail to meet any other retention requirement the procedure detailed below will be followed:

• If you applied for and were granted special consideration (or if other extenuating circumstances apply), and this was approved by your faculty and the Coursework Scholarships Manager, no action will be taken and you will receive your scholarship payment as per usual.

Otherwise:

1. You will be notified in writing by the CSU that your performance is under review and that you are on probation. You will ordinarily be paid whilst you are on probation.
2. a) If you meet the required minimum WAM in the semester you are on probation, the probation status will be removed in the following semester.
   
   b) If you do not meet the required minimum WAM in the semester you are on probation, your scholarship will be suspended in the following semester. You will not receive payment while your scholarship is suspended.
3. a) If you meet the required minimum WAM in the semester you are suspended, your scholarship will ordinarily be reinstated in the following semester and payments will resume. No retrospective scholarship payments will be made for the period of suspension.
   
   b) If you do not meet the required minimum WAM in the semester you are suspended, your scholarship will be terminated and no further payments will be made. If you are on probation or suspension and do not meet the required minimum WAM after withheld or deferred results are released, any scholarship that is paid towards your course fees will be cancelled. You will be reissued with a new fee statement and are required to pay the balance.

8.1 Grounds for scholarship termination

The CSU may terminate your scholarship if you have:

• discontinued from your course or have inactive enrolment
• failed to meet the eligibility criteria and conditions of your scholarship
• failed to maintain satisfactory academic progress
• failed to provide banking details by the due date
• been suspended or excluded for misconduct under Monash statutes and regulations; or
• been made an incorrect scholarship offer as determined by Monash in its sole discretion
• been made an offer for a higher value scholarship/grant.

8.2 Consequences of termination

If your scholarship is terminated, you will not receive any further payments. You may be required to repay some or all of your scholarship.

8.3 Repayment of your scholarship

You are required to repay your scholarship within four weeks of receiving notice from the CSU.

This will occur if:

• the payment is made to you in error or you have been overpaid
• you are no longer enrolled in the semester the scholarship is paid
• you do not meet the conditions of the scholarship or are ineligible for the scholarship (including situations where you have provided false information under 8.4); or
• you have been made a scholarship offer in error.

If you fail to repay your scholarship, your student account may be encumbered. This means you cannot access library, computer or enrolment services. You will not receive your exam results, request academic records (transcripts) or graduate. We'll notify you in writing if this happens. Clearing an encumbrance usually involves paying the amount owed to the University. Payments may take up to three working-days.

8.4 Providing false information

The awarding of your scholarship is based on the information that you provide to Monash. Your scholarship may be withdrawn at any stage if you provide incorrect, false or misleading information or withhold relevant information. This includes circumstances where the false information is unrelated to the assessment in awarding the scholarship.

Monash is bound by Victorian privacy laws. The Monash University Privacy Policy applies only to personal information that a person provides to Australian campuses of Monash. For information on the collection of your personal information, refer to the Student Privacy Collection Statement.

10.1 Grievances relating to Monash's Coursework Scholarships policies and procedures

You may lodge complaints about academic and or administrative matters under the Student Complaints and Grievance Policy (pdf, 0.06 mb) available via the website.

10.2 Appeals

Initial inquiry

For issues concerning your scholarship first contact Monash Connect in person or call on +61 3 9902 6011. Monash Connect may be able to resolve your issue or assist with your inquiry.

Complaint

If the initial inquiry does not resolve your issue you can send a written complaint to:
Coursework Scholarships Manager
Student and Education Business Services
C/- Monash Connect, PO Box 197
Caulfield East VIC 3145

Grievance

If you believe the complaint has not been addressed in a satisfactory manner, you may submit a written grievance to:

Senior Director
Student and Education Business Services
C/- Monash Connect, PO Box 197
Caulfield East VIC 3145

Learn more by visiting us at:

Domestic students
Phone: 1800 MONASH (1800 666 274)

International students
Phone: +61 3 9903 4788