UNE awarded scholarships worth $3.5 million by Destination Australia Program

Published 06 November 2019

The University of New England (UNE) is the successful recipient of 59 new Federally funded scholarships to attract more international and domestic students to study in regional Australia.

The scholarships are expected to inject more than $3.5 million into the Armidale economy over four years. They will comprise 25 domestic and 34 international scholarships.

Unveiled this week by the Federal Education Minister, the Destination Australia Program (DAP) offers almost 1200 scholarships to regional education providers.

UNE Armidale was the most successful single university campus across all of Australia in the number of scholarships awarded.

Vice Chancellor and CEO Professor Brigid Heywood said the scholarships mean UNE is able to offer Armidale-based courses to both domestic and international students who may not have been able to afford tertiary education, or considered a regional destination.

“Armidale has an established reputation as a provider of quality education and this has been reaffirmed by our success in the DAP,” Professor Heywood said.

“As a regional university, we have a special obligation to make tertiary education accessible and achievable for regional and rural students as well as for students with challenging socio-economic circumstances.

“Our relationship with international students goes back more than six decades and they make a valuable contribution to our community and local economy.

“We currently have students from more than 60 countries around the world and look forward to welcoming more international students under this program in 2020.”

Vocational training provider Academies Australasia Institute was awarded 15 scholarships for its Armidale-based agriculture courses, which are a pathway to a UNE degree.

Combined with UNE, TAFE Armidale and Academies Australasia Institute, Armidale, NSW gained the highest number of scholarships for any single location in Australia.

Destination Australia scholarships are worth $15,000 a year to students who study at a regional university or vocational education provider.