About SSI Allianz Scholarship Program
People with refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds can face considerable barriers to participating in Australia’s education system. Supported by financial services company Allianz and other donors, the SSI Allianz Scholarship program aims to make things a little easier.
Through the program we provide one-off scholarships of up to $5000 to students preparing to undertake study or have their existing skills recognised in New South Wales, Queensland or Victoria.
How we help



Applications for the 2026 academic year will open on the 17th of October.
Key dates
Applications open: October 17th 2025
Applications close: November 14th 2025
Successful applicants notified: Applicants notified mid – late January 2026
Applicants receive funding: Mid-January – mid February 2026
Eligibility criteria
To be successful for support, applicants must:
- Be from a refugee or asylum seeker background on the listed visa numbers: 117, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 449, 786, 790, 842, 851, 866. Applicants on bridging, SHEV 790 or TPV 785 are also eligible to apply but must consider individual circumstances regarding visa obligations and any potential impact to other sources of income.
- Have been living in Australia for five years or less, (from and including 2020). The five-year country entry limit does not apply to 851, bridging, TPV 785 or SHEV 790 visas holders
- Reside and study in NSW, QLD or VIC.
- Meet eligibility criteria specific to each scholarship category (see application forms for more details).
- Not have previously received an SSI Allianz scholarship.
*No more than one scholarship will be awarded in each immediate family in the same household per year.
*People living with disability that meet the criteria are encouraged to apply.
The Educational categories available and the amounts awarded are as follows:
* Secondary Education – $1500
* Vocational Education and Training – $3000
* University – $5000
* Skills & Qualification Recognition – $5000
Persecution, war, political instability and displacement are all factors that lead individuals and families to leave their homes to seek permanent protection elsewhere, including Australia. Refugees who come to Australia face many challenges during settlement, such as financial hardship, dealing with experiences of torture and trauma, and family separation.
Australia is a nation built on immigration. We have a long history of providing safe asylum to refugees, many of whom have gone on to make great civil, social and economic contributions to Australian society.
SSI and Allianz aim to continue that tradition by providing targeted scholarships to those who are most in need and willing to overcome social and economic challenges.
In response to the various needs of refugee communities, SSI and Allianz offer scholarships to individuals across a range of education categories, including secondary, vocational education and training, university, and skills qualification and recognition.
Applications for scholarships for the 2025 academic year will open and be available here in October 2024.
To be successful for support, applicants must:
– Be from a refugee or asylum seeker background on the listed visa numbers: 117, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 449, 786, 790, 842, 851, 866. Applicants on bridging, SHEV 790 or TPV 785 are also eligible to apply but must consider individual circumstances regarding visa obligations and any potential impact to other sources of income.
– Have been living in Australia for five years or less, (from and including 2020). The five-year country entry limit does not apply to 851, bridging, TPV 785 or SHEV 790 visas holders
– Reside and study in NSW, QLD or VIC.
– Meet eligibility criteria specific to each scholarship category (see application forms for more details).
– Not have previously received an SSI Allianz scholarship.
*No more than one scholarship will be awarded in each immediate family in the same household per year.
*People living with disability that meet the criteria are encouraged to apply.
No, scholarships are open to those mentioned above. If you are unsure, please contact
scholarships@ssi.org.au
Yes, you are eligible to apply but due to the variable and changing visa requirements we advise applicants to consider the scholarships one off payment’s potential, to impact any existing payments as well as any reporting obligations you may have, particularly regarding full-time study.
The websites below may assist but it is advised to speak to an expert to understand any impact to your individual circumstance.
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/topics/income/30376#a4 https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/special-benefit-income-support-tpv-shev-holders/
Please see the key dates listed on this webpage for details on application opening, closing and announcements.
We have no restrictions on you receiving scholarships from other providers but we do advise that
you to check the other scholarship provider’s restrictions.
You will find a document on this webpage called ‘Alternatives to SSI Allianz Scholarships’ that lists other scholarship and education opportunities that you can explore.
Multiple members of a family household are invited to apply in the same academic year; however, no more than one scholarship will be granted per immediate family household in a single academic year.
The scholarship applications are only available in English and must be completed in English.
You can receive assistance, but the application answers must be the applicant’s own words. Applications may also be submitted by an authorised representative (e.g., Teacher or Case Manager).
No, however documentation will be requested to demonstrate your effort in gaining skills and qualification recognition. It will be assessed by the Review Committee.
No, SSI employees are not eligible for the scholarships.
No. These scholarships are only for applicants living and studying in NSW, VIC, or QLD. Please the see the ‘Alternatives to SSI scholarship’ on this webpage.
No, you must be living in NSW, QLD or Victoria at the time the application is received.
No, you must be studying in the 2026 academic year.
No late submission will be accepted for any reason.
It is strongly encouraged that all successful recipients attend the ceremony. It is also strongly encouraged that you invite your family, friends, and referees to help celebrate your achievement. Most importantly this is a chance to celebrate your success and to thank those that made your scholarship possible. The exact date will be advertised by February 2026.
Alternatives to SSI Allianz Refugee Scholarships
New South Wales and ACT
Australian Catholic University (ACU)
https://www.acu.edu.au/study-at-acu/fees-and-scholarships/scholarships
ACU Refugee Scholarship
https://www.acu.edu.au/study-at-acu/fees-and-scholarships/find-a-scholarship/acu-refugee-scholarship
ANU Humanitarian Scholarship
https://study.anu.edu.au/scholarships/find-scholarship/anu-humanitarian-scholarship
ANU: Ben Williams Student Support Grant
https://study.anu.edu.au/scholarships/find-scholarship/ben-williams-student-support-grant
Australian National University (ANU)
https://study.anu.edu.au/scholarships/find-scholarship
Charles Sturt University (CSU)
https://study.csu.edu.au/apply/scholarships-grants
CSU Refugee and Asylum Seeker Scholarship https://www.csu.edu.au/scholarships/scholarships-grants/find-scholarship/foundation/any-year/csu-refugee-and-asylum-seeker-scholarship
Macquarie University (MQ)
https://www.mq.edu.au/study/admissions-and-entry/scholarships
MQ: Asylum Seeker Fee Waiver Sponsorship
MQ: The Salaam Foundation Leadership Scholarship https://www.mq.edu.au/study/admissions-and-entry/scholarships/domestic/the-salaam-foundation-leadership-scholarship
Southern Cross University
https://www.scu.edu.au/scholarships/find-a-scholarship/
University of Canberra (UC)
https://www.canberra.edu.au/scholarships/
UC Foundation Scholarship for Refugee Students https://www.canberra.edu.au/scholarship/uc-foundation-refugee
University of New England (UNE)
https://www.une.edu.au/scholarships
University of New South Wales (UNSW)
https://www.scholarships.unsw.edu.au/
UNSW Sanctuary Scholarship for People Seeking Asylum and Refugees with Temporary Protection
https://www.scholarships.unsw.edu.au/scholarships/id/1583
UNSW Scholarships for Asylum Seekers and Refugee Students https://www.scholarships.unsw.edu.au/scholarships/id/1897
University of Newcastle
https://www.newcastle.edu.au/scholarships
University of Newcastle Scholarship for Asylum Seekers Program https://www.newcastle.edu.au/research/centre/ceehe/university-programs/the-university-of-newcastles-scholarship-for-asylum-seekers-program
University of Sydney (USYD)
https://www.sydney.edu.au/scholarships/
USYD: The Gregg Humanitarian Scholarship for Asylum Seekers and Refugees https://www.sydney.edu.au/scholarships/e/the-gregg-humanitarian-scholarship-for-asylum-seekers-and-refuge.html
USYD Humanitarian High Achiever Scholarship https://www.sydney.edu.au/scholarships/e/the-humanitarian-high-achiever-scholarship.html
University of Technology (UTS)
https://www.uts.edu.au/for-students/admissions-entry/scholarships
UTS Humanitarian Scholarship Program
University of Wollongong (UoW)
https://www.uow.edu.au/study/scholarships/
UoW Humanitarian Scholarship https://www.uow.edu.au/study/scholarships/international/humanitarian-scholarship/
Victoria
Deakin University
https://www.deakin.edu.au/study/fees-and-scholarships/scholarships
Deakin Sanctuary Scholarships
Federation University Australia
https://federation.edu.au/scholarships
Federation University Asylum Seeker / Refugee Scholarship https://federation.edu.au/scholarships/find-a-scholarship/foundation/refugee-scholarship
La Trobe University
https://www.latrobe.edu.au/study/scholarships
La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship
https://www.latrobe.edu.au/study/scholarships/other/la-trobe-humanitarian-scholarship
Monash University
https://www.monash.edu/study/fees-scholarships/scholarships
Monash Humanitarian Scholarship
RMIT University
https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/careers-opportunities/scholarships
RMIT Study Opportunities for People Seeking Asylum
RMIT: Sam and Nina Narodowski Asylum Seeker Scholarships https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/careers-opportunities/scholarships/coursework/rmit-welcome
RMIT Humanitarian Visa Scholarship
https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/careers-opportunities/scholarships/coursework/rmit-humanitarian
Swinburne University of Technology https://www.swinburne.edu.au/study/options/scholarships/
Swinburne University Asylum Seeker and Refugee Support https://www.swinburne.edu.au/life-at-swinburne/student-support-services/asylum-seeker-refugee-support/
The University of Melbourne
https://scholarships.unimelb.edu.au/
The University of Melbourne Humanitarian Access Scholarship
https://scholarships.unimelb.edu.au/awards/melbourne-humanitarian-access-scholarship
The University of Melbourne: Stock Family Access Scholarship https://scholarships.unimelb.edu.au/awards/stock-family-access-scholarship
Victoria University (VU)
https://www.vu.edu.au/study-at-vu/fees-scholarships/scholarships
VU Asylum Seeker Scholarships
Queensland
The University of Queensland (UQ)
https://scholarships.uq.edu.au/
UQ Refugee and Humanitarian Scholarship https://scholarships.uq.edu.au/scholarship/uq-refugee-and-humanitarian-scholarship
Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
https://www.qut.edu.au/study/fees-and-scholarships/scholarships
QUT Asylum Seeker Tuition Fee Scholarship
Griffith University
https://www.griffith.edu.au/scholarships
Griffith University: Rachel Hunter Refugee Scholarship
https://www.griffith.edu.au/scholarships/scholarship-listings/rachel-hunter-refugee-scholarship
University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ)
https://www.unisq.edu.au/scholarships
Central Queensland University (CQU)
https://www.cqu.edu.au/study/prepare/scholarships
University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC)
https://www.usc.edu.au/study/scholarships
UniSC Asylum Seeker Scholarship
https://www.usc.edu.au/study/scholarships/equity-scholarships/unisc-asylum-seeker-scholarship
Western Australia
Curtain University
General scholarship information:
https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/scholarships/
Edith Cowan University (ECU)
https://www.ecu.edu.au/scholarships/overview
ECU Humanitarian Scholarship
https://www.ecu.edu.au/scholarships/details/humanitarian-scholarship
Murdoch University
https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/scholarships
University of Notre Dame Australia
https://www.notredame.edu.au/study/fees-costs-and-scholarships/scholarships/scholarship-list
University of Western Australia
Tasmania
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
https://www.utas.edu.au/study/scholarships-fees-and-costs/domestic-scholarships
South Australia
University of Adelaide
General scholarship information:
https://scholarships.adelaide.edu.au/
Adelaide Refugee & Humanitarian Postgraduate Coursework Scholarship
University of South Australia (UniSA)
https://i.unisa.edu.au/students/scholarships/
UniSA Refugee Grants
https://i.unisa.edu.au/students/scholarships/refugee-grants/
Flinders University
https://www.flinders.edu.au/scholarships
Torrens University Australia
https://www.torrens.edu.au/how-to-apply/fees-scholarships/scholarships
Northern Territory
Charles Darwin University (CDU)
https://www.cdu.edu.au/scholarships
Charles See Kee Scholarship
https://nt.gov.au/learning/student-financial-help-and-scholarships/charles-see-kee-scholarship
New South Wales
TAFE
https://www.tafensw.edu.au/scholarships
Service NSW: Smart and Skilled Program
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/referral/enrol-in-the-smart-and-skilled-program
Victoria
RMIT University: Study Opportunities for People Seeking Asylum https://www.rmit.edu.au/study-with-us/applying-to-rmit/local-student-applications/application-methods/study-opportunities-for-people-seeking-asylum
Chisholm Institute: VET Funding for Asylum Seekers https://www.chisholm.edu.au/students/fees/help-with-fees/asylum-seeker-and-trafficked-persons-funding
Victorian Government: Asylum Seeker VET program
Queensland
Queensland Government: Asylum Seeker and Refugee Assistance Program https://www.dwatsipm.qld.gov.au/our-work/multicultural-affairs/programs-initiatives/funding-programs/asylum-seeker-refugee-assistance-program
Queensland Government: Support for Migrants and Refugees https://dtet.qld.gov.au/training/training-careers/support/migrants-refugees
Other scholarships
Country Education Foundation
Chief Executive Women (CEW)
https://cew.org.au/programs/scholarships#CEW-Scholarships-Progra
Open Society Grants and Fellowships
https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants
Public Education Foundation
https://www.publiceducationfoundation.org.au/scholarships/
Ukrainian Scholarships
https://ukrainians.org.au/education-university-scholarships/
UNHCR Scholarship Opportunities for Refugees
https://services.unhcr.org/opportunities/
Refugee Council of Australia: Scholarships for People Seeking Asylum and Refugees https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/scholarships/
Australia-wide
Beyond Disability: https://www.bdi.org.au/
Computerbank Victoria: https://www.computerbank.org.au/
Connecting Up: https://www.connectingup.org/about/what-we-do
Green Collect: IT & Electrical: https://greencollect.org/collections/electrical
LiteHaus International: https://litehausinternational.org/australia
One Education: https://www.one-education.org/pages/about-us
The Werx Foundation: https://werx.com.au/shop/
WorkVentures: https://workventures.com.au/low-cost-computers/
New South Wales organisations
Asylum Seeker Centre: https://asylumseekerscentre.org.au/
Brotherhood of St Laurence: https://www.bsl.org.au/
Cool Australia: https://cool.org/
Education NSW: https://education.nsw.gov.au/
House of Welcome: https://www.houseofwelcome.org.au/
Jesuit Refugee Service: https://jrs.net/en/home/
Multicultural NSW: https://multicultural.nsw.gov.au/
Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org.au/
Salvation Army: https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/
Scarf Support: https://www.scarfcommunity.org/
STARTTS: https://www.startts.org.au/
SydWest: https://sydwestms.org.au/
The Smith Family: https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/
UNHCR Australia: https://www.unrefugees.org.au/about-us/#
Water Well Project: https://www.thewaterwellproject.org/
Victoria organisations
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre: https://asrc.org.au/
Eastern Emergency Relief Network: https://easternemergency.org.au/
Edmund Rice Community & Refugee Services: https://ercs.org.au/
Enable IT Recycling: https://www.enableaustralia.org.au/it-recycling
Foundation House: https://www.foundationhouse.net.au/
The Bridge: https://thebridgeinc.org.au/
Queensland organisations
ARMIA: https://armia.com.au/home
BRASS Network: https://www.facebook.com/brassnetwork/
Centacare FNQ: https://www.centacarefnq.org/
Ethnic Communities Council of QLD: https://eccq.com.au/
Inala Community House: https://ich.org.au/
Mercy Community: https://mercycommunity.org.au/
Multicultural Australia: https://www.multiculturalaustralia.org.au/
Multilink: https://multilink.org.au/
Pushing Barriers: https://pushingbarriers.org/
QPASTT – Torture & Trauma Survivors: https://qpastt.org.au/
QPASTT Homework Club: https://qpastt.org.au/homework-club/
Refugee Council of Australia (QLD services): https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/services-qld/
Refugee Health Network QLD: https://www.refugeehealthnetworkqld.org.au/
Refugee Connect: https://refugeeconnect.org.au/other-resources/
Refugee Tutoring Club (UQ): https://www.uqrtc.org/
Romero Centre: https://romerocentre.org.au/
St Vincent de Paul (nationwide): https://www.vinnies.org.au/
Townsville Multicultural Support Group: https://www.tmsg.org.au/
Additional resources

Get in touch
NSW, QLD, VIC
For more information, please contact our Scholarships team at scholarships@ssi.org.au
Address: 2/158 Liverpool Road Ashfield NSW 2131