The Equity Rural Placement Scholarship Program in an initiative of the National Association of Field Experience Administrators Inc (NAFEA) intended to assist WIL / field experience administrators by providing financial assistance to students, who have been assessed as experiencing financial hardship, to undertake placements in rural settings and nominated key priority areas. It is envisaged that the program will be integrated into NAFEA’s ongoing efforts to support field experience / work integrated learning administrators and students.

Approved applications will be awarded scholarships up to $1500.

Funding is provided to assist students with the out-of-pocket costs incurred as a direct result of the placement. These are costs which are additional to everyday living expenses and are incurred as a direct result of a placement requiring relocation, including:

• Travel costs;
• Accommodation.

Please note that, depending on the timing of the program and the approval round, students may need to book and pay for travel, accommodation, etc. prior to receiving funding. Preference will be given to students who do not have access to other forms of funding.

Student Eligibility

In order to receive a scholarship, applicants must meet the following preliminary eligibility criteria:

• Assessed by their University (e.g. by a Welfare Officer,  Disability Advisor, Equity Officer etc.) as experiencing financial hardship. If students are not able to provide this as part of the application process, they need to outline their financial situation in the application form; and,  if they are successful, they will be required to provide supporting evidence. Students who have been awarded an equity scholarship or are in receipt of Centrelink are strongly encouraged to apply.
• From institutions that are unlimited institutional members of NAFEA (see https://nafea.org.au/membership/unlimited-institution-members/ for a list of current  unlimited institutional members. The institution must have an active membership for the relevant scholarship year).
• Currently enrolled as a full-time or part-time student.
• If enrolled in an undergraduate degree, be in at least the second year of the undergraduate course to apply.
• Agree to provide a report on the experience which is suitable for publication on the NAFEA website and in the newsletter within one month of the placement ending.
• Be willing to participate in evaluation studies or surveys.
• Not be a previous recipient of a NAFEA scholarship

Placement Eligibility

The WIL placement must be:

• Either commencing, or having the majority of the placement taking place, between:
  • Round 1: 1 January – 30 June 2022
  • Round 2: 1 July – 31 December 2022
• Fulltime (4-5 days per week of at least six hours per day)
• A minimum of three weeks duration
• Within Australia
• Undertaken in an inner regional, outer regional, remote or very remote location which requires relocation. Regional and Remote Locations are defined as RA2-RA5 using Australia Bureau of Statistics remoteness classifications- ASGS Remoteness Areas (2016) are noted here.

Step 1:

Students must complete an online application form. Application forms can be completed and submitted via www.nafea.org.au once the scholarship round has opened.

Applications must include:

• The placement details (including dates and agency). This can be a confirmed placement or a proposed placement
• University placement administrator details
• An estimate of the student’s out-of-pocket costs for the placement (these are costs that will be incurred as a direct result of the rural placement and are additional to your everyday living expenses).
• Declaration of other sources of funding or grants that have been applied for or awarded in support of the proposed rural placement
• Brief statement of up to 1500 characters (300-400 words) on how this scholarship will positively impact your participation in your regional/rural/remote placement. In your response, you should include the financial impact as well as the skills and experiences that you anticipate you will gain from the placement.
• A list of your current (or within the last 12 months) community engagement / projects / volunteer experiences. Please do not include extra-curricular activities, such as sporting or hobbies. Leave blank if not applicable.
• Why you have elected to undertake a WIL placement (if the placement is not compulsory)

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants will be sent an automated acknowledgement receipt when applications are received. Applications must be submitted to, and received by NAFEA, by Midnight (AEST) on the advertised closing date.

Preference will be given to applications from students:

• who do not have access to other forms of funding
• with significant out-of-pocket costs
• undertaking placements in more remote areas.

NAFEA scholarships are only awarded to individual students once. Candidates who have been successful previously are not-eligible to re-apply. Any unsuccessful applicant for the scholarship is entitled to reapply Inc for the scholarship in the following round and will be assessed against the program guidelines and criteria that are in effect on the date the re-application is received by NAFEA. Candidates cannot reapply for the same placement in a future round.

The NAFEA SPSC will assess and rank all applications, liaise with applicants institutional WIL areas and provide a recommended shortlist to the NAFEA Management Committee. The NAFEA Management Committee will have final approval of the shortlisted applications.

Step 2:

All shortlisted applicants will be required to provide:

• Confirmation in writing from their institution’s WIL/Field Experience Officer of the placement details (incl. dates and allocated agency)
• A personal reference (ideally from an Academic staff member of the student’s discipline)
• Travel budget and supporting documents for their out-of-pocket costs

The NAFEA SPSC will assess and rank the shortlisted applicants and where necessary seeking advice from the applicants’ institutions to make a final recommendation of successful applicants and funding amounts to the NAFEA Management Committee.

Successful applicants will be given a conditional offer. Students who do not receive a conditional offer may receive an offer at a later date if funding becomes available from a student declining, withdrawing or not meeting the eligibility criteria of their conditional offer, this will be at the discretion of the NAFEA SPSC.

Step 3:

A conditional offer is provisionally awarded to an applicant based on the information provided in the application form. Students will need to complete the scholarship acceptance form and attach confirmation of the placement prior to receiving funds.

Disclaimer: All decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into. NAFEA does not accept appeals to its decisions.

Since the beginning of the scholarship program in 2017, NAFEA has awarded over $109,000 worth of scholarships to 88 students across 16 institutions.