Eligibility and applying

You will need to provide one of the following official documents:

• an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) statement (estimated/adjusted ATARs are not accepted)
• an International Baccalaureate (IB) result
• a Queensland Overall Position (OP)
• a pre-ATAR statement (e.g. Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER), Universities Admission Index (UAI), Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER)
• a Skills for Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) statement (formerly known as the (Special Tertiary Admissions Test)
• a Vocational Education and Training (VET) competency transcript (e.g. diploma results)
• an academic transcript for a completed degree that includes an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) or Weighted Average Mark (WAM)
• an academic transcript from an international school or education institution that includes an overall score/grade
• an academic transcript from a partially completed degree (only for applicants who are transferring from a non-accredited teaching degree) 

If you have an academic transcript for a completed degree that does not contain an overall GPA or WAM, we encourage you to contact the higher education provider that awarded your degree to ask for an official document that includes one of these grades, before you apply. 

If you cannot provide an academic transcript that contains an overall GPA or WAM, you must provide an academic transcript that contains numeric or lettered grades so that an overall score can be calculated on your behalf.

The Program aims to attract high-achieving candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds to the teaching profession. To achieve this, priority will be given to applicants who indicate they are a member of one or more of the following cohorts: 

• high-achieving students with an ATAR of 80 or more or equivalent (undergraduate applicants only)
• mid-career professionals
• First Nations peoples
• people from a rural, regional or remote area
• people with disability
• people from a low socio-economic background
• people for whom English is an additional language or dialect

Scholarships will be awarded based on prior academic achievement with priority given to applicants who have identified as belonging to one or more of the target cohorts until all funding is exhausted. 

Applicants are responsible for determining which target cohort/s they identify with.

You can still apply for a scholarship if you do not identify with a target cohort.

To be considered eligible for a Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship, an applicant must complete an online scholarship application form and provide all requested supporting academic evidence.

Academic evidence submitted must include: 

• the applicant’s full legal name
• official branding that clearly identifies the issuer/education provider
• date awarded 
• an overall academic result or a list of completed units with numeric or lettered grades

Eligibility checks may commence prior to the closing date of an application round.

If an application is assessed as successful, an applicant may receive a Conditional Offer. 

To accept a Conditional Offer, an applicant must provide the following evidence:

Proof of full-time enrolment

• an official academic statement, or letter of enrolment, from a higher education provider confirming the applicant’s commencement date and full-time study load, as determined by the higher education provider.

The official academic evidence must contain the applicants full legal name (as stated on their citizenship evidence), name of higher education provider, name of accredited teaching degree, equivalent full-time student load (EFTSL), commencement date, and expected completion date.

Proof of Citizenship

• a certified copy of a birth certificate; or
• a certified copy of a passport*; or
• a certified copy of an Australian Citizenship Certificate; or
• a certified copy of VEVO/Visa documents

Additionally, an applicant may be required to provide:

• a certified copy of a change of name certificate
• a certified copy of a marriage certificate

*Please note expired passports are not accepted as proof of citizenship

A certified copy is a copy (often a photocopy) of a primary document that has on it an endorsement or certificate that it is a true copy of the primary document. It is usual for documents to be certified by a person who is authorised as a witness for statutory declarations under Statutory Declarations Regulations 2018 – Schedule 1. This schedule provides a wide range of authorised occupations and office holders who may certify a document. Finding a suitable person should not normally present a significant difficulty.

Applicants need to ensure their documents have been certified by an authorised individual within six months of applying for a scholarship.

A r Conditional Offer may be withdrawn if an applicant does not provide the correct evidence set out above.