Eligibility

You are eligible to apply for this category if:

• you resided in a rural or isolated area* for at least five years (consecutively) or 10 years (cumulatively); AND
• you have been or continue to be negatively impacted as a result of living in that area, or by your ongoing connection with that area.

* A rural or isolated area is defined as an area with an Australian Standard Geographic Classification of: RA2, RA3, RA4 or RA5. If you are based in Victoria this essentially means anywhere outside of Melbourne or Geelong. You can check the classification of your address on the Department of Health and Ageing website.

Supporting documentation

1. Personal statement: You must provide a detailed personal statement, including:
   • the address(es) of your residence and dates you lived there; AND
   • an explanation of why you feel you have been negatively impacted by your association with this address. Please be clear regarding whether this impact relates to the past or is ongoing. For example, if your previous tertiary results were impacted as a result of your residence at this address, explain why. If this is no longer your primary residence but you maintain a connection that continues to impact you, explain the ongoing impact of your connection. If you currently live in a rural or isolated location, explain the challenges you will face in relocating for your study, etc.
2. Evidence: Provide evidence that supports your personal statement, this can include:
   • a letter of support written and signed by a responsible independent source not related to you (i.e. doctor, lawyer, accountant, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader or teacher). This letter must be dated, signed and on letterhead (if possible) and include dates and duration of impact.
   • Documents to prove residence such as invoices for telephone, utilities or bank statements showing your (or your family’s) address.

You are eligible to apply for this category if you:

• are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent; AND
• identify as a person of Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander heritage; AND
• are accepted as such by an Indigenous community.

Supporting documentation

Your Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage is something that is personal to you. You do not need a letter of confirmation to identify as an Indigenous person. However, you will be asked to provide specific documents that confirm your eligibility when applying for Indigenous-specific pathways such as Graduate Access Melbourne and the full range of services provided by Murrup Barak and the Wilin Centre.

To apply under this category, you will need to establish your eligibility by providing a Confirmation of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage. Alternatively, if you cannot provide a Confirmation document, you can submit a completed Community Declaration Form.

For more information on how to establish your eligibility please follow this link.

You are eligible to apply for this category if you:

• have previously held an Australian temporary protection visa; OR
• currently hold a permanent humanitarian visa.

Supporting documentation

1. Personal statement: You must provide a personal statement describing the circumstances you have experienced and how they have had a sustained adverse effect on you and/or your academic achievement and any ongoing impact. You may consider including information regarding conditions in the country you relocated from, time spent in refugee camps/relocating, violence/ threats of violence experienced by you or one or more members of your immediate family, impact on early education in your country of origin, difficulties relocating to Australia possibly due to non-English speaking background, disadvantaged socio- economic background, cultural issues/dislocation, separation from family, adjustment to a different educational system.  Remember to include dates and make clear the duration of impact.  If the time period relates to your previous study, you must include how these circumstances impacted on your academic achievement.  The statement should not exceed 500 words.
2. Evidence: Provide evidence that supports your personal statement:
   • either a copy of your Australian temporary protection visa and a copy of your passport photograph page; OR a copy of your permanent humanitarian visa and a copy of your passport photograph page.
   • you may also wish to include a letter of support written and signed by a responsible independent source not related to you (i.e. doctor, lawyer, accountant, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader or teacher). This letter must be dated, signed and on letterhead (if possible) and include dates and duration of impact. If not from an independent source, the person writing the letter must explain how they know you (your relationship), how long they have known you, how they know about the information or facts they are providing and include their contact details.

You are eligible to apply for this category if:

• you come from a disadvantaged socio-economic background; AND/OR
• you experienced financial hardship during your tertiary study that had a sustained adverse effect on your academic achievement; AND/OR
• you are currently experiencing financial hardship

Supporting documentation

1. Personal statement: You must provide a personal statement describing your socioeconomic circumstances.  Remember to include dates and make clear the duration of impact.  If the time period relates to your previous study, you must include how these circumstances impacted on your academic achievement.  You may wish to include time and details of work and /or care responsibilities, your living arrangements, whether you regularly go without food or other basic requirements, any difficulties in accessing resources required to study, transportation issues, levels of debt, etc. The statement should not exceed 500 words.
2. Evidence: Provide evidence that supports your personal statement.  This may include Centrelink statements* relating to the time period detailed in your statement or supporting letters outlining your current and previous circumstances written and signed by a responsible independent source not related to you (i.e. doctor, lawyer, accountant, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader or teacher). This letter must be dated, signed and on letterhead (if possible) and include dates and duration of impact. If not from an independent source, the person writing the letter must explain how they know you (your relationship), how long they have known you, how they know about the information or facts they are providing and include their contact details.

If your application concerns your family’s financial circumstances, your application will be stronger if you are able to provide supporting evidence, e.g. parents Centrelink and/or ATO statements, redundancy notices, pension statements, and any other documents that support claims of financial hardship. You should also provide details of periods of unemployment, date of retirement, etc.

If you received a scholarship of any kind (including to a residential college), please provide full details, including the amount, the dates covered, and whether the scholarship was for financial need or for another criteria.

*Where possible you should provide Centrelink documents which show the level of fortnightly payments and any hours of work performed for the entire period. If you cannot provide assessment forms for the entire period, include a history of your Centrelink payments. How to request Centrelink Documents

Additional requirement

If you are submitting a GAM application for one of the following programs, you will need to complete the Disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances - Supplementary form (link):

• a relevant course in the Faculty of Business and Economics
• a relevant course in the Faculty of Arts
• a relevant course in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music
• a relevant course in the Faculty of Science
• the Melbourne Juris Doctor (JD)

If you are not applying to any of these programs, please disregard this requirement.

You are eligible to apply for this category if:

• you experienced a disability or chronic medical condition during your tertiary study that had a sustained adverse effect on your academic achievement;
  or
• you have experienced a disability (physical, sensory, intellectual, acquired brain injury or neurological impairment) or chronic medical condition that impacts on your life and/or study, either currently or in the past   .

Supporting documentation

1. Personal statement: You must provide a personal statement outlining your disability and/or chronic medical condition, including how it has had a sustained adverse effect on you or your academic achievement. Please include dates, duration and the impact of this condition on your daily life and studies. If the impact is ongoing, make this clear in your statement.  The statement should not exceed 500 words.

2. Evidence: Provide evidence that supports your personal statement, this may include a letter from a relevant health care professional involved in the care / management of your condition. This letter must be dated, signed and on letterhead and include dates and duration of impact.  Other evidence is also acceptable, such as medical documents which confirms the dates you were hospitalised or received treatment.

You are eligible for this category if:

• you experienced personal difficulties during your tertiary study which had a sustained adverse effect on your academic achievement; AND / OR
• you are currently or have recently experienced personal difficulties

Examples of personal difficulties include death/illness/disability of a family member or close friend, separation/divorce, either personally or of a close relative, issues relating to abuse, neglect or domestic violence, relationship issues, victim of crime, personal injury, homelessness, drug or alcohol addiction and difficulties living away from home etc.

Supporting documentation

1. Personal statement: You must provide a personal statement outlining your personal difficulties and describe how they have had a sustained adverse effect on you and/or your tertiary study. Remember to include dates and make clear the duration of impact.  If the impact is ongoing, make this clear in your statement. The statement should not exceed 500 words.
2. Evidence: Provide evidence that supports your personal statement, this may include a supporting letter outlining your current and previous circumstances written, signed and dated by a responsible independent source not related to you (i.e. doctor, lawyer, accountant, social worker, counsellor, religious or community leader or teacher). This letter should be on letterhead (if possible) and include dates and duration of impact. If not from an independent source, the person writing the letter must explain how they know you (your relationship), how long they have known you, how they know about the information or facts they are providing and include their contact details. Other evidence is also acceptable, such as a police report, intervention order, divorce papers, etc.

Domestic female applicants eligible for entry into Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology masters and coursework doctoral degrees will automatically be considered for a Graduate Access Melbourne Bursary.

You don't need to submit an application if Women in Engineering is the only category you're applying for.