Swinburne exists to provide next gen education that will transform the lives of students at Swinburne, helping to create a better world. We aim to attract and retain the brightest young minds, regardless of their background and financial means, preparing them to be ready to solve the important challenges of tomorrow.
With your generous support we can help more talented Swinburne students to succeed — students of marked potential, students who have encountered considerable challenges along their journey —to embrace life-changing opportunities, pursue their dreams, complete their education, and build rewarding, productive lives.
Together, we can open doors to better futures and a better world, supporting next gen students before, during, and after their studies.
How we enable student access
Inspiring Further Education
We outreach to primary and secondary schools in low socio-economic areas, providing young learners with access to enrichment activities, fostering personal growth and skills development, and nurturing a love for learning that can have a transformative impact.
Children’s University
Children’s University Swinburne is a fantastic program that celebrates and encourages child-led learning beyond the classroom. Children graduate just like grown-ups do!
High School Outreach
Our outreach programs promote equal access to higher education, empower disadvantaged students, and fostering a more inclusive and equitable society.
Pathways to Further Education
As a dual-sector university, Swinburne offers vocational education courses that teach practical skills and provide pathways to higher education.
Enabling Access
Across Australia, there are many students who wish to attend university but face huge challenges. Students from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds can find it hard even to imagine gaining entrance to and attending university, much less succeeding there. We help students to overcome barriers to accessing and attaining a higher education – a key point of pride across Swinburne’s history.
Specific programs include:
Access Scholarships
We strive to ensure that everyone who wishes to study at Swinburne, can do so, accessing the opportunity to attain a high-quality tertiary education, regardless of personal circumstances.
Swinburne adopts a holistic approach to recognising circumstances that have made it hard for students to do their best at study and we encourage the generous people who give in this area to adopt this same broad approach.
Eligibility criteria for Swinburne’s Access Scholarships include:
- Personal information and location, such as age, recognition as an Indigenous Australian, living or school location, under-represented and low socio-economic schools, under-represented genders, non-English speaking backgrounds and first in family tertiary learners.
- Disadvantaged financial background, such as economic hardship, family poverty, Centrelink benefits or excessive financial obligations.
- Disability or medical conditions.
Difficult circumstances such as refugee or asylum seekers status, homelessness, care leavers, being a carer, severe family disruption, abusive living environment and other hardships.
Indigenous Advancement
Swinburne’s Moondani Toombadool Centre is the key site through which we increase participation and successful completion of tertiary studies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Welcome Scholarships
Swinburne’s Welcome Scholarships for refugees and asylum seekers recognise the considerable hardships faced by people seeking asylum.
Giving to Access Scholarships at Swinburne includes opportunities to tailor scholarships that aligns with your personal preferences and priorities.
Supporting Excellence
Swinburne seeks to recognise, attract and reward outstanding young talent, to foster an environment of excellence, and to provide a secure, well-supported educational environment. In this way we support talented students to excel, reaching their full potential and maximising the contributions they make.
Our programs designed to help support excellence include:
Women in STEM
Swinburne’s focus on women in STEM addresses the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Our mandate is to be a world-class university creating social and economic impact through science, technology, and innovation. To optimise our potential in this regard, there is a clear need to encourage the best female minds to the quest of advancing Australia's competitive capability in STEM.
By supporting women in STEM, you help to champion the principles of excellence, access and equity, ensuring that our brightest female minds are supported, nurtured and inspired.
next gen Futures Funds
The greatest investment we can make is in those who will carry the possibilities of tomorrow.
Working closely with our alumni, corporate supporters and philanthropic friends, Swinburne is developing next_gen Futures Funds. In collaboration with business, industry and the community, we’re creating industry specific excellence groups that will inspire and invigorate a pipeline of career-ready, innovative and entrepreneurial graduates – our future leaders.
Your philanthropic investment in next gen Futures Funds will enable excellence scholarships, wrap-around supports, innovative education and real-world experiences. In this way we ensure talented, professional Swinburne graduates become the leaders of tomorrow, and future-proof our workforces.
Learn more about our current priority areas:
- Accounting Futures Fund
- ASTRAL Futures Fund
- Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science Safer Futures Fund
- Chemistry Futures Fund
- Engineering Futures Fund
Ensuring Success
Expanded wrap-around supports and services for all students (including our most vulnerable) are designed to develop a strong sense of belonging, in a supportive and nurturing community. With increased wrap-around support we can improve accessibility and inclusivity, academic assistance and tutoring, social and cultural support, additional career guidance and with industry placements and mentoring.
Our vital supports to ensure success include:
Wrap-around Support
We strive to ensure all people have access and the opportunity to pursue a quality education at Swinburne, regardless of personal circumstances. Our end game, to ensure student success – in their studies and their incredible careers post graduation – and embracing life-long learning.
While scholarships solve many of the challenges in accessing university and supporting our students to excel, students also may need:
- Financial Support – in addition to scholarships, to access technology and other study resources, to access suitable accommodation and to overcome hardship in an emergency.
- Transition Support – such as Pre-Tertiary Support/Readiness Development Programs, Support to Navigate University Systems and Processes, and English Language Support.
- Belonging and Inclusion Support – providing Safe, Inclusive Spaces, Community Engagement, Social Support, Emotional Support and Wellbeing Support and enabling students to build their Identity in a supportive environment.
- Academic Support – including one-on-one support, Inclusion in Curriculum, Flexible Course Delivery, Inclusive and Accessible Resources and increased Staff Awareness and Education.
- Career Support – to enable students to build their cultural capital, improve their resume with work integrated learning and internship opportunities, and build the skills required to network and transition into the workforce.
Student Emergency Fund
The Student Emergency Fund helps students impacted by emergencies, disasters or moment in time hardship to access the financial support they need to get through.
Indigenous Advancement
Swinburne’s Moondani Toombadool Centre is the key site through which we increase participation and successful completion of tertiary studies for First Nations Australians.
Inspired to help?
When you give to Swinburne you invest in a new generation of problem-solvers and tech-rich solutions to the wicked problems of now.
Together, we have the power to transform lives.
Get in touch
Contact Swinburne’s Philanthropy team to learn more about how your support can enable people and technology to come together for a better world. Call us on +61 3 9214 4409 or email giving@swinburne.edu.au.
