Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Hardship Fund Equity Grants

History and purpose

The grants are funded from the Student Assistance Scheme, and were established in 2000. The purpose of these grants are to encourage students who are facing financial hardship to continue in their studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

Who is eligible?

Applications are open to all students who are currently studying at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, including domestic, international, undergraduate, postgraduate, part-time, and full-time students. Applicants must be enrolled in the trimester they are applying for, e.g., students who apply for round 1 must be enrolled in trimester 1 of the same year.

Selection criteria

The grants will be awarded on the basis of financial need and satisfactory academic commitment and progress. Factors taken into consideration when assessing financial need could include—high course costs, high transport costs, medical conditions or a disability preventing part-time work, family to support, any other relevant circumstances. Other factors taken into consideration when assessing financial need is a student’s weekly budget and what money they have across their bank accounts.

The grants are intended to assist with ongoing costs related study. They are not intended for tuition fees. The student is expected to be claiming all other available funding; i.e., StudyLink, Student Loan, if eligible.

All offers of the award will be conditional upon the recipient being fully enrolled in the trimester they are applying for and having satisfactory academic progress in their prior trimester.

Recipients are expected to register with their student ID number and complete two online Blackbullion modules (of their choice) before receiving the second instalment. The second instalment will not be paid until this condition is met.

Application process

A completed online application must be submitted by 4.30 pm on the closing date. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Any required supporting documentation (including references) must also be received by 4.30 pm on the closing date in order for the application to be considered.

Applications will normally open one month prior to the closing date. If no application link is provided below, check back again closer to the closing date. Contact us if you have any queries.

Scholarship specific documentation

• A personal statement (max 500 words) outlining your financial difficulties. This includes anything that is currently impacting your finances or will be impacting your finances in the upcoming trimester.
• Proof of your income (details of specific documents required are on online application).
• Recent bank document showing the balances in all your accounts. This is the homepage of your internet banking, that lists all your accounts and the amounts in each. A screenshot is accepted but please make sure this is a full-page screenshot and there is no cropping to the page.
• Last two weeks of transactions from your everyday account (where your income is received, and any rent/board is paid from). If you cannot access a statement with the last 2 weeks included, you can screenshot these transactions. Please make sure this is a consecutive 2 weeks and no days are missing.

Selection process

These grants are intended to assist with ongoing costs related to study. They are not intended for tuition fees. The award may be paid in instalments.

Applicants will receive email an email informing the outcome of their application within 6 weeks of the application closing date.

Regulations and conditions

1. A completed online application must be submitted by 4.30 pm on the closing date. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Any required supporting documentation (including references) must also be received by 4.30 pm on the closing date in order for the application to be considered.
2. All offers of the Scholarship will be conditional upon the recipient being fully enrolled within the stipulated criteria and tenure of the scholarship. No payment of the Scholarship will be made until this condition is met.
3. The Scholarship cannot be deferred to a later year.
4. The Scholarship may be held in conjunction with other awards.
5. Should the recipient withdraw from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington during the tenure of this scholarship or fail to achieve a satisfactory progress, partial repayment of the Scholarship will normally be expected. Recipients must advise the Scholarships Office if they intend to withdraw.
6. Recipients are expected to act as Ambassadors for Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
7. At the discretion of the Deciding Authority, the application of the terms and conditions of the Scholarship may be modified in special circumstances or to avoid hardship to any candidate for the Scholarship.

Contact

Scholarships Office
scholarships-office@vuw.ac.nz
Phone 0800 04 04 04