In response to the needs of ākonga (students), UCOL is pleased to announce the creation of two new scholarships designed to help ākonga stay in their studies and thrive.
This initiative follows the winding up of AS@U, ensuring that the remaining funds are utilised to empower and support students for many years to come.
$180,000 in funding was available to donate to UCOL when the previous student association was dissolved. The new scholarships — the
UCOL Student Success Scholarship and the
UCOL Empowerment Scholarship — will run until 2032, awarding up to $24,000 worth of scholarships each year.
Victoria Blockley-Powell, Student Success Senior Manager for UCOL, says her team work with ākonga day in and day out and see first-hand how financial challenges can be a significant barrier to accessing education.
“This funding is intended to help further remove barriers and will help to provide the necessary means for ākonga to succeed.”
The new Student Success Scholarship will be used to holistically support our ākonga who are consistent in their efforts and achievements but may need a helping hand.
“While academic performance is an important factor, we also recognise the accomplishments inherent in the journey of studying. For example, we want to acknowledge ākonga who may not be achieving top grades but are balancing their studies with responsibilities like raising children or managing part-time jobs. We value their perseverance and will consider both their individual circumstances and academic performance when making decisions,” Blockley-Powell said.
“The demands on our students currently are much higher than ever before. Our team currently supports ākonga in need with a comprehensive range of hardship services, including free food, clothing, and vouchers for supermarkets and petrol. This scholarship will expand our support, allowing us to assess a wider range of circumstances that students may encounter,” Blockley-Powell explained.
“We occasionally receive requests from students who don’t qualify for other forms of assistance. These new funds are designed to provide help when other options aren’t available, and we will evaluate each case individually.”
“Taking a future-focussed approach, the UCOL Empowerment Scholarship is able to be used towards expanding a recipients horizons’ in terms of extra-curricular activities, personal and career development, along with further education, research, or fellowships,” explains Blockey-Powell.
Jasmine Groves, UCOL Operations Lead, added, “The
wider UCOL scholarships portfolio is well-supported each year. The generous contributions from our donors and partners, combined with these new scholarships from our former student association, will enable our scholarships portfolio to disburse over $200,000 in funding to ākonga.”
These scholarships are now open for application, before closing on 30 April 2025.