Special UOW scholarship gives opportunity to those who live in housing trust homes

The University of Wollongong (UOW) has announced a new partnership with Housing Trust, a for-purpose community-housing provider operating in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, marking the union with a new scholarship, the Housing Trust Opportunity Scholarship, which will  provide a UOW future student with $5000 per year – a total of $15,000 over the three years of their undergraduate degree. 

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be living in social housing or affordable housing in the Illawarra or Shoalhaven local government areas (LGAs) and plan to enrol full-time in any undergraduate degree at the UOW Wollongong Campus or Shoalhaven Campus.

“In the last three years, I’ve seen many young people under immense financial stress,” UOW Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health Senior Professor Eileen McLaughlin said.

“The Housing Trust Opportunity Scholarship is the first UOW stipend focusing on this area of need – it will enable students to overcome financial challenges and finalise their degree. This is the true power of philanthropy.” 

Housing Trust CEO Michele Adair said many of us take the costs associated with tertiary education – the cost of laptops, textbooks or parking tickets – for granted when the reality is that they can impact the ability of students from low-income families to complete their studies, even after they have been accepted into university.

“We are proud to be establishing the first Housing Trust UOW Opportunity Scholarship for students living in social or affordable housing,” Ms Adair continued. 

“Once you have a safe, secure, affordable home, your next priority is education. Nobody should be denied the future of their dreams that they’re academically capable of achieving. Affraying the cost of a laptop or textbooks, transport or petrol is invaluable in helping people achieve their potential.”

Razan Habara is studying for an accounting degree at UOW. She has previously been a recipient of the Housing Trust tenant scholarship and said the support she received from Housing Trust helped her to excel in her education.

“Getting into uni is just the start of your journey. People don’t realise how quickly some of the little expenses of studying can add up. For example, paying for parking on a day when I have an exam so that I’m not arriving stressed out and worrying about getting there on time can make a massive difference to how I perform,” Razan said.

“Without the scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to purchase the laptop I use for my studies, especially with remote learning introduced during the pandemic. I wouldn’t have been able to purchase the textbooks I needed to study for my exams each semester. It has helped me in so many ways; without it, my student life would have been much harder.” 

Applications for the scholarship are now open and will close on 29 January 2023. For more information visit the dedicated website, here.