Postgraduate scholarship scheme - Allied Health

This scheme supports eligible allied health professionals with scholarships in various fields of postgraduate study, particularly in areas of allied health that have known shortages.

Scholarship recipients will have access to funding to support tuition fees. The level of funding given will depend on the total number of applicants, the total cost of requested tuition support and the available budget. Scholarships are paid through reimbursement at the end of each satisfactorily completed semester(s) of study.

Applications for scholarships to study in 2024 are now closed. Applications for scholarships to study in 2025 will open in November 2024. 

Staff Eligibility

To be eligible for this scheme, you must have permanent employment with Canberra Health Services or ACT Health or have a continuous temporary contract for at least 12 months before the application closing date.

You must be employed in one of the eligible allied health professions and have a minimum of two years full-time post-qualification work experience in the related field of practice, or equivalent for part-time staff.

There is a two-year exclusion period in place for staff who have previously received an allied health postgraduate scholarship leading to an award level program of study.

Course Eligibility

In addition to meeting the staff eligibility criteria, applicants must also prove their intended study meets the scheme’s course eligibility criteria. Please refer to the Applicant Guidelines for course eligibility, noting that eligible postgraduate courses have a minimum of 6 months full-time equivalent duration.

Eligible courses are required to have a clinical practice, health professional education, health service management and leadership, research or data science* related focus and you must be able to demonstrate how your proposed course of study is relevant to, or will contribute to your organisations core values and key strategic priorities.

*The Health Analytics Research Collaborative (HARC) provides advice and connects students with potential mentors, projects and courses. HARC is a collaboration between ACT Health Directorate and its academic partners focused on health data science, and research methods and analytics in both qualitative and quantitative areas. Locally, HARC is associated with the Biologic Data Science Institute and Population Health at the Australian National University, and the University of Canberra.

For more details on HARC please contact Ekavi Georgousopoulou on HARCNetwork@act.gov.au.

Referees

Applicants must include the names and email addresses of two senior ACT Public Service referees in their application. One referee must be your current line manager, and you are expected to discuss with and gain support for your application from your line manager. This referee does not have to be an allied health professional, however at least one of your referees must be a senior allied health professional. Referees must be at HP3 classification, or equivalent, and above.

Referees will automatically receive a copy of the scholarship application and a link to complete their referee report when the scholarship application is submitted. Referees must submit referee reports by the scheme closing date.

Important Information for Prospective Applicants

Anyone considering applying to this scheme should read the Allied Health Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme Applicant Guidelines.

Key changes for the 2024 application round

  • Prioritisation criteria have been implemented to assist in the ranking of applicants. These include:
    • Indigenous status
    • Profession in shortage
    • Area of health workforce development need
  • Public Health Officers and Pedorthists have been added to the list of eligible allied health professions.
  • Referees must submit referee reports by the scheme closing date. Submission of the second of two referee reports triggers receipt of a complete application by the Office of the Chief Allied Health Officer. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their nominated referees complete referee reports within the required timeframe. Late referee reports will not be accepted.
  • A panel has been implemented to assess applications.
  • Outcomes of scholarship applications will be shared with the applicant’s line manager.
  • Applicants who are dissatisfied with the scholarship assessment panel decision may make an appeal to the Chief Allied Health Officer for review.

Scholarship recipients will be invited to participate in an evaluation process at the end of the calendar year to ensure the scheme continues to meet its identified objectives. Please view the Allied Health Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme presentation.

If you are considering doing a course and want to connect with any of your allied health colleagues who have done the same program of study, please contact the Office of the Chief Allied Health Officer.

Need More Information?

For more information, please contact AlliedHealthScholarShips@act.gov.au or 5124 9451.

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Page last updated on: 20 Feb 2024