Application is now open for Matthew Levy OAM Future Paralympian Scholarship at the University of Queensland. Interested applicants are encouraged to send their applications in before the deadline date.
About the University of Queensland and Scholarship
The first proposals for a university in Queensland were made in the 1870s. A Royal Commission led by Sir Charles Lilley suggested the creation of a university in 1874. Those opposed to a university contended that technical education, rather than academic education, was more vital in a primary-industry-dominated economy. In the face of this criticism, supporters of the institution distanced themselves from Oxford and Cambridge, proposing instead a model based on the mid-western states of the United States. In 1891, a second Royal Commission advised that a new university include five faculties: arts, law, medicine, science, and applied science.
Education was often given a low priority in Queensland’s budgets, and in a colony with a literacy rate of 57% in 1861, primary education was far more important than secondary and vocational education. Despite the conclusions of the Royal Commission, the government was hesitant to commit finances to the founding of a university.
The Queensland University Extension Movement was founded in 1893 by a group of private persons who organized public lecture courses in adult education with the hope of gaining greater community support for a university in Queensland. The extension sessions enrolled 245 students in 1894, and the lectures were characterized as practical and beneficial.
The University Extension Movement organized the University Congress in 1906 as a platform for interested delegates to promote the concept of a university. A fund was established, and a draft Bill establishing a Queensland University was developed. The practical features of university education and their value to Queensland’s business were emphasized. Australia restructured its higher education system in 1990, removing the binary system of universities and institutions of further study. The university combined with Queensland Agricultural College during this transition to form the new UQ Gatton campus. UQ Ipswich became one of Australia’s first fully web-enabled campuses in 1999.
Matthew Levy OAM Future Paralympian Scholarship was formed in 2023 thanks to an initial grant by Matthew Levy OAM, a former Australian Paralympic swimmer who won three gold, one silver, and six bronze medals over five Paralympic Games between 2004 and 2020. The UQ Para-athlete Scholarship Scheme was established to recruit and retain excellent new and continuing students with a disability who have shown extraordinary talent in their chosen sport and wish to combine a tertiary degree with high-performance athletics.
Details about Matthew Levy OAM Future Paralympian Scholarship at the University of Queensland:
Scholarship Sponsor: University of Queensland, Australia
Scholarship Value: $6,000
Number of awards: N/A
Study level: Undergraduate, Postgraduate coursework
Host Institution(s): University of Queensland, Australia
Enrolment status: Future UQ student, Current UQ student
Scholarship focus: Sporting Excellence
Eligibility Criteria for Matthew Levy OAM Future Paralympian Scholarship
Candidates are advised to meet the following prerequisites to be eligible for the Matthew Levy OAM Future Paralympian Scholarship at the University of Queensland:
- Are an Australian citizen, permanent resident of Australia, or holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa
- Take part in an NSOD Recognized Sport
- Are or will be enrolled full-time or part-time in an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework program.
Selection Criteria
The following factors will be used to determine who receives the scholarship:
- Sports accomplishments to date;
- Potential to perform at a Sufficiently High Level in the sport of choice;
- Any other data the selection committee deems pertinent to the applicant’s future academic performance.
Application Procedure for Matthew Levy OAM Future Paralympian Scholarship
Interested candidates should fill out the application form through the UQ Sport website. You may need to provide (if applicable):
- academic results
- sporting results.
The Application Deadline is: October 31, 2023
Not interested in this particular scholarship? See other Australia scholarships here.