Victorian Postgraduate Mental Health Nurse Scholarship (Full Course Fee)

The Victorian Department of Health (the department) is implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. As part of the reform agenda, and in partnership with Victoria’s Chief Mental Health Nurse, the Victorian Government is providing scholarships to registered nurses working in Victorian public mental health and wellbeing services to support postgraduate study in mental health nursing. The scholarships are be administered by the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) on behalf of the department.

The scholarship covers the full cost of course fees and is available to mental health nurses who plan to enrol in a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing or a Master of Mental Health Nursing that will commence in 2025.

• Applications open
  Monday 30 September 2024
• Applications close
  Friday 6 December 2024
• Scholarship recipients advised of outcome
  From mid-March 2025

Applicant eligibility

Applicants must:

• be a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia or be registered by the end of 2024
• be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or New Zealand citizen
• be employed (or commencing employment) in a Victorian public mental health and wellbeing service
• be enrolled (or intending to enrol) in an eligible postgraduate course for 2025 commencement
• have the endorsement of their Director of Mental Health Nursing or Senior Mental Health Nurse in their application.

Course eligibility

Scholarships will be provided for the following courses:

• Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing
• Master of Mental Health Nursing

Please note: Applicants who’ve received the Victorian Full Course Fee Postgraduate Mental Health Nurse Scholarship previously are ineligible to apply again but are advised to apply for the $3000 Postgraduate Mental Health Nurse Scholarship.

Weightings and prioritisation

Prioritisation will be provided for the following eligible applicants by way of a weighting:

• those not receiving other funding support (e.g. employer support for course fees, scholarships, grants or financial support from an organisation or institution)
• those who have not previously received a postgraduate mental health nurse scholarship ($3000)
• those who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• those employed by a health service in regional or rural Victoria.

The scholarships cover the full-cost of your course fees for a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing or a Master of Mental Health Nursing, based on the availability of funds. This includes the gap if you are enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place.

Please note that the scholarship provides funding for course fees only, any additional costs such as text books will need to be funded by the student.

In your application you will need to indicate the approximate course costs associated with your chosen qualification.

• More mental health nurses to help Victorians in need
• Applications open for Victorian Postgraduate Mental Health Nurse Scholarships