Ailsa and Professor Ross Hawker Scholarship

Aspire Scholarship Program

  
      Enrolment status
      
            Future UQ student
      
      Student type
      
            Domestic
      
      Study level
      
            Undergraduate
      
      Study area
      
            All study areas
      
      Scholarship focus
      
            Financial hardship
      
      Scholarship value
      
            At least $4,500
      
      Scholarship duration
      
            1 year
      
      Number awarded
      
            1
      
      Applications open
      
            9 September 2025
      
      Applications close
      
            27 February 2026

This scholarship is part of the Aspire Scholarship Program.

See all scholarships in this program.

Eligibility

You’re eligible if:

you are a domestic student in accordance with the University’s Student Fees Policy;
you are enrolling as a commencing student in any bachelor program at UQ in semester 1 in the year of the scholarship;
you have not completed any prior tertiary study at bachelor level or higher;
you can demonstrate significant financial disadvantage through achieving the maximum points for the ‘Financial Hardship’ category of QTAC’s Educational Access Scheme; and
you have been awarded The Queensland Commitment Scholarship.

How to apply

Apply using the online application form.

Refer to the Aspire Scholarship scheme landing page for information on offer rounds and corresponding application closing dates.

You only need to submit ONE application to be considered for ALL scholarships in the Aspire Scholarship scheme, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Scholarship scheme and the UQ Residential Scholarship scheme.

You'll need:

your QTAC application number or UQ student number
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status (if applicable)
a personal statement

Apply now

Selection criteria

We'll consider:

your documented financial situation and number of dependants; and
any other matter that the Selection Committee considers relevant.

Preference may be given to (in order of preference):

students who are an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person;
students from a refugee, rural, regional or remote background;
students who are the first in their family to attend university; or
QTAC applicants who have demonstrated other forms of educational disadvantage in their QTAC application.

What happens next

We'll email you to confirm we've received your application.

If you haven’t received your confirmation email within 2 working days of submitting your application contact us at scholarships@uq.edu.au

About this scholarship

Donated by the Hawker Foundation in honour of Ailsa and Professor Ross Hawker. Professor Hawker led the Department of Physiology at The University of Queensland for 25 years, published more than 50 books, and conducted ground-breaking research after joining The University of Queensland as a lecturer in 1950.

His academic and professional career was only possible through a scholarship in 1938 to Hurlstone Agricultural College in New South Wales. Ailsa Hawker was his lifelong closest friend, companion, proof-reader, and partner in all his research, travel, and artistic pursuits. This Scholarship recognises their contributions to the world and hopes to provide the opportunity for another student to make a difference.