Who is eligible to apply for a Scholarship?

To be eligible to apply for a 2025 Athlete Education Scholarship, an athlete must:

a) Be categorised by their National Sporting Organisation (NSO) NSO as a Podium, Podium Ready, Podium Potential, Developing or Emerging athlete, in line with the National Athlete Categorisation Framework, as at 16 February 2025.

b) Be intending to enrol, currently enrolled, or part way through a course/unit of study in period 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025*.

c) Have no anti-doping rule violations or match fixing offences at any time.

*All applicants will be required to provide evidence of successfully completed unit or course of study for which the Scholarship was awarded by 31 December 2025, at a pass level or greater.

Applicants who have received an AIS Education Scholarship in previous years are ineligible.

What can the Scholarship money be used for?

Scholarship funds can be used by the applicant as a contribution towards study in an Approved Course. This may include contribution to course fees and study related costs, e.g. textbooks, travel, uniform and academic transcripts.

An ‘Approved Course’ is a recognised Australian University degree or TAFE course from an educational institution that is part of the Elite Athlete Education Network (EAEN). A listing of educational institutions can be found at https://www.ais.gov.au/career-and-education/eaen;

Note that successful applicants will be required to provide evidence to substantiate the eligible course fees incurred or payable by them before any Scholarship funding will be paid.

Selection criteria

All applications will initially be assessed by the ASC against the eligibility criteria. Only one application will be considered per athlete.

Eligible applications will then proceed to assessment against the following criteria through a competitive process:

1. Level of detail provided of the course you are enrolled in, and why you selected this course (10%)
2. Demonstrate the requirement of financial support for your educational needs, including the benefits and support gained by receiving financial assistance (20%)
3. Completion of the budget table explaining how the grant amount will be spent (30%)
4. Demonstration of how your participation in study will support your holistic development and unlock your full potential to win well in sport and in life (40%)

Assessment process and scholarship approval

All applications will initially be assessed by the AIS against the eligibility criteria. Only one application will be considered per athlete. Applicants who have received an AIS Education Scholarship in previous years will not be eligible.

Eligible applications will then proceed to assessment against the selection criteria through a competitive process. This assessment will be undertaken by an AIS Assessment Panel, which will comprise representatives from the AIS, high performance system, education network, alumni athletes and independent members.

The Assessment Panel will consider each eligible application on its merits based on how well it meets the selection criteria and how it compares to other applications.

The Assessment Panel will provide recommendations for the consideration of the AIS Director, who will provide the final approval for the award of Scholarships under this program.