The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is calling on Australia’s elite athletes to apply for the 2026 AIS Athlete Education Scholarships.
Delivered in partnership with the John and Myriam Wylie Foundation, the scholarship program supports athletes who are combining high performance sport with further study, with up to $5,000 to help cover education related costs.
Now in its seventh year, the initiative reflects Australian sport’s united commitment to Win Well, ensuring athletes can succeed in competition while building strong futures beyond it.
Since 2020, more than 227 athletes have received over $704 00 in scholarship support, with 65 athletes from 22 sports receiving $231 200 in the last 12 months.
Previous scholarship recipients include three winter athletes who have just made their Olympic debuts in Milano Cortina.
Mogul skier Charlotte Wilson used the scholarship to support her Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Biomedical Engineering at the University of New South Wales, aerial skier Sidney Stephens is completing a Bachelor of Psychological Science at Griffith University while mogul skier Jackson Harvey combines his freestyle skiing with a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Business at Griffith.
Twenty-three-year-old Stephens said she wants to bring her experience as an athlete to her study and future work.
“Training full-time, studying part-time and the months spent overseas as a winter sports athlete, mean I’m not currently able to work,” she said. “This assistance not only supports my current expenses but also my readjustment after sport finishes.
“I have a desire to work with athletes as I believe the sporting realm implements a strong holistic view towards prevention and wellbeing. My involvement in sports aligns with my vision for mental health prevention, as sport is often seen as a protective factor.”
Triple Paralympian swimmer Rachael Watson used the Athlete Education Scholarship to support her Masters of Sports Coaching at the University of Queensland.
“I decided to study a Master of Sports Coaching as I want to help other athletes who have the same dream as me – to compete at the Paralympics,” she said.
“I plan to continue as a high performance athlete into the LA 2028 Paralympics and during this time I want to build up my coaching skills to then transition from part time coach to full time coach. By having financial support it means it will make that transition easier, allowing me to focus on my own training and my coaching without needing to feel like I can't fully commit to either.”
The 2026 AIS Athlete Education Scholarship is open to categorised athletes who are intending to enrol, currently enrolled, or part way through a course at an institution within the Elite Athlete Education Network (EAEN).
Applications are now open and close at 2:00pm AEDT, Tuesday 31 March 2026.
For more information or to apply, visit the AIS Athlete Education Scholarship webpage.