At the Harding Miller Education Foundation, our sole purpose is to provide the assistance that strong young women need to achieve their very best in a high school environment. With a Harding Miller Scholarship, young women can overcome financial and social disadvantages and prioritise their studies to help them create a solid foundation for higher education in later years. So how does one apply for a scholarship for disadvantaged students and what is involved in the process? We have put together the following collection of scholarship tips for high school students to guide you through the process from application to acceptance.
Ascertaining eligibility for a scholarship
At the Harding Miller Education Foundation, we have eligibility criteria for students to be applicable for a scholarship with us. Before you make your application, you must ascertain whether the student meets these criteria to ensure that your application has the best opportunity for success. The criteria for a Harding Miller Education Foundation scholarship states that the applicants must be female in association with our core directives to support disadvantaged women in the education environment. The student must be entering Year 9 of high school in the following year, so all scholarship applications should be made when the student is completing Year 8. The final criteria for eligibility are that the student in question should either be an Australian citizen or hold permanent residency status in Australia. Those on student visas or who have another form of temporary visa status in the country are not eligible to apply for this scholarship.
Important factors in the selection process
Aside from the basic eligibility criteria, several other factors are relevant to your scholarship application. Once you have ascertained that you or the student you are applying on behalf of is eligible, then you must look at the selection criteria which is used by Harding Miller to choose who will and will not be receiving a scholarship. Key selection criteria used in the process of awarding a scholarship include:
Socio-economic circumstances
The Harding Miller Foundation scholarship is reserved for those students whose studies are suffering from the impact of low socio-economic circumstances. It must be shown that financial hardship is affecting the potential of the student in the long-term in the application which will be taken into account when it is reviewed. For more information on what factors are considered to contribute to your socio-economic circumstances, refer to our frequently asked questions page.
High academic potential
Scholarships are not just awarded to anyone. If the Harding Miller Education Foundation and the panel which is reviewing your application can see a strong academic performance in previous years and solid potential that the scholarship will aid in gaining successful academic results in the future, your application is more likely to be strongly considered in the selection process. A letter of recommendation from teachers or your high school principal will be highly regarded to attest to your academic records.
Personal motivation
When applying, one of our top scholarship tips for high school students is to show you are determined to use the financial aid that is awarded to continue your studies throughout high school and beyond. For those applying on behalf of others, showing the student’s motivation towards tertiary education will be highly regarded in the selection process. Things that can attest to personal motivation include participation in extracurricular activities, participation in school events or volunteering posts.
Commitment to the scholarship program
The Harding Miller Education Foundation is only interested in awarding scholarships to students who are committed to the process. Once the scholarship is awarded, a line of open communication including student feedback is a requirement that must be met throughout the 4 remaining years of high school. This is shown through the applicant’s understanding and acceptance of the terms and conditions associated with the scholarship.
The Harding Miller Education Foundation receives hundreds of applications every year. As you can only apply for this scholarship once, our best scholarship tips for high school students are to make your application as thorough and detailed as possible to cover all aspects of the selection criteria. Your application will be reviewed alongside hundreds of other girls, so you need to stand out in order to be successful.
The application process
If you feel that you or the student you are applying for meets both the educational and selection criteria required, then applications should be made online via the Harding Miller Education Foundation website. Once the application has been started, it can be saved and returned to by creating your own online account with us. Once your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed by a panel that is made up of representatives of the Harding Miller Education Foundation, the Department of Education, the Public Education Foundation and independent panel members.
For those who are awarded the Harding Miller Education Foundation scholarship, notifications will be forwarded by email. In addition to this, the school principal and the parents or guardians of the applicant will also be notified. Once you have been accepted, further information regarding your duties under the scholarship agreement will be forwarded so that you can take the next steps into your educational future.
Reasons to apply for a Harding Miller Education Foundation scholarship
The Harding Miller Education Foundation was established to assist young girls in achieving their potential in a high school setting, which is used to prepare students for acceptance into higher education institutions after graduation. Receiving a scholarship from the Harding Miller Education Foundation is not charity. Scholarship students are expected to work hard during their remaining years of high school to ensure that the scholarship and all that comes with it is utilised to the best of their potential. Harding Miller sees their provision of scholarships as an investment in the women of the future and as a way to level the playing field for those who come from backgrounds that do not offer as much educational freedom. Ensure you have considered our scholarship tips for high school students before applying for a Harding Miller Educational Foundation scholarship. Please get in touch if you have any questions.
