UWA Winthrop Scholarship

The UWA Winthrop Scholarship is one of UWA's most prestigious academic scholarships and is named in honour of Sir John Winthrop Hackett KCMG, an influential politician, agriculturalist, editor, and inaugural Chancellor of UWA.

He believed people should be able to utilise their talents without restriction. As such, he was influential in the establishment of free, compulsory, and secular education in Western Australia in 1899.

Winthrop Hackett’s leadership and passion facilitated many civic and cultural improvements across his life, particularly in the Western Australian Community. Our current day Winthrop scholars embody these traits as they are a leader in their community and firm in their convictions and values. A Winthrop scholar is civic minded and invested in the advancement of their community. They are socially conscious and have a keen focus on resource sustainability.

Each year, 5 scholarships valued at $10,000 per annum are awarded to Year 12 high school students from WA who demonstrate exceptional academic capabilities along with leadership abilities, sporting, community, or artistic achievements.

About the program

Students selected for a UWA Winthrop Scholarship benefit from:

• Comprehensive Education Scholarships which provide $10,000¹ per annum to assist in university tuition, accommodation, and general living expenses as well as academic, social and career support to retain exceptional young people to our state and nation.
• Access to the UWA Winthrop Leadership Program which provides opportunities for recipients to learn from, and access to a network of leaders.
• The opportunity to be involved in UWA Grand Challenges
• Preferential access to industry and university internships

¹$10,000 per annum (six semesters undergraduate plus one-year honours if applicable) and a further $10,000 per annum (maximum eight semesters postgraduate)

Recipients of the scholarship will be invited, and expected, to participate actively in a university prescribed leadership development and mentorship program. This includes membership of the University's mentor scheme, participation in other selected activities and periodic visits to schools to promote university education in general.

Eligibility

To be eligible to be considered for the scholarship, an applicant must—

• be a domestic student;
• in the year prior to commencing an undergraduate course at the University—
  1. have accepted an Early Offer to the University, or applied through the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) whilst in Year 12 for a place at the University, nominating a course at the University as their first preference in the first round of offers; and
  2. achieve an ATAR of 95 or above
• be a commencing student;
• be enrolled, or eligible to enrol—
  1. full-time and
  2. in an undergraduate degree course.

Meet our scholars

How to apply

Students can submit their applications for a UWA Winthrop Scholarship online. Applications for the 2025 scholarship round close 20 June 2024.