La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship 2027: Full Tuition for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Australia

The La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship is a La Trobe University award for refugees and people seeking asylum who already live in Australia and want to start a full-time undergraduate degree in Semester 1, 2027. The international stream pays 100% of tuition plus AUD 5,000 a year for living costs. The domestic stream pays AUD 5,000 a year and does not cover tuition.

That means the “fully funded” label some listings give this La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship is only true for the international stream. It also means you cannot apply from outside Australia: every applicant must be living in Australia on one of the protection, humanitarian or bridging visas listed below. For 2027 entry, the international form is open from 12 October to 6 December 2026.

La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship: the two streams

	International stream	Domestic stream
Tuition	100% covered	Not covered
Living allowance	AUD 5,000 a year	AUD 5,000 a year
Length	Normal full-time length of the degree	Normal full-time length of the degree
Who it is for	Refugees and asylum seekers on temporary or bridging visas	Refugees and asylum seekers on permanent or resolution visas
How to apply	La Trobe online scholarship form	VTAC Schemes and Scholarships portal
Deadline	6 December 2026	9 October 2027

Which stream you fall into depends on your visa, not on your nationality. Temporary protection and bridging visas put you in the international stream, which waives tuition. Permanent and resolution visas put you in the domestic stream, which is a living allowance only.

In the 2025 round La Trobe offered two domestic and three international awards, so expect very few places in 2027 as well.

Eligibility for the La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship

International stream visas

You must live in Australia, be a refugee or person seeking asylum, and hold one of these:

• Temporary Protection Visa (subclass 785)
• Temporary Humanitarian Stay visa (subclass 449)
• Temporary Humanitarian Concern visa (subclass 786)
• Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (subclass 790)
• A bridging visa while your Permanent Protection visa (subclass 866) application is pending
• Bridging Visa E (subclass 050)

Domestic stream visas

You must be a refugee or person seeking asylum holding one of these:

• Resolution of Status visa (subclass 851)
• Protection visa (subclass 866)
• Permanent Protection or Humanitarian visa (subclass 200, 201, 202, 203 or 204)

Study rules for both streams

1. Course: a La Trobe undergraduate degree starting in Semester 1, 2027.
2. Mode: full-time and face to face, at Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo, City, Melbourne, Mildura or Shepparton. Part-time study is possible only with La Trobe’s approval and if your visa allows it.
3. Offer: you need a course offer and must enrol. Domestic applicants get the offer through VTAC.
4. Excluded: Open Universities Australia courses, courses run by third-party providers, and online courses.

Eligibility edge cases

Most questions people ask about this award come from situations the official page does not spell out. Here is how I would read the rules in the common cases, and where you should ask La Trobe before relying on my reading.

• Your visa changes after you apply: the conditions say you must tell the Scholarships Office straight away, and the award ends if you stop meeting the eligibility rules. A move from a temporary visa to a permanent one could shift you from the international stream to the domestic one, so ask how a grant of permanent protection would affect a tuition waiver you already hold.
• You are on a visa not on either list: for example a student visa, a partner visa or a visitor visa. The lists are closed, so you are not eligible, even if you came to Australia as a refugee from another country.
• You already started a degree elsewhere: the award is tied to commencing a La Trobe undergraduate degree in Semester 1, 2027. La Trobe has not published a rule on transfer students or credit for earlier study, so email the Scholarships Office before you apply.
• You want a postgraduate course: this scholarship is for undergraduate degrees only. A master’s or a graduate diploma is outside it.
• You can only study part-time: part-time study needs La Trobe’s approval and must be allowed by your visa. Do not assume it will be approved.
• You want to study online: online courses and Open Universities Australia courses are excluded, so you must attend one of the listed campuses in person.

La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship deadline and dates

The domestic VTAC round for 2027 entry opened on 3 August 2026 and closed at 5pm on 9 October 2026.

Stream	Opens	Deadline
International (2027 entry)	12 October 2026	6 December 2026
Domestic (2028 entry)	August 2027	9 October 2027, 5pm

(based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens)

How to apply

International stream

1. Check your visa: make sure it is on the international stream list above and that it allows full-time study.
2. Apply for a course: apply to a La Trobe undergraduate degree that starts in Semester 1, 2027.
3. Fill the form: complete the online scholarship form on the La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship page between 12 October and 6 December 2026.
4. Wait for the offer: La Trobe assesses the scholarship after your course offer is confirmed.
5. Enrol full-time: the award depends on full-time enrolment in Semester 1, 2027.

Domestic stream

1. Apply through VTAC: list La Trobe courses in your VTAC application.
2. Submit the scholarship application: use the VTAC Schemes and Scholarships portal before the October deadline, as shown on the domestic stream page.
3. Enrol: accept your VTAC offer and enrol full-time for Semester 1.

Step-by-step application walkthrough

The official page is short, so here is the full sequence I would follow for the international stream, with the course application first because La Trobe will not assess the scholarship until your offer is confirmed.

1. Gather your visa evidence: keep a copy of your visa grant notice or your VEVO check showing the subclass and any study conditions. This is how you prove which stream you belong to.
2. Collect academic documents: your secondary school results or any earlier study, with certified English translations if they are in another language. If you lost documents when you left your home country, say so in your course application and ask La Trobe admissions what alternative evidence they accept.
3. Check English requirements: each La Trobe course lists its own English language requirement on the course page. Confirm you meet it or plan a pathway before you apply.
4. Apply for the course: submit your undergraduate application for Semester 1, 2027 entry and save the application reference number.
5. Complete the scholarship form: fill the online form on the La Trobe page between 12 October and 6 December 2026. La Trobe has not published the exact questions on the form, so set aside time and have your visa details and course reference ready.
6. Keep copies: save a screenshot or PDF of the submitted form and any confirmation email. You will need them if you have to follow up.
7. Accept and enrol: once you have an offer, accept it and enrol full-time for Semester 1. The scholarship depends on enrolment.

How to write your statement for the La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship

La Trobe does not publish an essay prompt for the international form. Domestic applicants go through VTAC, where the equity schemes and scholarships application asks for an impact statement in each category you answer yes to: what happened, when, and how it affected your studies. The same structure works if the international form gives you a free-text box, so I would prepare one statement and adapt it.

1. Your situation in plain words: two or three sentences on why you are in Australia and the visa you hold. You do not have to tell your whole story. Share only what you are comfortable sharing.
2. The effect on your education: missed years, interrupted schooling, work you had to take on, or costs that stopped you enrolling. Give dates where you can.
3. What you want to study and why: name the La Trobe course and connect it to a concrete goal, such as working as a nurse in regional Victoria or becoming an interpreter.
4. Why the money matters: explain what the tuition waiver or the AUD 5,000 bursary changes for you, for example being able to study full-time instead of working full-time.

A short example opening: “I arrived in Melbourne in 2023 and have held a Bridging Visa E since 2024. I finished Year 12 at an English language school while working weekends, and I want to study a Bachelor of Nursing at Bendigo so I can work in rural aged care.” It is specific, it states the visa straight away and it links the course to a real plan. Avoid long general statements about hardship that any applicant could write.

If a teacher, caseworker or settlement worker knows your situation, VTAC accepts a statement of support from a responsible person as evidence for some categories. Ask them early. Our guide on the recommendation letter for a scholarship shows what a useful supporting letter looks like.

Conditions once you hold the scholarship

• You cannot defer the scholarship. Withdrawing from or discontinuing your course ends it.
• You must make satisfactory academic progress each semester.
• Tell the Scholarships Office straight away if your visa changes.
• If you become eligible for a government fee deferral scheme, the tuition part stops, though the living allowance may continue.
• Payments are made after the census date in each semester. Check how the payments affect your tax or Centrelink position.

What happens after you apply

1. Course offer first: international applications sit unassessed until your course offer is confirmed, so a late course application delays everything.
2. Assessment: La Trobe lists completing the form, holding an offer and enrolling full-time as the selection criteria. It does not publish a scoring rubric or an interview stage.
3. Outcome: La Trobe has not published a date for scholarship results. Domestic applicants should know that VTAC does not notify you of equity scheme outcomes; the university contacts you about the scholarship itself.
4. First payment: the living allowance is paid after the census date each semester, so do not count on it for your first weeks of rent.

Costs the scholarship does not cover

AUD 5,000 a year works out to roughly AUD 96 a week. That will not pay rent in Melbourne on its own, so plan for these costs from other income:

• Rent, food and bills beyond the bursary.
• Public transport to campus, or travel between regional campuses for placements.
• Textbooks, a laptop and any course equipment, such as uniforms or lab kits for health courses.
• Placement costs, such as police checks and immunisations, in nursing, teaching and allied health degrees.
• The full tuition bill on the domestic stream, which the scholarship does not touch.

Check whether the student services and amenities fee is included in the tuition waiver before you enrol. La Trobe’s page does not say.

Common mistakes

• Applying for the scholarship but not for the course, so the scholarship is never assessed.
• Using the wrong channel: domestic stream applicants must go through VTAC, not the international form.
• Dropping to part-time study without La Trobe’s approval.
• Not telling the Scholarships Office about a visa change, which can end the award.
• Assuming the domestic stream pays tuition. It pays the bursary only.

How it compares with similar scholarships

Scholarship	Who can apply	What it pays	Level
La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship	Refugees and asylum seekers already in Australia	Full tuition + AUD 5,000 a year (international stream)	Undergraduate
Deakin University scholarships	International applicants, including from abroad	20% to 100% tuition reduction; research stipend AUD 37,450 a year	Bachelor’s, master’s, PhD
Monash University Malaysia scholarships	International applicants	RM6,000 to RM10,000 a year (undergraduate)	Undergraduate, master’s, PhD
Manchester Global Futures Scholarship	Students from 23 listed countries	£10,000 to £36,000 off tuition	Bachelor’s and master’s

Who should apply, and who should not

Apply if you live in Australia on one of the listed humanitarian, protection or bridging visas, you want a full-time undergraduate degree, and you can attend a La Trobe campus in person. Bridging Visa E holders in particular should look at this award closely, because the international stream names that visa directly and pays full tuition.

Do not apply if you are outside Australia, on a student or other visa, looking for postgraduate study, or need an online course. With only a handful of awards each year, I would also apply for every other equity scholarship you qualify for, through VTAC and directly with other universities.

If you are outside Australia and want Australian funding, this award is not open to you. Look at open international awards such as those in our Deakin University scholarships guide or our list of scholarships with no application fee.

FAQ about the La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship

Is the La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship fully funded?

Only the international stream covers full tuition, and it adds AUD 5,000 a year. The domestic stream pays AUD 5,000 a year and does not cover tuition.

Can I apply for the La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship from my home country?

No. You must already be living in Australia as a refugee or person seeking asylum on one of the listed visas.

What is the La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship deadline?

The international stream closes on 6 December 2026. The domestic stream deadline is 9 October 2027 at 5pm through VTAC.

Does Bridging Visa E qualify for the La Trobe Humanitarian Scholarship?

Yes. Bridging Visa E (subclass 050) is on the international stream list, which covers full tuition plus the living allowance.

Sources and updates

The value, visa lists, campuses, exclusions and conditions come from La Trobe University’s Humanitarian Scholarship pages for international and domestic students, which also give the 2026 domestic VTAC dates and the 2025 award numbers. The international window of 12 October to 6 December 2026 is taken from the 2027 listings on scholarshipair.com and After School Africa, which quote La Trobe. The domestic date for the 2028 intake repeats this year’s date and will be updated when La Trobe publishes it. The VTAC application steps, impact statement and statement of support details come from VTAC’s equity schemes and scholarships pages. Last checked 24 October 2026.