Judge Ralph J Perdriau First Nations Scholarship for the Bachelor of Laws

1. Background

a. Established by a bequest, this Scholarship is in memory of alumnus Judge Ralph J Perdriau (LLB 1919) who drafted the Workers' Compensation Bill in 1925 which was enacted by the NSW Parliament in 1926. Judge Perdriau was appointed as the inaugural Chairman of the Workers' Compensation Commission in 1926 and retired in 1951.

b. This Scholarship is intended to support First Nations students undertaking a Bachelor of Law at the Sydney Law School.

2. Eligibility

a. Applicants must have an unconditional offer of admission to an undergraduate combined law program at the University of Sydney Law School.

b. Applicants must identify as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person as defined in the University of Sydney’s Confirmation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Identity Policy 2015.

3. Selection Criteria

a. The Scholarship will be awarded on the basis of:

I. academic merit based on either:
i. the applicant’s performance in the NSW HSC or equivalent, or
ii. at least one year of full-time study at the University of Sydney or similar institution,
II. a personal statement demonstrating the applicant’s interest and motivation in their chosen course.

b. The Scholarship will be awarded by the Dean of the Sydney Law School, or their nominated delegates.

4. Value

a. The Scholarship is valued at $30,000 per annum and is tenable for up to 5 years.

b. The Scholarship annual value will be paid in two equal instalments after the census date of each semester.

c. The Scholarship may be held part-time due to extenuating circumstances which limits the student’s capacity to undertake full-time study. If part-time enrolment is approved, the value will be paid on a pro-rata basis based on enrolled units of study with 24 credit points being considered a full-time semester load for the purposes of this scholarship. Payments will not exceed the maximum value of the scholarship.

d. Deferral of the Scholarship is not permitted without the prior permission of the Dean. If approved, this Scholarship may be deferred for up to 1 year.

e. Suspension of the Scholarship is not permitted without the prior permission of the Dean. If approved, this Scholarship may be suspended for up to 1 semester.

f. This Scholarship does not cover appended honours.

g. The Scholarship will be offered subject to the availability of funds.

h. No other amount is payable.

5. Ongoing eligibility

a. To continue receipt of the Scholarship, the recipient must maintain a minimum Semester Average Mark (SAM) of 55 each semester.

b. Recipients undertaking an exchange during the tenure of this Scholarship are required to have achieved a Satisfied Requirements grade (SR) to receive their next payment.

6. Termination

a. The Scholarship will be terminated if the recipient:

I. withdraws from an eligible course or fails to enrol,
II. commences part-time study without prior approval,
III. does not maintain satisfactory academic performance,
IV. is determined by the University to be guilty of serious misconduct, including, but not limited to, having provided false or misleading information as part of their Scholarship application,
V. accepts an alternative scholarship, administered by the University of Sydney, valued at $8,000 per annum or more for the same purpose as this Scholarship, or
VI. does not resume study at the end of a period of approved leave.

b. Once the Scholarship has been terminated, it will not be reinstated unless due to University error.

c. Where a student is found guilty of serious misconduct or the Scholarship is terminated under any instance in the Termination Clause of these terms and conditions, the University reserves the right to request that any Scholarship funds paid to the Scholarship recipient be reimbursed.