The Mary Henderson (Gerstle) Undergraduate Scholarship in Political Economy

1. Background

a. Established in 2015, this Scholarship has been generously donated by Ms Mary Henderson to support commencing students studying Political Economy.

2. Eligibility

a. Applicants must be an Australian Citizen, New Zealand Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident or a holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa.

b. Applicants must be commencing their first year of a Political Economy degree at the University of Sydney.

c. Applicants must have a Commonwealth Supported Place for their degree.

d. Applicants must be enrolled full time.

e. Applicants must demonstrate at least one of the following:

i. carer responsibilities,

ii. Indigenous Australian,

iii. long-term medical condition/disability or ongoing effects of abuse,

iv. refugee status,

v. regional or remote disadvantage,

vi. sole parent responsibilities, or

vii. other individual or family disadvantage.

3. Selection Criteria

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

i. demonstrated financial need or personal disadvantage, and

ii. a personal statement in support of their interest in studying political economy.

b. Applicants may be required to attend an interview.

c. Preference may be given to female applicants.

d. The Scholarship will be awarded by a selection committee consisting of the:

i. Head of the Department of Political Economy or their nominated delegate, and

ii. two other members of the department, comprising at least one female.

4. Value

a. The Scholarship is valued at $8,000 per annum and is tenable for the duration of the successful recipient’s three year degree course.

b. An additional year may be included on the Scholarship if the student goes on to study an Honours in Political Economy.

c. The tenure of the Scholarship will not exceed four years.

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

e. Deferral of the Scholarship is not permitted without the prior permission of Head of the Department of Political Economy and it is not transferable to another University school, faculty or university.

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

g. No other amount is payable.

5. Ongoing eligibility

a. To continue receipt of the Scholarship, the recipient must maintain a minimum Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 65 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 major or 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. is awarded an alternative primary scholarship. In such circumstances this scholarship will be terminated in favour of the alternative scholarship where the alternative scholarship is of higher value,

vi. does not resume study at the end of a period of approved leave, or

vii. any other provision as indicated in these terms that would lead to termination.

b. Once the Scholarship has been terminated, it will not be reinstated.

c. Where a student is found guilty of serious misconduct or withdraws from the relevant course, the University reserves the right to request that any Scholarship funds paid to the Scholarship recipient be reimbursed.