Student Life Welcome Grants
Overview
Student Life Welcome Grants provide funding and support for you to design events and initiatives that:
- welcome students to campus each period of the academic year
- strengthen community across the University.
They are facilitated by the University's Student Life team.
You can apply as an individual student or a group of students to access up to $3000 of funding and development support for project ideas that enable our students in the areas of social and cohort building, skill development, navigating university, and engaging with community and culture.
You will get the opportunity to:
- make a significant impact on students in our community
- develop your skills in leadership, communications, project management, budgeting and reporting, with training, mentoring and support from the Student Life team
- build your resume and be recognised as a student leader in our community.
We encourage applications from across the diverse student community.
Applications for Round 1, 2027 are now open. Submit your application by 25 October 2026.
Welcome Grant stream
Projects will focus on welcoming students to the start of a new semester or research period.
Round 1 project delivery dates: 22 February – 21 March 2027.
Please note, project delivery dates may be flexible, subject to the discretion and approval of the Student Life team.
Maximum funding per project: $3000
Target audience: All students
Welcome Grant applications should focus on welcoming students to the start of the new semester or research period and should be aligned within the context of the University Welcome Program. Events that activate our campus spaces with innovative experiences will be highly regarded and prioritised. Project applications should address one or more of the following areas.
- Social and cohort building activities - supporting students to build networks and feel a sense of belonging within their cohort and the wider University. For example: social mixers, skills workshop, scavenger hunt, activating circular economy practices, ceramic coaster painting.
- Navigating University – building students’ confidence in navigating the university environment by encouraging a healthy, sustainable study-life balance and providing access to supportive places. For example: scavenger hunt, peer mentoring, study-life balance workshop, mindfulness and wellbeing sessions, campus navigation workshop/walk.
- Skill development – Empowering students to develop practical and transferable skills that enhance their personal and professional growth. For example: surgical suturing workshop, LinkedIn professional profile building.
- Engaging with community and culture - encouraging students to explore and celebrate diversity, actively contribute to campus life, and build connections with a wide range of communities. For example: multicultural events, cultural film festivals, LGBTQIA+ student community building initiatives, discussions and knowledge-sharing, yarning circles, traditional games day.
If you’re interested in applying but not sure about your project idea or need some guidance from our team, contact our team at studentlife.office@sydney.edu.au.
Event Name | Campus | Event Delivery | Event Description |
Mukashi Banashi Matsuri | Camperdown/ Darlington | Semester 1, 2026 | A Japanese folklore-themed festival featuring interactive cultural activities, traditional games, creative workshops, and themed food. |
| Westmead Clinical School Inter-Year Social | Westmead | Semester 1, 2026 | A networking and community-building event that connected students, clinicians, and academic staff to strengthen mentorship, professional networks, and engagement across the Westmead Clinical School. |
Dubbo Orientation Challenge and Dinner | School of Rural Health (Dubbo) | Semester 1, 2026 | A welcome event for first-year medical students that combined a community exploration challenge, dinner, and entertainment to foster peer connections, local engagement, and a strong sense of belonging within the School of Rural Health. |
Concord Clinical School Welcome Event
| Concord | Semester 1, 2026 | A welcome BBQ that introduced new medical students to the Concord Clinical School community. |
Le Rouge Golden Evening | Camperdown/Darlington | Semester 1, 2026 | Through creative activities, networking opportunities, and shared experiences, the event fostered meaningful connections, encouraged supportive conversations, and celebrated the achievements. |
Eco-Canvas Studio | Camperdown/Darlington | Semester 1, 2026 | A sustainability-focused workshop where students designed reusable tote bags using natural, plant-based pigments. |
Snap & Scrap
| Camperdown/Darlington | Semester 1, 2026 | A two-day campus engagement event featuring a photo scavenger hunt and collaborative scrapbooking session that fostered creativity, friendship, and a stronger sense of belonging to university life. |
AAYA Cultural Discovery Fair | Camperdown/Darlington | Semester 1, 2026 | An interactive cultural fair that celebrated diversity through games, cultural activities, demonstrations, and food experiences. |
Offline Gathering | Camperdown/Darlington | Semester 2, 2026 | A phone-free wellbeing event that encouraged students to disconnect from digital distractions and connect through creative activities, reflection, and meaningful conversations. |
Hold That Thought
| Camperdown/Darlington | Semester 2, 2026 | A creative wellbeing event where students designed personalised keepsake boxes to capture meaningful memories from their university journey. |
The Great Anatomy Quiz | Westmead | Semester 2, 2026 | An interactive anatomy-focused trivia event that brings together students from a range of health disciplines to collaborate, compete, and build connections. |
NatureCast | Camperdown/Darlington | Semester 2, 2026 | Hands-on creative workshop where students design personalised everyday accessories, such as phone grips or keyrings, using transparent resin and carefully curated natural materials. |
The Ultimate Showdown
| Camperdown/Darlington | Semester 2, 2026 | A team-based gameshow event featuring interactive challenges, trivia, word games, music rounds, and collaborative activities. |
Yoga in the Park | CBD Campus | Semester 2, 2026 | A yoga in the park event that encouraged students to prioritise wellbeing through guided movement, mindfulness, and outdoor connection |
Trinket Lab
| Camperdown/Darlington | Semester 2, 2026 | A Japanese-inspired creative social event featuring a purikura-style photobooth and personalised keepsake-making activities. |
Suturing & Other Skills Workshop | School of Rural Health (Dubbo) | Semester 2, 2026 | A clinical skills and networking event that brought together medical students and clinicians for hands-on suturing workshops, mentorship, and career conversations, building clinical confidence and strengthening connections within the rural healthcare community. |