The Indigenous Student Success Program (ISSP) commenced on 1 January 2017 and subsumed the former Commonwealth Scholarships Program (CSP).
To ensure existing Indigenous CSP scholarship recipients were not disadvantaged under the new arrangements, the Commonwealth has provided ‘preserved scholarships’ under the ISSP program under transitional arrangements outlined in Section 28 of the Indigenous Student Assistance Grants Guidelines 2016.
The Preserved ISSP Scholarships maintain similar conditions as the previous CSP scholarships. This will conclude on 30 June 2021.
The preserved values until 30 June 2021 are:
- Indigenous Commonwealth Education Costs Scholarship (ICECS) $2804
- Indigenous Commonwealth Accommodation Scholarship (ICAS) $5611
Information on how to record Preserved ISSP Scholarships in the Higher Education Information Management Database (HEIMS) is available.
Information on the previous CSP program is provided below to enable providers and students who receive/administer Preserved ISSP Scholarships to operate under similar conditions as the previous CSP program.
The Indigenous Commonwealth Scholarship Program: 1 January 2010 - 31 December 2016
The CSP supported eligible Indigenous higher education students with the general costs of study and/or accommodation, including support where they had to move from a rural or remote area in order to take up an offer of a place at university.
The CSP assisted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from low socio-economic backgrounds, particularly those from rural and regional areas.
The CSP was administered on behalf of the Australian Government by eligible universities. Universities undertook their own application and selection processes based on guidelines issued by the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth Scholarships Guidelines (Education) 2010 was registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments (FRLI) F2010L00696 on 17 March 2010 and an Amendment was registered on 2 July 2010. Part A of the Guidelines are relevant to these scholarship holders. The Guidelines and amendment are available on the ComLaw website.
Commonwealth Scholarship Program: up to 31 December 2009
The CSP programme changed on 1 January 2010. Any student who was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship prior to 31 December 2009, falls into a “grandfathered” group. These students may continue to receive funding for their scholarship until they have consumed their scholarship entitlements, provided they:
- maintain their eligibility
- have obtained an official leave of absence from their previous studies
- previous studies are connected to current studies.
Part B of the Guidelines provides administrative guidance for this group. Students who believe they have a continuing scholarship entitlement for the pre-2010 CSP program should seek advice from the Department of Education and Training.