The Department of Health is implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. As part of the reform agenda, and in partnership with Victoria’s Chief Mental Health Nurse, the Victorian Government is providing scholarships to registered nurses working in Victorian public mental health and wellbeing services to support postgraduate study in mental health nursing. The scholarships will be administered by the Australian College of Nursing (ACN).

The scholarship covers the full cost of course fees and is available to mental health nurses who plan to enrol in semester 1, 2024 of a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing, a Master of Mental Health Nursing or, for applicants who are starting out their mental health nursing career, a Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Mental Health Nursing).

• Applications open
  Friday 22 September 2023
• Applications close
  End January 2024*
• Scholarship recipients advised of outcome
  From early December 2023 to late February 2024

*Please note that scholarships will be awarded on a rolling basis up until the end of January 2024 or until the full allocation is reached. Applicants are thus encouraged to apply early to avoid disappointment.  

Information sessions
Please refer to the application guide for more information related to accessing information sessions for this scholarship application.

Applicant eligibility

Applicants must:

• be a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia or be registered by the end of 2023
• be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or New Zealand citizen
• be employed (or commencing employment) in a Victorian public mental health and wellbeing service
• be enrolled (or intending to enrol) in an eligible postgraduate course for semester two, 2023
• have the endorsement of their Director of Mental Health Nursing or manager in their application.

Course eligibility

Scholarships will be provided for the following courses:

• Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing
• Master of Mental Health Nursing
• Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Mental Health Nursing)*

*Applicants starting out their mental health nursing career who have been working as a mental health nurse for under two years and do not hold a postgraduate mental health nursing qualification will be eligible to apply for a Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Mental Health Nursing). Those who have been working as a mental health nurse for more than two years and who are already qualified with a postgraduate mental health nursing qualification will not be eligible to apply for a Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Mental Health Nursing).

Weightings and prioritisation

Prioritisation will be provided for the following eligible applicants by way of a weighting:

• those not receiving other funding support (e.g. employer support for course fees, scholarships, grants or financial support from an organisation or institution)
• those who have not previously received a postgraduate mental health nurse scholarship
• those who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• those employed by a health service in regional or rural Victoria.

The scholarships cover the full-cost of your course fees for a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing or a Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Mental Health Nursing), based on the availability of funds. This includes the gap if you are enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place.

Please note that the scholarship provides funding for course fees only, any additional costs such as text books will need to be funded by the student.

In your application you will need to indicate the approximate course costs associated with your chosen qualification.

• More mental health nurses to help Victorians in need
• Applications open for Victorian Postgraduate Mental Health Nurse Scholarships