Financial Assistance

The APTC bursary program provides financial assistance to Pacific Islanders to promote access and equity, especially for individuals from small island states and for those without other means of support. There is limited availability for full or partial financial assistance.

The bursary program is managed on the basis of transparency, merit, access and equity. We give priority to supporting students from regional and remote areas and for gender and disability inclusiveness.

NOTE: ALL APTC APPLICATION FORMS ARE PROVIDED AND PROCESSED FREE OF CHARGE

Types of Financial Assistance

Two levels of APTC Bursary awards are available

• Full Awards
  Includes training at an APTC campus and financial support to cover international travel and living costs. This financial assistance is available for students studying at an APTC campus outside their home country.
  
  
• Partial Awards 
  Includes training at an APTC campus, and some financial support for costs directly related to study. Partial awards are usually available to students from Fiji, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to train in their home country.

Bursary Eligibility & Selection Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

1. To be eligible for an APTC Bursary you must be a citizen and resident in one of the following PIF countries:
   • Cook Islands
   • Federated States of Micronesia
   • Fiji
   • Kiribati
   • Nauru
   • Niue
   • Palau
   • Papua New Guinea
   • Republic of the Marshall Islands
   • Samoa
   • Solomon Islands
   • Tonga
   • Tuvalu
   • Vanuatu
   
   
2. You must:
   • Not have citizenship or permanent residency (or be entitled to, or have applied for permanent residency) in a country outside the PIF countries (unless your country does not issue passports - the Cook Islands and Niue)
   • Satisfy the admission requirements of APTC (including English language, literacy and numeracy requirements)
   • Not have access to another source of funding (e.g. through your employer)
   • Not have had an NZAID or Australian Government scholarship that has been terminated
   • Be able to take up the scholarship on starting date for which it is offered. International students cannot defer.

Selection Criteria

1. The selection process will be transparent, fair and merit-based.
   
2. When selecting applicants, we consider:
   • Your capacity to pay for your own education
   • The equitable allocation of scholarships according to citizenship
   • Gender equity
   • The qualifications, skills and knowledge that you already have
   • An appropriate balance between existing workers, and unemployed applicants
   • Whether you are from a rural or disadvantaged background
   • Whether you have previously received scholarship support
   • The impact on labour supply in the small island states if several applicants from one employer or location are selected for study at the same time.
     
3. Applicants will be advised of the outcome of the selection process.