• Up to $9,000 in support available to new domestic Charles Sturt students studying nursing in Albury-Wodonga

Border residents are being offered an incentive to study nursing at Charles Sturt University in Albury-Wodonga with $9,000 in support from the Victorian Government.

The ‘ Making it free to study Nursing and Midwifery’ initiative is a Victorian Government program that will support the recruitment and training of 17,000 nurses and midwives from Victoria or border towns.

The program aims to reduce the financial disincentives associated with commencing an undergraduate degree in nursing or midwifery by offering 10,000 scholarships in 2023 and 2024.

To be eligible, applicants must be commencing a Bachelor of Nursing at Charles Sturt in Albury-Wodonga and come from Victoria or a border community, including Wagga Wagga, Albury-Wodonga, Lockhart Shire, Greater Hume Shire or Hay Shire. A full list of eligible towns and criteria is available online.

Scholarships are worth up to $9,000 over three years, with an additional $7,500 if committed to employment at a Victorian public health service for at least two years. The maximum total of the scholarship is $16,500.

Head of the Charles Sturt School of Nursing, Paramedicine and Healthcare Services Associate Professor Linda Deravin said Charles Sturt wants to encourage students to take advantage of this support.

Charles Sturt has an approved program of study in Albury-Wodonga to allow eligible students to apply for this support.

“We want Charles Sturt University students to benefit from the generous support by the Victorian government to boost the nursing and midwifery workforce."

"Additional financial support of $7,5000 is available for graduates who choose to work in the Victorian health network,” said Dr Deravin.

“Charles Sturt is ranked number one in the country for nursing graduates who get jobs, with 90 per cent of our undergraduates employed within four months of graduating.

“Charles Sturt is also ranked number two for nursing undergraduate salaries, with a median salary of $68,200.

“This scholarship is a great incentive for those already enrolled for 2023 or those thinking of studying the profession in 2024.”

Eligible students will need to provide proof of enrolment and place of residence following the census date in Semester 1. More information about how scholarship payments will be made will be available in 2023.

Students must be enrolled to study at Bachelor of Nursing on campus in Albury-Wodonga before Friday 24 February 2023 to be eligible for the scholarship in the first session of 2023.