Lectures presented by QRME in Introduction to Medicine Program

1. SCHOLARSHIPS AND
HECS DEBTS

2. What are scholarships?
 Grants or payments made to support a
students education
 On the basis of academic achievement
 Can range from paying for textbooks or study
fees to paying a substantial wage to the
student

3. Medical scholarships
 Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship (MRBS)
 Rural Australia Medical Undergraduate
Scholarship (RAMUS)
 The Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship
 Indigenous Peoples’ Medical Scholarship
 Australian Defence Forces Sponsored
Undergraduate
 HECS reimbursement Scheme

5. Scaling
 Scaling increases the attractiveness of
working in rural areas by fast tracking your
return of service obligation based on the
Remoteness Area (RA) category
 RA category number as used by the
Department in the MRBS Scheme
 RA1 - Major Cities of Australia
 RA2 - Inner Regional Australia
 RA3 - Outer Regional Australia
 RA4 - Remote Australia
 RA5 - Very Remote Australia

6. Remoteness map

7. Medical Rural Bonded
Scholarship (MRBS)
 Designed to address doctor shortage outside
metropolitan areas across Australia
 Provides one hundred additional
Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) each
year
 Worth over $25,000 a year (full-time) and is
currently tax free
 Must commit to working for 6 continuous years
in a rural or remote area of Australia
 Less any credit obtained through Scaling

8. Rural Australia Medical
Undergraduate Scholarship
 Medical students from a rural background who
need financial support to assist with their
 Accommodation
 Travel
 Living expenses
 $10,000 a year during their full-time medical
studies (subject to satisfactory progress)

9. The Puggy Hunter Memorial
Scholarship
 In recognition of Dr Arnold ‘Puggy’ Hunter's
significant contribution to Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander health
 Encourage and assist Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander undergraduate students in
health-related disciplines
 Worth up to $15000 per year
 Can study full or part time

10. Australian Defence Forces
Sponsored Undergraduate
 Salary up to $39,137 per year during the
course of any university study and they will
also pay all course fees
 If completed an undergraduate degree and
wish to continue on to a Medical degree, the
ADF have a Graduate Medical Scheme where
they will pay you up to $58, 290
 There will be a repayment of service
requirement to the ADF once your have
graduated

11. HECS reimbursement Scheme
 One-fifth of your HECS medical fees paid off
by the Australian Government for each year of
service in certain rural and remote area’s
 Therefore 5 years of rural service means no
HECS debt

12. What is HECS?
 Higher Education Contributions Scheme (HECS)
 Offers students an alternative to upfront
payments of their university fees
 It is cheaper to pay upfront
 Receive 25% discount on upfront portion (if
>$5000)
 Must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or
be a permanent resident
 Can use HECS for as many degrees as you like

13. What is HECS?
 HECS debt payments delayed until earning
>$ 24 365 per year
 Will pay between 3% and 6% depending on
income
 Does not have a GST charge
 No interest