AS one of more than 400 Indigenous students currently at the University of Melbourne, Ethan Savage is on a cultural learning curve.
Ethan is currently the mentor for Murrup Barak Indigenous Institute at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus and says he sees students from such amazingly diverse cultural backgrounds.
“At Murrup Barak, we have our common space. You have your non-Indigenous friends, but it’s great to have that space where you can connect with Indigenous friends,” Ethan says.
“They provide a good way for us to stay connected to culture and create a family that’s not necessarily blood, but more connected through the university. That’s definitely helped me cope with the whole moving-away-from-family aspect of things.”
Ethan, who was born in Cairns and grew up in Canberra, followed a popular path to the University of Melbourne in 2017 by applying under the university’s special entry and equity program, Access Melbourne, which has a category for Indigenous applicants.
The Access Melbourne program enabled Ethan to enter the Bachelor of Arts with a yearly scholarship of $5,000.
The scheme also offers guaranteed entry to degrees in biomedicine, commerce, design and science. Entry to courses including targeted mentoring for Indigenous students – the Bachelor of the Arts (Extended) and Bachelor of Science (Extended) – is guaranteed for ATARs of 50.00 and 55.00 respectively, together with a college place for the first year. Applicants may also be admitted to other courses with reduced ATARS, but places will not be guaranteed.
All Indigenous students starting at the University of Melbourne in the first semester of 2020 will be eligible for the Access Melbourne Scholarship, with the possibility of further support through college bursaries and university or government scholarships.
To apply for Access Melbourne, students must lodge a Special Entry Access Scheme application in addition to their course application via the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre website by 5pm on October 11. VTAC course applications close on September 30.
For more details about Access Melbourne, visit www.access.unimelb.edu.au
