How to land a $20k per year education for your children

With private school fees on the rise, competition for scholarships is fierce, with some parents taking extra steps to enhance opportunities for their children. Find out what to do, and what’s on offer.

Queensland children are increasingly being tutored for competitive private school scholarship exams, with parents attempting to land their children a place at a ritzy school on a budget.

With the majority of Brisbane’s top private schools charging well above $20,000 per year in tuition fees, experts say a growing number of savvy mums and dads were on the hunt for potential scholarship opportunities for their kids.

Most of the state’s top private schools offer multiple types of scholarships, including traditional academic scholarships along with sport, music, arts and cultural scholarships

Most schools require students applying for an academic scholarship to sit either the ACER Academic Scholarship Test or the Edutest Scholarship Exam, as the primary way of assessing their success in landing a place.

Vi Nguyen from Exam Success – a tutoring service which helps students prepare for selective entry exams – said parents reach out for their services to prepare their kids about a year in advance, if not longer.

Demand his high for scholarship spots at Brisbane Grammar School, which charges tuition feels of $29,000 a year. File picture

Ms Nguyen said the service had seen a steady increase in inquiries from Queensland parents as they became more aware of the range of options available, adding scholarships for top private schools were “very competitive”.

“This is likely due to the large number of applicants which is disproportionate to the very few – usually one to three – scholarship spots available,” Ms Nguyen said.

“I have met students with academic performance levels three to four levels higher than their current grade level who apply for scholarships and usually, the majority of students sitting scholarship tests generally perform one to two levels above their existing grade level.”

Ms Nguyen said scholarships for the state’s most expensive private school Brisbane Grammar School – which charges tuition fees of $29,000 per year for Year 7 – and The Lakes College attracted a lot of demand.

Many parents were also prepared to hire tutors to prepare their kids for potential entry into Brisbane State High School’s merit program, or for entry into one of the Queensland academies.

“The value is in helping their child prepare for a difficult test with a specific format and with some subject areas that are not generally covered in school learning,” she said.

“For example, schools don’t always teach students how to write a complete narrative within 20 minutes and writing within such a limited time frame requires certain strategic decisions to be made such as selection of appropriate plot line or length control.

“Additionally, for reasoning tests such as abstract reasoning – there are ways to think through problems using logic and logic, as a pure subject, isn’t generally taught in all schools.”

WHAT SCHOLARSHIPS ARE ON OFFER

Brisbane Grammar School

Among scholarships available at the inner-city school are a sports scholarship, awarded to students who have excellent talent and skills to compete in at least one of the 12 GPS sports – Basketball, Chess, Cricket, Cross Country, Debating, Football, Rowing, Rugby Union, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field, and Volleyball.

Applicants must also submit their two most recent academic reports and NAPLAN results, show “exemplary standards of effort, progress and behaviour at school”, two referees’ reports outlining their suitability and attend an interview with the headmaster or delegate.

Cultural scholarships are also available, and may be awarded to talented art, drama or music students. These are offered to day students and boarders, entering Years 7 to 11.

The school also offers bursaries, which are means tested. According to the school, bursaries are offered annually to students within the Greater Brisbane region; who are from regional, rural and remote communities; of Indigenous heritage; and/or of refugee status.

Brisbane Girls Grammar School offers a bursary which provides full remission of fees for secondary students.

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

As an academically non-selective school, BGGS doesn’t offer the traditional scholarships many of its peers do. But the school does have a bursary, which provides up to 100 per cent remission of tuition fees for Years 7 to 12 for students who would otherwise be unable to attend the school for financial reasons. Applications for Year 7 2024 will open during Term 4 this year.

St Joseph’s Nudgee College

Nudgee has a number of scholarships and bursaries on offer each year, available to students from Year 7 to 11. The school does not offer full scholarships, but ranges between 5 and 75 per cent. Currently open for applications is the school’s bush boarding bursary, with five to be awarded and applications closing on June 30.

Also available was a boarding isolated children and parents’ association bursary, which will also close applications on June 30.

Academic scholarship applications were currently closed but would reopen in Term 4 for 2024 applications, as will the school’s musical scholarship, Jack Ross bursary, school captain/leadership scholarship and college bursary.

St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace

The school’s academic merit entry scholarship for Year 10, designed for students currently in Year 9, is now open. The ACER scholarship test for applicants will be held on July 30.

For those wanting to apply for a sport or cultural merit scholarship, applications must be submitted to the school before June 30 the year before entry.

The school also welcomes prospective students, particularly those who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander or families who are refugees, to consider applying for the Edmund Rice bursary program, open until June 30 of the year before entry.

Brisbane Boys’ College

The school offers a limited number of scholarships for students who excel in academic, sporting and cultural pursuits. While the academic excellent scholarships for 2023 have now closed, the co-curricular and an all-round excellence scholarship remain open.

These are awarded to students who “demonstrate sporting and cultural excellence and general excellence across a combination of academic, community involvement, leadership experience or co-curricular fields”. Students must provide their most recent NAPLAN results, school reports, and an accompanying portfolio of accomplishments.

The school’s foundation also awards means-tested bursaries, specifically for students who would be unable to attend the school for financial reasons.

Choral scholarships are still open for students at Anglican Church Grammar School. File picture

Anglican Church Grammar School

Churchie offers a number of academic and cultural scholarships, though the majority have now closed for the 2023 intake.

However applications for the school’s choral scholarships do remain open, with the school offering “opportunity for boys who love to sing to be a part of the St John’s Cathedral Choristers”. These scholarships include a part remission for tuition fees from Year 5 until the end of Year 8.

St Peters Lutheran College

The popular school offers a range of scholarships including academic, boarding and rural scholarships. Academic scholarships for 2024 will open this October, while applications for boarding and rural leadership scholarships were now open.

Somerville House

While applications for 2023 scholarships have closed, applications for 2024 will open in October. The school offers a range of scholarships each year, for students in Years 7 to 12, including full and partial scholarships. On offer to potential students are academic scholarships, boarding scholarships, music scholarships and sport scholarships.

Applications for scholarships to Somerville House for 2024 will open in October. File picture

The Lakes College

While 2023 academic scholarship applications are closed, they would open for 2024 later this year. Applicants would be required to sit the Edutest Scholarship Exam on Saturday, March 4 2023, with pre-registration required.

Brisbane State High School

While not a private school, the in-demand independent public school does offer a select number of merit places for students who live outside the school’s catchment. These include academic selective entry places, with applicants required to sit the selective entry test – the primary way students are selected. But students must also demonstrate excellent behaviour and effort to be accepted.

For parents with students currently in Year 5, and hoping to land a place for Year 7 in 2024, applications open on July 18 and close September 22.

There is also limited entry for Years 8-11 in 2023, with applications opening August 1 and closing September 9. Parents are required to pay a non-refundable $420 fee for all applications.

Applications for instrumental music and visual art selective entry are now open, and will close Monday June 20.

Sporting applications for next year have closed for Year 7, with application for limited places for Years 8-11 in 2023 will open August 1, and close September 9.