Academic, sport, music and art scholarships on offer at South East Queensland private schools

South East Queensland’s top private schools offer a range of scholarships to new students. See a comprehensive list of what is available right now.

Every year South East Queensland’s top private schools offer a range of scholarships awarded to incoming students for various reasons and qualifications.

Most scholarships work in tandem with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Co-operative Scholarship Test Program, which covers various areas of academic aptitudes to assess areas such as critical thinking and interpretation.

Queensland independent private schools use the results of this exam along with other specific criteria to award scholarships to prospective and occasionally current students from Years 5-12.

Anglican Church Grammar School

Anglican Church Grammar School

Churchie offers academic scholarships for students from Years 7-12 based on outstanding results in the ACER scholarship test, as well as previous academic results and an interview with the headmaster. Although scholarships won’t commence until Year 7, students can sit the test from Year 5.

Boarding bursaries are also available for rural or remote students, as well as co-curricular scholarships for music and sport.

Clayfield College

Clayfield College

Clayfield College is accepting applications for the Academic Excellence, General Excellence and Boarding Bursaries for students commencing Years 7-11 in 2024. Academic Excellence awards are based on the ACER Scholarship Test results, a portfolio and interview. The scholarship awards partial tuition fee remission.

The General Excellence for Arts, Sport, Leadership or Community Service also awards the recipient partial tuition fee remission and is based on a submitted portfolio and interview.

St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School

St Margaret’s offers scholarships for incoming students including the Academic and Mathematics Excellence Scholarship and Performance Scholarships. The latter allow for music submissions for instruments played up to AMED or equivalent standards, art through a portfolio submission, drama/cultural through a recording of a performance, and sport played at a state or national level.

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

Brisbane Girls Grammar offers bursaries up to 100 per cent of the tuition fees for Years 7 to 12 students on a needs basis for those who would not be able to attend the school without the financial assistance. Bursaries are awarded to students who display the qualities of a Grammar girl and sit the ACER Scholarship Test and provide supporting documents.

Stuartholme School

Stuartholme School

Stuartholme offers applications for both bursaries and scholarships through the ACER Scholarship Test and an online registration process. The scholarships will provide remission of tuition fees for the duration of schooling for students who demonstrate exceptional academic performance or other significant achievements.

Applications for bursaries are open to students entering Years 7-11 and provide assistance in boarding and or/ tuition fees.

Applicants must demonstrate the Stuartholme values and complete an online application and financial needs assessment forms.

Brisbane Grammar School.

Brisbane Grammar School

Grammar offers academic scholarships (Trustees’ Scholarships) which are awarded to students based on their ACER results and their willingness to contribute to the wider school program. The Sports and Cultural Scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate distinction in more than one discipline, and bursaries are awarded to all-rounder students who may not have the financial means to attend the school but could contribute to the school’s academic, sporting or cultural programs.

John Paul College

JPC offers scholarships for students commencing Years 5 to 10 in 2024. The Academic Scholarships are awarded based on performance on the ACER Scholarship Test, among other criteria. Excellence scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate excellence in various areas such as academics, performing arts or sports. The Karen Spiller Year 7 Leadership Scholarship is awarded to Year 6 students demonstrating excellence through leadership. And finally, the Rural and Remote Scholarship is awarded to boarding students commencing Years 7-10.

Toowoomba Grammar School

Toowoomba Grammar School

Toowoomba Grammar offers multiple bursaries for students entering Years 7 to 11. The Trustees’ Academic Bursary is awarded to students entering Year 7 in 2024 and is based on performance in the ACER Scholarship Test. The Special Ability Bursaries are for new students from Years 7 to 11 who display excellence in co-curricular activities while also acknowledging perceived potential.

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

Brisbane Girls Grammar offers a range of means-tested bursaries for students in Years 7 to 12. The Brisbane Girls Grammar School Bursary is provided to a student whose family is unable to or would otherwise have financial difficulty paying tuition at the school and provides up to 100 per cent remission of tuition fees.

The Maria Sulima Bursary is awarded to a student whose parents are unable to pay or would have financial difficulty paying for school fees, and whose character, talent, academic ability and intelligence suggest they will take full advantage of the opportunities the bursary offers. The bursary will provide up to 100 per cent of tuition fees.

The Effie Guille Memorial Bursary is awarded to a student who displays the character, talent, academic ability and intelligence to take full advantage of the opportunities the school offers and provides remission of up to 100 per cent.

Somerville House

Somerville House

Somerville offers a range of scholarships for students in Years 7 to 12. The Academic Scholarships are awarded to commencing or continuing students based on a scholarship application, supporting documents and the student’s performance on the ACER examination.

Boarding Scholarships are offered to students who are from regional or rural Queensland and will be commencing at the school as a new border in Years 7 or 8. The student will demonstrate academic achievement in the ACER examination.

The Somerville House Foundation offers a range of academic, music, sports or arts scholarships through a means-tested application and assessment of applicants’ capacity to afford school fees. A selection panel with representatives from the school and foundation will determine eligible applicants. The scholarships include, the Dr Lorna Archibald Memorial Scholarship which is awarded to students who may not otherwise be able to afford the school fees due to financial circumstances, the Legacy Scholarship which is awarded to students with strong family connections to the school and will incorporate a means-test to determine eligibility. Finally the Scholarship in Memory of Kate Benjamin will have its details confirmed shortly.

The Music Scholarship is open for students with a minimum A/Honours Grading in one of the following instruments: Bass, Percussion, Piano, Strings, and Woodwind. Instruments with the highest demand for the school’s ensemble program are the bassoon, double bass, euphonium, oboe, trombone and tuba.

Finally the sport scholarships are offered for students in Years 7 to 11 with the ability to achieve outstanding results in cross country, swimming or track and field, with the ability to also participate in at least one team sport.

St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

St Aidan’s offers various scholarships for students entering Year 7 to 10. The General Academic Scholarship will be offered based on ACER performance results, previous academic record and an interview with the principal. The Winifred Davenport STEM Scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate strengths in the areas of science, technology, engineering and maths. Selection for the scholarship will be determined from the ACER exam results, outstanding academic results in the areas of STEM and an interview with the principal.

The Music Excellence Scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate excellence in performance music and strength in academic studies. The scholarship is available for instrumentalists and vocalists who have achieved specific AMEB grades at the time of the application. Applicants who play brass instruments such as bassoon, oboe, and double bass are actively encouraged to apply.

The Sporting Excellence Scholarship is offered to students who demonstrate strength in sporting endeavours and are current or aspiring state or national representatives.

Moreton Bay College and Moreton Bay Boys College

The schools offers a range of scholarships and bursaries for incoming students entering Year 5 and above. The Academic Scholarships are offered to students who demonstrate academic excellence and excellent conduct. The Co Curricular Excellence Scholarships are offered to students who display excellence in sport, music or the performing arts and can demonstrate sound academic achievement. The General Excellence Scholarship is offered to students who display outstanding involvement in school life and must demonstrate high academic achievement, leadership, community service, a high level of performance in the arts or sports, and excellent conduct. All scholarships represent up to 50 per cent remission of tuition fees.

The Moreton Bay Colleges’ Foundation also offers several bursaries for students excelling in school who are not otherwise able to enrol to attend the school.

Ormiston College

Ormiston offers scholarships in two key areas, Academic Excellence Scholarships and General Excellence Scholarships with testing conducted by the ACER. The Academic Scholarship is awarded to those who perform best in the scholarship examination, and the General Scholarship is awarded to those who do well in the examination and demonstrate excellence in co-curricular activities such as sport, drama, music, debating etc.

Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School

Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School

Academic Scholarship: This scholarship recognises excellence in academics and is based on the results from a scholarship examination, recent academic reports, a record of excellent behaviour and an interview with the dean of Studies. The scholarships provides up to 50 per cent remission of tuition fees

Defence Force Family Scholarship: This scholarship is offered to students entering Years 7 to 12 who are members of serving defence force families with applications based on a submitted portfolio and interview with the Principal. The scholarship provides up to 25 per cent remission of tuition fees.

Rural Scholarship: This scholarship is awarded to students residing in regional or remote locations who demonstrate either academic, sporting ability, or leadership potential. To be successful for the scholarship, students must meet all the criteria and one of the two pathway criteria.

School Captain Scholarship: This scholarship is offered to Year 6 students who are School Captain of their Primary or Junior School with selection based on an applicant’s portfolio of accomplishments and an interview with the Principal. The scholarship represents 25 per cent remission of tuition fees.

Special Ability Scholarship – Performing Arts: This scholarship is awarded to Year 7-12 students who demonstrate excellence in the performing arts while displaying a willingness to commit to curricular and cocurricular Arts programs. The scholarship represents 50 per cent remission of tuition fees.

Special Ability Scholarship – Sport: This scholarship is open to students in Years 7 to 12 who demonstrate excellence and potential in sport based on past performance at district, regional, state or national levels or through involvement in a club at a high level. Selection is based on the applicant’s portfolio of work and in interview with the Director of Sport and Principal. The scholarship represents 50 per cent remission of tuition fees.

Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) Scholarship: This scholarship partners with AIEF to offer a limited number of scholarships to enable Indigenous students in financial need to attend the school. Among the criteria, scholarship holders must have sound academic achievement and display a willingness to contribute to curricular and cocurricular activities.