University of Western Australia
School of Indigenous Studies
Gnalla Moorditj Bullargar – We are strong together
The School of Indigenous Studies student office provides a home for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on campus. We foster social interaction on campus and enable students to develop a sense of Aboriginal identity and community at UWA.
A new home for Indigenous Studies
The new Indigenous Studies building, Bilya Marlee, provides an exciting learning environment for students in the School of Indigenous Studies and at the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health. The building includes informal learning spaces, collaborative learning and spill-out spaces, and a variety of research and postgraduate office spaces.
Scholarships and cadetships
A range of scholarships are available to Indigenous students enrolled in postgraduate and undergraduate courses, the Aboriginal Orientation Course or enrolled in UWA Smart Start (Albany campus). Many are offered through UWA and you can apply online through Pandora.
A number of external scholarships also exist, such as the Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship, Rotary Health Indigenous Health Scholarship, Rio Tinto scholarship, Madalah Tertiary scholarships, ADA Dental scholarships to mention a few. Our Student Services team can help advise you about these opportunities.
There are also opportunities for cadetships which can financially support you during your studies, as well as provide you with 12 weeks of work experience a year. The Department for Communities, Department of Health, Rio Tinto and AFL Sportsready are some of the departments, organisations and businesses that provide these opportunities.
ABSTUDY
ABSTUDY is a government scheme encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to take advantage of educational opportunities, to promote equity of educational opportunity and to improve educational outcomes.
ABSTUDY can provide a living allowance, incidentals (such as books) and travel allowance, and residential costs at one of UWA's residential colleges.
Find out more the ABSTUDY scheme, including eligibility and residency requirements.
Indigenous Tuition Assistance Scheme
You could be eligible to receive tutorial assistance through the Indigenous Tuition Assistance Scheme (ITAS). Apply online today!
Networking and opportunities for global experience
The School of Indigenous Studies provides opportunities for and assists Indigenous students to attend national and international conferences such as the World Indigenous People’s Conference on Education, Pacific Rim Indigenous Doctors Congress and University Scholars Leadership Symposium.
We encourage our students to study abroad at one of UWA’s partner universities. To date, more than 40 students have completed a semester or a short-term experience studying in Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, Indonesia, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, France, Italy and Austria.
We also participate in the short-term mobility programs with the New Colombo Plan and the Matariki Network of Universities, collaborating with the Indigenous centres of the other six global universities involved.
For a comprehensive description of the opportunities for overseas study for Indigenous students at UWA, please see the Study Abroad website.
Western Australian Students Aboriginal Corporation
WASAC is the Indigenous student body on campus which organises social and cultural awareness activities for you to get involved in on and off campus.
Currently representing more than 200 Indigenous students, WASAC’s main focus is meeting student needs, promoting cultural awareness on campus and providing social atmosphere with functions such as sundowners, quiz nights and barbecues. WASAC is also involved with other Indigenous networks within Perth and around Australia. Each year it sends a team, the Western Waagyls, to compete in the Indigenous Nationals (formally the National Indigenous Tertiary Education Student Games).
WASAC encourages members to speak to prospective students around the state through the SIS Outreach Programs. Members of WASAC also have the chance to travel around the state, interstate and overseas for various conferences and workshops.
Our alumni
Since the School of Indigenous Studies was established in 1988, more than 400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have graduated from UWA.
Initially, most students were enrolled in Arts; however, in recent years, there has been increasing enrolments and interest in all majors in science and biomedical science leading to postgraduate medicine and dentistry and other health-related courses such as psychology and clinical exercise physiology.
To date, there have been more than 60 graduates in law, 52 in medicine, seven in dentistry, 15 in engineering and 18 in commerce and more in the Master of Business Administration, to name a few areas.
We encourage our alumni to continue with postgraduate studies. You could also become involved by being a mentor or tutors with current Indigenous students. If you are interested, get in touch with us.