The UWA Winthrop Scholarship is one of UWA's most prestigious academic scholarships and is named in honour of Sir John Winthrop Hackett KCMG, an influential politician, agriculturalist, editor, and inaugural Chancellor of UWA.
He believed people should be able to utilise their talents without restriction. As such, he was influential in the establishment of free, compulsory, and secular education in Western Australia in 1899.
Winthrop Hackett’s leadership and passion facilitated many civic and cultural improvements across his life, particularly in the Western Australian Community. Our current day Winthrop scholars embody these traits as they are a leader in their community and firm in their convictions and values. A Winthrop scholar is civic minded and invested in the advancement of their community through developing their personal leadership.
Each year, up to five scholarships valued at $10,000 per annum are awarded to domestic* Year 12 high school students who demonstrate exceptional academic capabilities, can articulate their leadership vision, and demonstrate community and co-curricular achievements.
* An Australian citizen or permanent resident or holder of a Permanent Humanitarian Visa or a New Zealand citizen.
About the program
Students selected for a UWA Winthrop Scholarship benefit from:
- Comprehensive education scholarship which provides $10,000 per annum to assist in university tuition, accommodation, and general living expenses as well as academic, social and career support to retain exceptional young people to our state and nation.
- St Catherine's Residential College provides scholarships to assist UWA Winthrop Scholars with the cost of accommodation at St Catherine’s Residential College while undertaking undergraduate studies at the University.
- Access to a UWA Leadership Program which provides opportunities for recipients to learn from, and access to a network of leaders.
- The opportunity to be involved in a University internship.
- Recipients of the scholarship will be invited, and expected, to participate actively in a university prescribed leadership development and mentorship program. This includes membership of the University's mentor scheme, participation in other selected activities and periodic visits to schools to promote university education in general.
Eligibility
To be eligible to be considered for the scholarship, an applicant must—
- be a domestic student*;
- in the year prior to commencing an undergraduate course at the University—
- have accepted an Early Offer to the University, or applied through the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) whilst in Year 12 for a place at the University, nominating a course at the University as their first preference in the first round of offers; and
- achieve an ATAR of 95 or above
- be a commencing student;
- be enrolled, or eligible to enrol—
- full-time and
- in an undergraduate degree course.
* An Australian citizen or permanent resident or holder of a Permanent Humanitarian Visa or a New Zealand citizen.
How to apply
Scholarships are assessed based on the following core competencies:
- Academic Excellence*
- Community Excellence
- Excellence in Co-Curricular
- Leadership
*To be eligible to apply, students must reasonably expect to achieve an ATAR of 95.
- Online Application
Applicants need to apply online using the UWA Winthrop Application Template [DOCX 129KB].
A complete application includes:
- Evidence of Achievements and Activities: Demonstration of a student's achievement and activities in Year 11 and Year 12 in relation to community and co-curricular achievements (including documentary evidence). A leadership statement is also required. Please refer to the Applicant Matrix [PDF 503KB] for further details and support and utilise the UWA Winthrop Application Template [DOCX 129KB].
- Principal Endorsement: A School Principal's Endorsement Form [PDF 146KB] is required as evidence of your predicted ATAR based on your Year 11 results. Ensure that you provide this form to your school principal to fill out and return on your behalf.
- Next Steps
- Students shortlisted from the online application assessment will be invited to interview. Interviews will be held in August.
- Students can submit their applications for a UWA Winthrop Scholarship online.
- Applications for the 2026 scholarship round close June 2026.
Studying at UWA
- The mentoring process was a key part in my career development, particularly as a pre-med student at the time, and now as a medical student entering my penultimate year. I received incredible personalised advice – both for my career in medicine, as well as managing university studies with my personal life."Alexandra Truong2019 scholar
- As a rural student from Kalgoorlie, the Winthrop scholarship was such an honour to receive as it allowed me the financial means throughout my undergraduate years to live away from home at St Catherine's College. Through this scholarship I was able to live on campus, where I made the most of the many opportunities St Cat's and UWA had to offer through leadership, cultural, arts, sporting and volunteering endeavours."Ella Forkin2017 scholar
- Throughout my time as a Winthrop scholar I have always felt supported by staff and my fellow scholars. The support available allowed me to excel in all areas of my life while studying at UWA."Ellaby Hansen2020 scholar
- The Winthrop Scholarship has opened the door to a number of experiences that I would not have had otherwise."Megha Sheth2020 scholar