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Financial Support

Bursaries, Scholarships & VET Student Loans

The Australian Ballet School provides financial support avenues to students through bursaries, scholarships and VET Student Loans.

In 1967 The Australian Ballet Society established a Fund to support promising students of the School. Past recipients include David McAllister, Lisa Bolte, Steven Heathcote, Damien Welch, Simone Goldsmith, Justine Summers, Robert Curran, Amber Scott, Adam Bull, Tzu-Chao Chou and many others. The Society has since been joined by other organisations and individuals in supporting our students in this way.

To find out about scholarships, please visit Scholarship Awards

To find out about student loans, please visit VET Student Loans

  • Awards for Excellence

    There are two monetary, merit-based Awards for Excellence per year level for Levels 2 -7. These Year Level awards are announced at the end of each year and are credited to fees for the following year.


    A number of non-monetary encouragement awards are also awarded for Levels 1-7, kindly supported by Bloch in the form of gift vouchers, plus the Marina Berezowsky Award for excellence in Level 6 Character Dance and the Graeme Murphy Award for excellence in Level 7 Contemporary Dance.

  • Scholarships

    The School offers several named Scholarships to students. The Amsden Scholarship, being for dance tuition fees for five years (commencing upon Level 4 enrolment, and concluding at the end of Level 8), and the Laurie Cowled Perpetual Scholarship, being for dance tuition fees for one year. The Amsden Scholarship is awarded on merit and achievement. The Laurie Cowled Perpetual Scholarship is merit and criteria based.

  • Bursaries

    The School is concerned to ensure that no enrolled student is denied the opportunity to train due to financial constraints. Therefore, a number of bursaries are awarded each year on grounds of financial need. Bursary applications are treated in confidence and allocation of funds depends on the number of applicants and funds available. Further details about bursaries, including the due date for application, are sent out with the Notice of Fees toward the end of each School year.

  • Terms & Conditions for Awards for Excellence and Bursaries

    Awards for Excellence and bursaries, awarded at the discretion of the Board of the School, are viewed as an investment in the future of dance in Australia.

    Acceptance of either an Award or a bursary requires a commitment on the part of the recipient to complete in full The Australian Ballet School Training Programme.


    Full terms and conditions for bursaries are sent with the application form.

    Full terms and conditions for Awards for Excellence are sent with letters of award confirmation.

  • Government Assistance Grants

    Youth Allowance for students aged 16 years or over is also available, subject to eligibility.

  • Supported Awards & Scholarships

    The Australian Ballet School funds a number of awards and scholarships each year, providing opportunities for others to experience the School. The following are provided annually:

    New Zealand School of Dance - Participation in Training Programme for 2 students for 2 weeks

    Queensland School of Excellence - Participation in Training Programme for 1 student for 1 week

    Alana Haines Competition - Participation in Training Programme for 2 students for 2 weeks

    AICD - Observation for a teacher/s for 1 week

    Cecchetti International Competition - Participation in Training Programme for 1 student for 2 weeks

    South Australian Dance Competition - Summer School tuition

    Mc Donald’s Scholarship - Full-Time Programme tuition 12 months

    Youth America Grand Prix/ITP - Participation in Training Programme for 12 months

    Prix de Lausanne - Full-Time Programme tuition 12 months

    Japan International Ballet Competition - Full-Time Programme tuition 12 months

    Brisbane Performing Arts Challenge (BPAC) - Summer School tuition for one Senior, Intermediate and Junior Scholarship recipient