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UNSW is where students from all around the world can find the support they need to succeed.
We offer a range of scholarships and awards, and they aren’t just based on your grades. UNSW values leadership skills, extracurricular interests and your passion to study with us.
Check out how International Scientia Coursework Scholarship changed international students Ilma and Aziz’s life at UNSW.
Ilma
I’m Ilma Meidira Eprianto from Indonesia. I am an awardee of International Scientia Coursework Scholarship for my Master of Commerce degree specialising in Enterprise System and Business Design at UNSW.
During my study, I won the 2021 ANZ leg of the Global Management Challenge. Recently was accepted as a management trainee at an Energy Company in Indonesia.
Why did you choose to study at UNSW? What's the best thing you enjoy here?
I first went to UNSW for an exchange student program during my undergraduate study. Those days at UNSW were memorable, and it made me want to become a part of the UNSW community. Since then, I always wanted to do my postgraduate at UNSW.
Despite the pandemic, I met a lot of amazing people and made great friends. I am grateful to have such a supportive learning environment from the lecturers, staff, and classmates. I received a lot of help and support during my studies at UNSW. Additionally, one of the most exciting activities is to have guest lectures delivered by aspiring leaders from big tech companies and influential enterprises.
Ilma visits UNSW on exchange program
Visit to UNSW Library
How did you know about the scholarship opportunities and was the application process easy to follow?
Before I apply to UNSW, I did a lot of research through the internet and reached out to people who studied abroad. I approached my supervisor at work, who told me about her experiences studying in Australia with a scholarship. She encouraged me to apply.
Supported by the information gathered from the UNSW Scholarships website, I immediately applied to the International Scientia Coursework Scholarship at UNSW. It was an easy process for me to find all the information and keeping in contact with the scholarship admission team.
How did the scholarship change your life at UNSW?
I believe receiving a scholarship is an honour. Not only did it make me focused on my academics, but also the scholarship pushed me to use this time wisely and make the most of it. I enjoyed my digital learning and I joined competitions, online events, seminars, and courses provided by the university. For me, having the scholarship has encouraged me to stay out of my comfort zone and learn as much as I can.
Studying from your home country, how do you keep yourself connected with the UNSW community?
Digital learning created a whole new experience for me. My way of making friends is to approach people after classes and ask questions. I found this is a way to enhance my understanding of the courses and gaining new insights from others.
To make most of the courses, I ask a lot of questions during classes, tutorials and through emails to the lecturers. I also did LinkedIn learning, where I found many interesting courses and it’s completely free for UNSW students. You can access anytime you want!
Ilma and her friends
Do you have any tips to share with future international students who are preparing to apply for scholarships?
Gather information from different channels. Start from the internet and by approaching people through social media. "Chance favours only the prepared mind.” Good luck! ?
Aziz
I'm Md Aziz Al Mehedi, a first-year international student from Bangladesh studying Bachelor of Science (Computer Science).
I’m a recipient of the International Scientia Coursework Scholarship and also a member of the Computer Science and Engineering Society (CSESoc) and Arc at UNSW.
Why did you choose to study at UNSW? What's the best thing you enjoy here?
Australia has been one of my dream destinations for pursuing a bachelor’s degree ever since I started planning for it. Not only does Australia offer world-class education, but it is also a cradle of diverse and vibrant cultures, whose beauty is complemented by the warm-hearted people of the country.
I decided to study at UNSW Sydney because Sydney is the financial hub of Australia and UNSW has a good reputation, particularly for Computer Science, which I had been interested in for a long time. The degree structure, availability of so many fascinating courses, and the generous scholarship program really topped everything off for me.
The computing courses are the best! They are well designed and coordinated. Most importantly, the lecturers are very caring and the weekly tutorials help me massively to keep up with the lecture content.
How did you know about the scholarship opportunities and was the application process easy to follow?
It was one of my high school friends who told me about the scholarship opportunity. While looking through the admission process, he struck upon this unique scholarship for international students.
The application process was straightforward. I followed the steps outlined on the application page and filled the form via the online portal. The documentation process of certificates was also easy as I was able to submit scanned copies.
The scholarship team was very responsive and helped with my enquiries about my application and my offer afterwards.
How did the scholarship change your life at UNSW?
A huge burden was lifted off my shoulders when I received the scholarship offer. Being able to save some money and not worry about the living costs really helped me a lot. I can focus better on my studies and my involvement in different student clubs at UNSW.
Being able to study with like-minded people from different backgrounds, and highly knowledgeable lecturers and tutors have given me so many different perspectives. This opened my mind to different career paths and opportunities.
I once aspired to establish a start-up but was unsure about this as a goal in my life. Surprisingly, one of my lecturers had a start-up and he talked about how he managed it day to day while lecturing at university to follow his passion for teaching. Going through his profile and the project, he inspired me and gave me confidence in the viability of my dream to establish a start-up in the tech industry somewhere down the line.
Studying from your home country, how do you keep yourself connected with the UNSW community?
All the courses at UNSW have discussion forums and help sessions. The course forums are highly engaging and active. Not only do we have lecturers and tutors answer the questions, our peers who may know the answer, also share their knowledge generously.
Additionally, to help international students studying from different time zones, tutorials and help sessions are offered at many different time slots so everyone can choose a time that fits them.
I made new friends by participating in many online activities hosted by the Computer, Science and Engineering Society (CSESoc) and student organisation, Arc, such as course trivia, games night, and online meet and greet. One initiative that was particularly helpful was the peer monitoring program of CSESoc. The program allocated a group of students to a tutor of the School of Computer Science and Engineering. This opportunity enabled me to build connections with my peers and seniors alike and it is something that I am most grateful to the university and the people behind the scenes.
Do you have any tips to share with future international students who are preparing to apply for scholarships?
Firstly, read instructions carefully and make sure you note down all the relevant deadlines. Organise all your academic and extracurricular certificates since they will be vital for giving weight to your application. The details must be organised early so you can start working on your essays in a timely manner.
Then comes the most important bit – be sincere in your essays and highlight those activities that you are most passionate about and have helped you achieve personal and academic growth.
Lastly, have your essays proofread by a peer or anyone in your family. When in doubt, remember that the incredible scholarship team at UNSW is just an email away, ready to help you however they can!
I hope this will be of some help to you and I want to sign off by wishing you all the best in your future endeavours!
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