This Article

Applications are now open for the 2026 Victorian Department of Health Postgraduate Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship Program.

Scholarship funding has been allocated to AWH to support registered nurses and midwives to undertake postgraduate study in areas of clinical practice where there is an identified workforce need.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply, candidates must:

• Be employed by an eligible Victorian public health service ie. AWH

• Be a currently registered nurse or midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
• Be an Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen (or dual citizen of Australia or New Zealand), an Australian permanent resident, or an Australian permanent humanitarian visa holder

• Be employed at a minimum of 0.6 FTE

• Be enrolled in an eligible postgraduate program in the 2025–26 financial year that leads to a tertiary qualification in one of the priority clinical practice areas identified by the department or health service
• Not already hold an award qualification in the practice area for which the scholarship is sought
• Not have previously received a Department of Health scholarship to study in the same practice area

Additional Requirements

In addition, candidates must:

• Agree to complete the course and work in the target area of practice for which the scholarship is awarded:
  • This must be within a Victorian public health service for a minimum of one year, or in accordance with the organisation’s minimum service requirement following course completion
• Use scholarship funds only for postgraduate nursing or midwifery study that addresses an identified workforce need, as determined by the department or health service
• Be enrolled in a course that:
  • Is delivered by a university or accredited higher education provider
  • Leads to a postgraduate award qualification (Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, or Master’s)
  • Includes a structured clinical component within the specialty area, evidenced in the course curriculum, averaging at least 24 hours per week

Please note course exclusions:
Courses that lead to non‑clinical specialties (e.g. leadership, eHealth) are excluded, as are clinical streams where funding is already provided through another program (e.g. mental health nursing).

Please share the attached application form and above information with your teams.

The closing date for applications is 28 February 2026.
Incomplete or late applications will not be considered by the scholarship review panel.

Download Application Templete HERE