Improving Indigenous access to Higher Education
The College provides opportunities for Indigenous students, particularly through the BA extended program, scholarships to the Young Leaders Program and the Residential College.
Scholarships for Indigenous Students
Scholarships for Indigenous students are provided to encourage and enable Indigenous students to study at the University of Melbourne as a member of the Trinity community. Find out more about Residential College scholarships or please contact us for additional information.
Bachelor of Arts (Extended) for Indigenous students
From 2023, Trinity College’s management and teaching of the first year of the successful Bachelor of Arts (Extended) program (BA (Ext)), which helps Australian First Nations students attain a bachelor’s degree from Australia’s top-rated university, will be transferred to the Faculty of Arts in the University of Melbourne.
In 2009, Trinity College established the BA (Ext) program for Australian Indigenous students in partnership with the University of Melbourne (UoM) and its Centre for Indigenous Education (now Murrup Barak).
The BA (Ext) is a four-year degree program that integrates a series of transitions and support initiatives into the first year of the standard UoM Bachelor of Arts course. The BA (Ext) transition subjects are based in First Nations scholarship, and predominantly taught by Australian First Nations academics.
The program not only helps students to build the skills necessary for success within undergraduate studies but also provides Indigenous students with a way to undertake their academic journey using intellectual frameworks informed by long established First Nations knowledge practices. It is available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who have an ATAR, but who may not have obtained the results required for direct entry into the UoM Bachelor of Arts.
With the support of the University of Melbourne, and so many of its talented Indigenous academics, Trinity College designed, and continually refined, managed and delivered the teaching of the first-year transition subjects of the BA (Ext).
As a result of the BA (Ext), 38 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from one of the world’s top universities – something that would have been more challenging for these students if not for the start provided by the BA (Ext). A further 29 students are currently completing their studies in the program. They are among more than 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders students currently studying in the Arts Faculty’s undergraduate, graduate coursework and graduate research programs. Everyone involved in the program is extremely proud of its success and the subsequent opportunities it has afforded Indigenous students.
The BA Ext program was so successful that, in 2015, the UoM Science faculty initiated the Bachelor of Science Extended (BSc Ext), modelled on the arts program.
From 2023, the University of Melbourne will manage both the BSc Ext and BA Ext, with the latter falling under the responsibility of the University’s Faculty of Arts, rather than Trinity College.
This change in management is a practical one, due to the success and natural evolution of the program.
Both Trinity and the University are committed to maintaining the student experience, which includes continuing the innovative pedagogy of the program, and working together to ensure a smooth transition for staff and students.
Trinity will continue to work with the University of Melbourne to provide places in its Residential College for students enrolled in the BA (Ext) or BSc (Ext), and for other Indigenous students at the University.
At Trinity, we remain committed to improving access to higher education for Indigenous students via our programs and scholarship opportunities.
More information about bridging subjects for the BA (Extended) from the University of Melbourne.
Bachelor of Science (Extended) for Indigenous students
In 2015, the Science Faculty developed the Bachelor of Science Extended, the BSc Ext, based on the model of the Bachelor of Arts Extended. The BSc Ext also extends the first year of the Science degree over two years, and inserts a range of transition subjects to help provide students with a strong academic base. These transition subjects include various scientific literacies involving mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and a range of other areas. Trinity College supports the BSc Ext by teaching into numerous subjects within the BSc Ext.
Like the BA Ext, the BSc Ext course is only open to students of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island descent who have an ATAR but not necessarily obtained the results required for direct entry into the University of Melbourne’s Bachelor of Science course. Students entering into the BSc Ext are expected to live at one of the University of Melbourne’s residential colleges, and benefit from the extra academic and personal support provided. Additional Indigenous student support services are available through the Murrup Barak Institute.
More information about BSc Ext from the University of Melbourne.