Early Childhood Education Scholarships Program - Information for 2020-21 and 2021-22 scholarship recipients
Important information about your scholarship payments and the documentation that you must provide.
Payment overview
As a scholarship holder, you will receive:
- an initial payment of $1,000. You will be required to fill out a SmartyGrants form to confirm your enrolment past census date.
- milestone payments based on the completion of units
Your individual payment amounts will be worked out based on the information you provide to the department. These amounts are calculated from your award date – when the department approved the award of your scholarship. If you have completed any units prior to the award of your scholarship, they will not be considered part of your scholarship and will not be eligible for payment. Your award date can be found in your Deed of Agreement.
Receiving your initial payment
To receive your initial payment, you will need to send the department:
- your completed and signed Deed of Agreement
- a completed Electronic Funds Transfer Form (EFT form)
- proof of enrolment past the census date for the current semester through the SmartyGrants portal.
Once the department has received the above information, the number of units required to complete your degree will be calculated to determine your milestone payments.
Receiving your milestone payments
The department will request proof that you have completed the required number of credits to reach a milestone payment.
Documentation must be submitted through SmartyGrants and will not be accepted by email.
Please refer to your Funding Notice for an individualised schedule of your milestone payments.
To receive a payment, valid documentation must be submitted by the due dates for each payment round, scheduled in February, July and November of each year of study. If you have not reached a milestone, you do not need to submit any documents for that month.
After submitting the correct documents, you can expect to receive your payment once assessment is complete.
To calculate your milestone payments:
- Check the total number of credit points required to complete your degree (including Recognised Prior Learning and Transfer of Credits).
- Divide this by 8.
- This number is how many credit points you are required to complete before each 12.5% payment milestone.
- Check subjects that were completed, through recognised prior learning or as part of the degree, before the start of the scholar's award, as these will not attract a payment.
| University | Degree | Total credit points | Credits per milestone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Sturt University | Bachelor of Education (Birth to Five Years) |
256 | Credits per milestone
|
| University of New England | Bachelor of Early Childhood Teaching | 192 | Credits per milestone
|
| Swinburne University of Technology | Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Teaching) | 400 | Credits per mileston
|
| TAFE NSW | Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and Care | 320 | Credits per mileston
|
These examples are for information only. Refer to your individual degree information and calculation of total scholarship award.
SmartyGrants
Uploading documents to SmartyGrants
You will need to upload the following documents in SmartyGrants to receive payments:
| Payment # | Description | Document |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Initial Payment | Evidence of enrolment dated past the census date, for example an unofficial/ online academic transcript showing enrolment in a unit past the census date for your university |
| 2 | 12.5% Milestone Payment | Unofficial/online Academic Transcript |
| 3 | 25% Milestone Payment | Unofficial/online Academic Transcript |
| 4 | 37.5% Milestone Payment | Unofficial/online Academic Transcript |
| 5 | 50% Milestone Payment | Unofficial/online Academic Transcript |
| 6 | 62.5% Milestone Payment | Unofficial/online Academic Transcript |
| 7 | 75% Milestone Payment | Unofficial/online Academic Transcript |
| 8 | 87.5% Milestone Payment | Unofficial/online Academic Transcript |
| 9 | 100% Mileston Payment | Official Academic Transcript |
You will need to provide your unofficial/online academic transcript through SmartyGrants to prove your enrolment and completion of credit points. You can access this online or in person from your university or education provider.
University of New England (Unit Results)
The UNE website should support you to access this information.
Charles Sturt University (Online Record of Results)
To get access, click here and scroll down to view your online transcript and click the box ‘View your online transcript’.
Please note: For a payment to be generated, you must meet the 12.5% payment milestone and have successfully passed each subject.
The department only requires an official transcript upon the completion of your degree. For a breakdown of milestone payments, please refer to your deed of agreement.
Census date
The census date is the last day students are able to withdraw from subjects and courses without paying tuition fees. Census dates vary depending on where you are studying, so ensure you check your university or education provider’s website for the correct date.
Examples are provided below:
| University | University website |
|---|---|
| Charles Sturt University | Important Dates |
| University of New England | Principal Dates |
| Southern Cross University | Key Dates |
| University of Wollongong | Key Dates |
| TAFE NSW | Academic Calendar |
The three examples listed below will help you better understand the structure of the scholarship:
1. Tuyet has not started a degree, and has no Recognised Prior Learning
Tuyet is a scholar who has not started their degree, and has no Recognised Prior Learning (RPL). Tuyet will receive:
- an initial payment of $1,000, upon proof of enrolment past the census date
- eight lots of 12.5% milestone payment adding up to $19,000.
| Payment # | Description | Amount/percentage received ($/%) | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Initial Payment | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| 2 | Milestone Payment | 12.5% | $2,375 |
| 3 | Milestone Payment | 25% | $2,375 |
| 4 | Milestone Payment | 37.5% | $2,375 |
| 5 | Milestone Payment | 50% | $2,375 |
| 6 | Milestone Payment | 62.5% | $2,375 |
| 7 | Milestone Payment | 75% | $2,375 |
| 8 | Milestone Payment | 87.5% | $2,375 |
| 9 | Milestone Payment | 100% | $2,375 |
| Total | $20,000 |
2. Kamal has not started a degree but has some Recognised Prior Learning
Kamal is a scholar who has completed 30% of their degree through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) before the semester starting after the award of their scholarship. Kamal will receive:
- an initial payment of $1,000, upon proof of enrolment into subjects past the census date
- 7.5% of payment 4 (37.5% minus 30% = 7.5% remaining in milestone 4) - the scholar is not eligible for milestone payments 2 and 3
- the remaining five lots of 12.5% milestone payments.
| Payment # | Description | Amount/percentage received ($/%) | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Initial Payment | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| 2 | Milestone Payment | 12.5% | $0 |
| 3 | Milestone Payment | 25% | $0 |
| 4 | Milestone Payment | 37.5% | $1,425 |
| 5 | Milestone Payment | 50% | $2,375 |
| 6 | Milestone Payment | 62.5% | $2,375 |
| 7 | Milestone Payment | 75% | $2,375 |
| 8 | Milestone Payment | 87.5% | $2,375 |
| 9 | Milestone Payment | 100% | $2,375 |
| Total | $14,300 |
3. Maya has started a degree, completed some units, and also has some Recognised Prior Learning
Maya is a scholar who has completed 45% of their degree before her scholarship award date. This includes 25% through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and 20% through subjects completed prior her award date. Maya will receive:
- an initial payment of $1,000, upon proof of enrolment into subjects past the census date
- 5% of payment 5 (50% minus 45% = 5% remaining in milestone 5) – she is not eligible for milestone payments 2, 3 and 4
- the remaining 4 lots of 12.5% milestone payments.
| Payment # | Description | Amount/percentage received ($/%) | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Initial Payment | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| 2 | Milestone Payment | 12.5% | $0 |
| 3 | Milestone Payment | 25% | $0 |
| 4 | Milestone Payment | 37.5% | $0 |
| 5 | Milestone Payment | 50% | $950 |
| 6 | Milestone Payment | 62.5% | $2,375 |
| 7 | Milestone Payment | 75% | $2,375 |
| 8 | Milestone Payment | 87.5% | $2,375 |
| 9 | Milestone Payment | 100% | $2,375 |
| Total | $11,450 |
Contact us
Please get in touch if you have any questions.
Email: ecec.scholarships@det.nsw.edu.au
Phone: 1800 619 113.