Welcome to the Young Achievers Program Application page. This webpage will provide all the information required to apply for Cohort 16 (students commencing Year 11 in 2025) Young Achievers Program.
Program Overview
The primary goal of the Young Achievers Program is to empower senior secondary school students to pursue their academic and career goals. The Program achieves this by providing mentorship, financial support, opportunities for personal growth and leadership development and is underpinned by The University of Queensland values. Whilst nurturing the educational aspirations of its participants the Young Achievers Program also aims to reduce barriers to education for students experiencing financial hardship and/or educational disadvantage.
Why you should apply for the Young Achievers Program
The Young Achievers Program provides a valuable support framework to enable participating students to realise their potential. The Program's benefits include:
- Ongoing mentorship from current university students for the 2 years of Senior school
- Real-life university experiences, including two residential camps held at UQ's St Lucia campus
- Financial assistance of $1000 per year during Years 11 and 12
- Scholarship support of up to $7000 per year for up to four years for those who enrol in a UQ undergraduate program after completing Year 12
- Five ATAR adjustment factors that can help with entry into UQ
- Assistance with university pathways and application procedures
- Opportunities for personal growth and leadership development
- Transition advice and student support services as a University of Queensland student
Key Dates:
Application opens: 10 June 2024
Application closes: 22 July 2024
Program outcome email: 6 August 2024
To be considered for the program, nominated students must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:
- Australian citizen, Australian permanent humanitarian visa holder, New Zealand Special Category Visa, Refugee Visa or Bridging Visa
- Be ATAR eligible
- Low-income parental financial status, combined <$85k or <$112,578k with multiple dependants 3+ (see notes below)
- Demonstrated academic potential and desire to excel at university after finishing Year 12
- Supportive family environment (see notes below)
Low-income financial status
To provide support for the tertiary study aspirations of students from low-income families, the Young Achievers Program application requires information that provides insight into your family's financial situation. Some information we require during the application includes:
- Current living arrangements
- Current household experiences e.g housing insecurity, persons with disabilities, caring responsibilities etc.
- Health Care Card/Pension Card or Tax Return or Evidence of Support from Centrelink.
Supportive family environment
The Young Achievers Program aims to provide opportunities for students to enhance their academic, social and personal development. We understand that parents' and guardians' support and involvement are crucial for the success of their child's participation in this program. We ask parents/guardians to sign a consent form outlining their support for the program during the application process.
The Young Achievers Program application is an online form and it requires a number of documents to be uploaded that summarises the student's background and career aspirations. This helps our Selection Panel review if the student is a good fit for the program. The documents listed below are required for a student to submit an application."
These include:
1. A personal statement (maximum 500 words) from the student outlining the following:
- Overview of the students background and family environment
- Career aspirations and areas of interest for future studies
- What the student hopes to gain from being in the Young Achievers Program
2. A personal video (maximum 1 minute) from the student outlining:
- Why the student would like to be in the Young Achiever Program
The video does not need to be edited and should be a simple account of why the student would like to be in the Young Achievers Program. This is a great and casual way to hear from the applicant and put a face to the application.
3. Copy of Semester One, Year 10 student report
4. Signed Parent/Guardian Consent of Statement, downloaded from the Application resources page.
5. Official School endorsement letter from any of the following: Principal, Deputy Principal, Guidance Counsellor, Year 10 Lead/Head of year or Teacher, a guide can be downloaded from the Application resources page.
Selection of Young Achievers is managed by a panel made up of University staff, YAP Alumni and program donors. YAP staff review the application details above to ensure the student meets the program's eligibility and has submitted all the documents required. If an application is missing details application, one of our staff members will reach out to request the missing documents. If unable to provide the necessary documention by the due date, the application may be removed from the selection pool.
Once this is completed, a selection panel will assess the student's application, ensuring that there is an equitable division between our Young Achievers Schools and the student's program fit.
The application components are individually scored and each student will receive an overall score. The highest-ranking students will receive an acceptance offer.
If successful in being selected, students and their parents/guardians will be required to formally accept a place in the program and accept the terms of conditions of the program. This will be sent over email. Students that do not accept their place in the program by the due date may lose their place in the program.
Expectations & Requirements
Young Achievers depend upon the support of their parents, guardians and school, meaning it is important that all parties are aware of the time commitment and expectations associated with participation in the program. Below are some expectations for students within the program:
- Attend a YAP secondary school during years 11 and 12
- Demonstrate a strong commitment to their school studies and social responsibility in their community
- Attend residential camps and relevant program-related events
- Actively participate in all scheduled mentoring activities and communications.
Welcome event
Successful students and their families will be invited to attend a Welcome Event in October 2024, which will take place in Brisbane and Toowoomba, as well as at YAP schools located in regional Queensland. These events give our Young Achievers the opportunity to meet other students in the program, plus YAP staff members where they can learn more about the program.
Residential camps
On-campus experiences are an important aid for establishing mentoring relationships, building educational aspirations, and delivering activities that foster social, personal and academic growth. Held at a university residential college on UQ’s St Lucia campus (Brisbane), the camps are supervised by UQ YAP staff and student mentors. During the camp, Young Achievers are encouraged and supported to make new friends, learn about university life and have fun. UQ meets all costs associated with meals, accommodation, transport, and program activities during the camps.
Residential camps are held during school holidays, with regional and remote students travelling to and from campus a day prior and a day after the duration of camp dates listed below.
The below dates are subject to change:
Year 11 Residential Camp - 13th - 17th January 2025
Year 12 Residential Camp - 18th - 24th January 2026
Student Mentoring
The Young Achievers Program places significant importance on mentorship, recognising it as a crucial part of supporting and motivating students. To ensure students receive ample support, each Young Achiever will have three mentors assigned to them, with one mentor contacting them monthly primarily through phone calls. Additionally, communication with students will take place via email and a private Instagram group created for the program, providing an additional avenue for ongoing support and connection among the group.
Community service & leadership
One of the key objectives of the program is to foster a strong sense of social responsibility in our Young Achievers. To achieve this, the program requires the students to take on a volunteer project in their school or local community during Years 11 and 12. These projects are thoughtfully designed to complement the students' existing academic commitments.
For all the documents you need to complete your application, we have developed an Application Resources page.
If there is something we're missing, or you need more information, please don't hesitate to email us at youngachievers@uq.edu.au or call 07 3346 0005.
Click here to access our Application Resources Page.