Scholarships

Giving the leaders of tomorrow a start today.

Discover what's on offer in 2026

Our scholarships help foster the future of our nation, and break down financial barriers to University, TAFE and school education.

This year, across Australia, we funded more than $1.7 million in scholarships to more than 448 students!

Applications open annually, with Community Bank, regional/rural, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and agricultural scholarships offered.

Community Bank scholarships

Many of our Community Banks are proud to offer scholarships to help local students pursue their education.

Scholarship offerings and eligibility criteria vary by Community Bank, check before applying. Applications open at various times throughout the year, between August and December.

Contact your local Community Bank for more information or if no program is listed.

Find your local Community Bank scholarship program

Bendigo Bank scholarships

Received a university or TAFE offer? Bendigo Bank scholarships assist disadvantaged, community-minded students across Australia.

Our scholarships aim to support rural/regional, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and agricultural students.

Eligibility criteria vary across programs; check before applying.

Applications open annually on 1^st December, and close 31^st January.

Find a Bendigo Bank scholarship program

Meet our scholarship recipients

Discover the stories of our past and present recipients.

Meet Nicholas, one of our Bendigo Bank Scholarship recipients.

My name is Nicholas Mckinnon and I'm a director on one of the Community Bank boards in Lang Lang, Victoria.

I first became involved with Bendigo Bank and the Community Banks through their scholarship program at my local branch in Narre Warren South.

The scholarship was immensely helpful with covering the costs of travel and accommodation for uni and it allowed me to stop and spend more time on my studies.

For me I have a very lucky story with my relationship with Bendigo Bank and the Community Banks as I was first a recipient of the scholarship.

I then had the opportunity to be a Community Board advisor through the scholarship and after that I became a director.

The scholarship gave me the opportunity to bridge the gap over my hardships and potential opportunities I would not have had otherwise.

It also allowed me to get my job as a lawyer through the connections in the Bendigo Bank.

My name is Andrew Bullen and I've been a director on the board of our community company, Lang Lang, for eight years now.

Outside the bank, I'm a famer. We have a poultry and beef farm, which I've done for 25 years.

We've done the scholarship program since 2012, so this will be our 14th year of running the scholarships.

We have started out two to three scholarships a year and built it up to five. We have funded 65 to 70 students through the scholarship program.

At the moment we run about $50,000 a year as a board. Total amount we've spent is around $600,000 on this program over a 14 year period.

Every year we do a scholarship presentation night where we get the winners to come along and they get their scholarships and we get winners from the previous year to come along and explain how their year has gone.

We have had one story where a parent came up, not to me personally, but to o ne of the directors and actually thanked them because she openly said that they would not have gone to uni if it wasn't for the scholarship program.

Giving back to the community allows me to give the same opportunities to people that I received myself because I k now how much it changed my life and I know how much it can help others.

I would suggest to any Community Bank, if they've got the ability to afford to do it, whether they do one or ten. Its just a rewarding program.

All our directors put in the calendar every year to go along and meet the young people that we support.

I could not speak highly enough about the scholarship program and believe every community Board should do it. It has a great impact than you'll ever realise and changes people's lives just like it did for me.

Meet Nicholas McKinnon

Community Bank scholarships not only help with education, they also build careers and communities.

Just ask Nicholas McKinnon, who went from being a scholarship recipient from Community Bank Narre Warren South branch to a lawyer and now a Director at Community Bank Lang Lang, where he helps give others the same opportunities he received.

Stories like Nicholas’ are at the heart of our commitment to creating opportunities and building futures.

Have any questions? Please contact us.

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Things you should know

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Scholarships are provided by Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited ABN 11 068 049 178, AFSL 237879, The Bendigo Centre, Bendigo VIC 3550.

Community Bank Branch Scholarships are funded from management accounts of the Community Enterprise Charitable Fund ABN 12 102 649 968 (the Fund), The Bendigo Centre, Bendigo VIC 3550. Sandhurst Trustees Limited ABN 16 004 030 737 AFSL 237906, a subsidiary of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited ABN 11 068 049 178, AFSL 237879, is the trustee of the Fund.

Agribusiness scholarships are provided by Bendigo Bank Agribusiness and administered by the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited Scholarship Program. Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited ABN 11 068 049 178, AFSL 237879 The Bendigo Centre, Bendigo VIC 3550.