Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Scholarship closing soon

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank will soon be selecting around 80 young people to receive a tertiary scholarships through the 2017 Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Scholarship Program*.

Applications for the Program will close Friday, 27 January.

The scholarships program provides financial support to disadvantaged, yet academically outstanding regional students to pursue their dreams to attend university.

Scholarship recipients will receive $5000 to put towards education costs in the first year, and will have the opportunity to apply for the same amount again their second year.

2016 recipient, Caleb Hosking used his $5000 to help fund his university degree.

Life was complicated, and at one point school became a pretty low priority.

Caleb dropped out of most of his high school classes, only returning in year 11 when his mum was able to access extra care.

His aim was to get a local job after graduation, maybe in IT.

But after receiving an ATAR of 96.65 at the end of last year, Caleb set his sights higher, on a double degree in engineering and science at Monash University in Melbourne.

"My ambition grew over time and I realised that I could achieve more," he said. "I had to think about my own future."

Caleb soon realised that getting in to the course would prove the easiest part.

Monash's Clayton campus is quite literally at the other end of the state to Mildura, more than 550 kilometres away.

And after caring for his mum for so long, Caleb knew it would be hard to leave, not least because of financial considerations.

"I couldn't easily afford to move to university, as my mother lives on a pension," he said.

"Thinking about having to leave her, plus factoring in accommodation and study costs was really stressful."

This was where Bendigo and Adelaide Bank was able to help out. Caleb had applied for the Bank's annual scholarship program after hearing about it online.

One of 15 students chosen from 660 applicants for a Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Scholarship, Caleb was awarded a scholarship in 2016, and has the opportunity to receive a further $5000 to put towards education costs this year.

"Words cannot explain how much it means to be given such a wonderful opportunity at this stage of my life.

"Receiving a Bendigo and Adelaide Bank scholarship has taken a huge weight off my shoulders and has also taken me a step forward to reaching my dreams," said Caleb.

For more information on the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank scholarship program, including how to apply, visit http://www.bendigobank.com.au/scholarships

* this includes Community Bank^®, Rural Bank, The Alexander and Bridget Jones - Montmorency Secondary College Scholarship and scholarships offered in partnership with University of Melbourne and La Trobe University.