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Athlete Personal Development

AIS Athlete Education Scholarship

Supporting Australian High Performance athletes in their pursuit of study and educational experiences

Wylie Foundation

The AIS Athlete Education Scholarship, in partnership with the John and Myriam Wylie Foundation, is open to all categorised athletes with a total of $150,000 available to support high performance athletes with their education costs.

"The combination of sport and study is a winning mix"
AIS Director, Matti Clements


The benefit of studying whilst a high performance athlete are:

  • committing yourself to pursuits that benefit you for life following your athlete career
  • providing for the ability to advance your knowledge in a particular field, either as an interest or for future career options
  • contributing to your professional development
  • providing an alternate experience to accompany your daily training environment and participation in competitions
  • providing the ability to inspire and share study experience for the benefit of others, including other athletes

AIS Athlete Education Scholarship Program 2023-24 Guidelines

Funding Amounts and Timeframe

A total funding pool of $150,000 is available for allocation through the Athlete Education Scholarship Program.

The maximum scholarship amount available to any individual is $5,000.

Scholarship amounts will be determined by the AIS as part of the assessment process. The amounts may vary between applicants and may not be the full amount applied for.

The unit or course of study for which a Scholarship is awarded, must be successfully completed by 31 December 2024.

Eligibility Criteria

Who is eligible to apply for a Scholarship?

To be eligible to apply for an 2023-24 Athlete Education Scholarship, an athlete must:

a) Be categorised by their National Sporting Organisation (NSO) NSO as a Podium, Podium Ready, Podium Potential, Developing or Emerging athlete, in line with the National Athlete Categorisation Framework, as at 16 February 2024.

b) Be intending to enrol, currently enrolled, or part way through a course/unit of study in period 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024*.

c) Have no anti-doping rule violations or match fixing offences at any time.

*All applicants will be required to provide evidence of successfully completed unit or course of study for which the Scholarship was awarded by 31 December 2024, at a pass level or greater.

Applicants who have received an AIS Education Scholarship in previous years are ineligible.

What can the Scholarship money be used for?

Scholarship funds can be used by the applicant as a contribution towards study in an Approved Course. This may include contribution to course fees and study related costs, e.g. textbooks, travel, uniform and academic transcripts.

An ‘Approved Course’ is a recognised Australian University degree or TAFE course from an educational institution that is part of the Elite Athlete Education Network (EAEN). A listing of educational institutions can be found at https://www.ais.gov.au/career-and-education/eaen;

Note that successful applicants will be required to provide evidence to substantiate the eligible course fees incurred or payable by them before any Scholarship funding will be paid.

Additional information

Further information

If you have any questions regarding the Athlete Education Scholarship program, please email AthleteEducationScholarship@ausport.gov.au.

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