Thomas Power

Do you worry about completing a university degree and then having to pay off a large Student Contribution Charge debt (formerly known as HECS)?

That worry could be a thing of the past if you received a Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship worth about $20 000 over four years of study.

Successful applicants can choose from two options-an exemption from Student Contribution Charge up to a maximum of four years; or receive $7000 in the first year and $4500 in three subsequent years. For Thomas Power (left), the option of starting his post-university life without a large debt was too good to pass up.

‘I don’t have the pressure of having to pay HECS after I finish university, which is a load off my mind. I can concentrate on my studies without having to worry about paying for my degree later. ‘I think it’s a great thing for a university to give opportunities to students who might not otherwise have been able to afford to attend university.’

Thomas, who started a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts (Politics, Government and International Relations) in 2007, is one of the inaugural recipients of a Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship, which is available to high-achieving students starting an undergraduate degree.