UQ pledges to match scholarship donors on World Access to Higher Education Day

The University of Queensland has announced it will match donations made to help support students experiencing financial hardship from rural, remote or low socio-economic backgrounds.

Announced on World Access to Higher Education Day (17 November), The Queensland Commitment Match will be offered to any donor or organisation who gives more than $50,000 for endowed scholarships at UQ, to encourage gifts that will help to break down the barriers to education for Queenslanders over the next decade.

UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Deborah Terry said education was a critical pathway to disrupting disadvantage.

“By growing UQ’s endowment fund, we can play our role in helping to create long-term solutions for educational inequality in Queensland,” Professor Terry said.

“Together with our community, we can raise the funds needed to provide a scholarship to Queensland students who earn their place at UQ but may not be able to afford to leave home, or pay relocation, tuition or living costs.”

“Due to the careful stewardship of long-term endowed funds, the University is in a position to put in place this matching provision.”

Professor Terry said doubling the impact of donations with a 1:1 match provided a compelling incentive to partner with UQ, for organisations and individuals with a shared vision for equitable access to education across the state.

The fundraising effort forms part of The Queensland Commitment initiative, which aims to support Queensland’s future by increasing access to education, engagement and partnership. 

“While the proportion of Australians aged 25 to 34 with a bachelor’s degree has climbed from 32 per cent to 43.5 per cent over the past 13 years, the opportunities have not been spread evenly across our society,” Professor Terry said.

“National data shows only minor gains for participation of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds at university, increasing from 15 per cent to 17 per cent, and for Indigenous Australians, it is just 10 per cent.”

“The Queensland Commitment reaffirms the founding principles of the University and underpins our commitment to work collaboratively with the community, and with our university partners, to deliver generational change across the state,” Professor Terry said.

“As we engage with regional communities, we continue to listen to locals about what matters to them, and learn about how we can best support growth, health and prosperity in Queensland.

“Children from all across the state, with diverse backgrounds and interests, will make up our Class of 2032 – we’re taking action now to support their futures, and to make our state stronger.

“We want to help break down the barriers to higher education for Queenslanders today and for generations to come.”

To learn more about The Queensland Commitment Match and how you can make a gift big or small, visit uq.edu.au/giving.

Media: Genevieve Worrell, g.worrell@uq.edu.au, +61 (0)408 432 213.