In October 2022, Victoria University (VU) and Western Chances renewed our enduring partnership, providing young people in the west facing financial barriers with new study and career opportunities.
Focusing on access to education, training and network development, our shared commitment with Western Chances will continue to support motivated young people in the western region to achieve their potential.
Since it was established in 2003, Western Chances has invested almost $8 million in scholarships for recipients in Melbourne’s west, awarding 8,800 new and renewed scholarships and assisting more than 3,550 young people to complete their education.
Western Chances' vision is to enable young people facing financial barriers to reach their potential. Providing scholarships, life-changing opportunities and ongoing support, their mission is to enable these young people to thrive.
VU aims to build on our long-standing relationship with Western Chances. Since 2006, we have offered up to 35 access scholarships of $1000 per year to hundreds of VU students.
The students use the funds to empower themselves in areas that may seem small – such as purchasing laptops, home internet access, or public transport costs – but which can have a big impact on their university success.
Further work together will focus on:
The agreement renews our commitment to host a Western Chances office at our Footscray Nicholson Campus until 2025, and for VU to become a Community Pro-Bono Partner.
At VU, we understand how important education is in enabling students to achieve their full potential, and how access to a scholarship can help make that happen.
Each year, VU awards hundreds of scholarships to students at all levels – TAFE (certificates and diplomas), undergraduate (bachelor degrees and honours), and postgraduate, providing financial and practical assistance for students to get a head start.
Find out more about our scholarships.
First-year VU Bachelor of Paramedicine student and Werribee resident, Alannah Nix, 19, first received the Western Chances scholarship eight years ago while a student at Hoppers Crossing Secondary School. Both Alannah’s older sisters – one now a teacher in Queensland, and the other a nurse in Melbourne’s west – were also recipients.
“Western Chances helped each of us get to where we are now,” she said on the support they each received.
“They don’t just provide money, they gave us connections to a great community, and to personal and professional experiences we’d have never had.”
Contact us to find out more about this partnership:
Major Partnerships
Engagement & Advancement
Email: [email protected]
