Yes. The scholarships are available to Australian students from all states and territories, whether you live in a city, regional town, or a rural community. To date we have awarded almost 1500 scholarships to girls across all states and territories of Australia.

Yes, you need to be in Year 8 at the time of your application. Applicants must be:

• • a female student enrolled at a public/government high school
• • currently a Year 8 student and entering Year 9 in 2026
• • demonstrating academic excellence
• • currently experiencing financial barriers
• • highly motivated to succeed to school
•  

You also need to demonstrate that you have the motivation to achieve academically and professionally, including an intention to undertake tertiary studies. An interest in extracurricular, community and leadership activities will be considered favourably.

It is easy to apply. Go to hardingmillereducationfoundation.org.au during the application period (1 August until 1 September) and click on the APPLY NOW link.

You can start your application, save it and come back to it later. All applications must be submitted by 11.59pm AEST on 1 September 2025.

No. You can only apply once, and you must be in Year 8 when you submit your
application.

You need to consistently achieve outstanding or high academic results across Maths, Science and English, along with NAPLAN results in the Exceeding or Strong bands, You also do well in other subjects.

Your attitude and commitment to studying and doing well at school also need to be evident in your application.

Yes. You can still apply if you meet our criteria. We are happy for you to have more than
one scholarship.

Yes, you can still apply. Evidence of your visa status is required to be included in our application.

We receive hundreds of applications every year as more people hear about the
scholarship and are inspired by the success stories of our Harding Miller scholars.

The number of scholarships is dependent on funding from donors. We currently support almost 800 scholars in Years 9 to 12. In each of 2023 and 2024, we awarded more than 225 scholarships.

A range of factors contribute to financial barriers. This scholarship is specifically designed to support girls from low income households or those experiencing significant barriers for accessing education, Our aim is to support girls who, owing to their family’s economic circumstances, find it challenging to pursue their academic ambitions. In our experience we generally see students who experience a combination of the following factors:

• • Living with very low income or experiencing financial hardship
• • Having an immigrant, asylum or refugee background (personally or parents)
• • Identifying as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• • Living with low parental or carer academic achievement
• • Living with a disability (personally or family members)
• • Living in out-of-home care
• • Living in a geographically isolated area
• • Suffering misfortune or destitution
• • Living with family violence or dysfunction

Yes, every scholarship is the same, for all girls, across all regions of Australia.

The Quinn scholarships are the same as the HMEF scholarships. They are financed and
supported by the Quinn Femelle Foundation which is why they are called the Quinn
scholarships for Queenslanders.

As part of the application, you need your principal to provide a reference. The reference
can be written by an assistant principal or your year coordinator but it must be signed
by the principal, and it needs to be on school letterhead.

Only girls are eligible to apply for the Harding Miller scholarship program. Our founders
believe that educating girls has the potential to create societal change by breaking the
cycle of poverty and stimulating economic growth.

If you complete Year 12 and provide us with your ATAR result, the laptop is yours to
keep.

Scholarships are valued at approximately $20,000 over the course of four years. Successful applicants for 2025 will receive the following support:

• • High-quality laptop and help desk support.
• • 4G mobile broadband including 20GB internet per month
• • face-to-face and/or online tutoring 
• • Subscription to an online study help provider
• • pre-paid card for school expenses each year
• • Mentoring from a personal coach

Scholars also receive access to the Enhanced Learning study skills program and many other career and educational opportunities through our Future Success program.

Eligible applications will be reviewed by a panel of judges, which includes representatives from the Harding Miller Education Foundation, Departments of Education, and other independent judges.

The judges’ feedback will be considered by members of the Harding Miller board and a team of senior Harding Miller staff including the CEO, COO and the Program Manager, Scholar Selection and Resources Members. The final decisions will be made based on the availability of funding, while ensuring a geographic and demographic balance of scholars, and donor specifications.

We will send you an email to notify you of the outcome of your application in December
before the end of the school year. Your principal and parents and/or guardians will also
be notified.

Please call the Harding Miller Education Foundation on 1300 103 896 or email
[email protected]