Outbound Mobility Student Internationalisation Fund Terms & Conditions
Outbound Mobility: Student Internationalisation Fund Terms and Conditions
1. Definitions
“applicant” means a person making an application for funding through the Student Internationalisation Fund
“activity” or “overseas activity” means the activity for which the applicant is seeking funding from the Student Internationalisation Fund
“exchange” means a semester-long or short-term period of study undertaken at a partner institution administered by Macquarie International and for which credit towards the student’s activity will be granted towards the student’s Macquarie qualification
“host university” is a partner institution at which a student participates in an exchange
“Partner” means a university in a country other than Australia with which Macquarie University has signed a formal document of co-operation, as noted in the ‘Partner Directory’ which can be found at the following web page: http://www.international.mq.edu.au/abroad/partners/partner_directory.aspx
“student” or “students” means a currently-enrolled student or students at Macquarie University
“mobility scholarship” means a sum of money awarded through the Student Internationalisation Fund to an applicant to assist with the undertaking of that applicant’s proposed overseas activity
2. General information
2.1. Macquarie Abroad within Macquarie International is responsible for the administration of all student mobility programs and the Student Internationalisation Fund.
2.2. There are three categories of mobility scholarship:
2.2.1 Semester-long exchange mobility scholarship;
2.2.2 Short-term exchange mobility scholarship; and
2.2.3 General mobility scholarship.
2.3. Macquarie University Students are eligible for a maximum of two (2) mobility scholarships from the Student Internationalisation Fund.
2.4. Macquarie University Students applying for the Student Exchange Program are not required to submit an application for a mobility scholarship. Every successful Macquarie University Student Exchange Program applicant student will automatically be considered for a travel grant.
2.5. Applications for funding will be considered in order of the commencement date of each proposed activity. Where an applicant makes two concurrent applications for funding, the activity which commences earliest will be considered to be the first activity.
2.6. Students awarded mobility scholarships are expected to be ambassadors of Macquarie University during their time overseas. Activities students agree to participate in as a condition of receiving a scholarship include, but are not limited to participating in activities at the host campus and assisting in the promotion of Macquarie University programs.
2.7. Students awarded mobility scholarships must abide by the rules and regulations of the host campus, community, and country.
2.8. Under no circumstances will a student be guaranteed a place on any particular program nor will any student be guaranteed to receive funding from the Student Internationalisation Fund until such time as formal approval of an application is given to the student by Macquarie International.
2.9. The award of a mobility scholarship does not give or imply approval for credit transfer towards the applicant’s Macquarie University qualification.
2.10. The Executive Director, Macquarie International, or his or her delegate, reserves the right to decline any application or withdraw the offer of mobility scholarship funding from any applicant who in his or her opinion would not represent Macquarie University appropriately overseas.
2.11. Final approval for funding is at the discretion of the Executive Director, Macquarie International or his or her delegate.
2.12. This policy is effective from 1st April 2011.
3.
Eligibility
3.1. Mobility scholarships may be provided for exchanges, internships, volunteering, conferences where the applicant is officially endorsed by Macquarie University as a representative, language study, research, officially endorsed Global Leadership Programs, study tours, or other activities related to a student’s study at Macquarie University.
3.2. International, full-degree students are eligible to participate in all programs, provided that they are not located in the applicant’s home country.
3.3. HDR students may apply for a mobility scholarship for overseas activities not related to their research, in the categories noted in clause 3.1 above.
3.4. Applicants must be enrolled in a relevant Macquarie University degree award program at the time of application and also at the time of travel.
3.5 Students must have a satisfactory level of academic achievement with a Macquarie University GPA of 2.0 or higher. For students participating in exchange programs (semester-long and short-term), a Macquarie University GPA of 2.5 or higher is required.
3.6. Students must have successfully completed a minimum of eighteen (18) credit points towards their Macquarie qualification by the time they participate in their overseas activity.
3.7. Students must be enrolled in at least one (1) unit of study at Macquarie University the semester before they participate in an international activity
3.8. External Macquarie students are eligible for funding from the Student Internationalisation Fund under the same conditions as those outlined in this policy, with the additional provision that funding will not be awarded for activities which take place in the country in which they reside.
3.9. Applicants for a scholarship to participate in internship or volunteer activity must provide proof that their activity involves at least 100 hours of work and is of at least three weeks’ duration.
3.10. Applicants for a scholarship to support participation in an internship must contact the internship section of Macquarie International at internships@mq.edu.au to have their proposed program provisionally approved before submitting an application for a mobility scholarship. Applicants must provide an official letter of offer of an internship place which details the work to be undertaken, the total number of hours to be worked, the dates of employment and whether any remuneration is to be provided by the host organisation.
3.11. Applicants for a grant to support participation in an independent volunteer activity (i.e., an activity not organised by PACE International) must contact PACE International at paceinternational@mq.edu.au to have their proposed program provisionally approved before submitting an application for a mobility scholarship. Applicants must provide an official letter of offer of a place on a volunteering program which details the work to be undertaken, the total number of hours to be worked, and the dates of engagement in the program.
3.12. International activities being facilitated by a Macquarie University academic department must be clearly indicated in the application by providing the title and unit code for the overseas program. The academic reference accompanying these applications must be written by the Macquarie academic convener of the overseas program.
3.13. All applicants must take out approved travel and health insurance for the duration of the overseas activity. In order to be approved, travel and health insurance must include:
3.13.1. Unlimited medical expenses;
3.13.2. At least AU$1,000,000 (one million dollars) medical evacuation costs and AU$100,000 (one hundred thousand dollars) repatriation costs; and
3.13.3. At least AU$2,500,000 (two million five hundred thousand dollars) in personal liability insurance.
3.14. Mobility scholarships are not awarded for activities that take place in regions that are currently listed as ‘Reconsider your need to travel’ or ‘Do not travel’ by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the Smartraveller website: http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/
3.15. Volunteer activities undertaken through Macquarie University’s community engagement department, PACE International, are not eligible for funding under the Student Internationalisation Fund. Funding is available through the Participation Grant scheme for PACE International activities.
3.16. Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are not eligible for funding through the Student Internationalisation Fund for activity which is related to their research. All mobility scholarship applications by HDR students must be lodged with Macquarie Faculties, either for Faculty HDR mobility scholarships, or for the University’s Postgraduate Research Fund (PGRF).
3.17. Non-award students and students undertaking a certificate of languages without undertaking a concurrent MQ degree are not eligible for funding of any description through the Student Internationalisation Fund.
3.18. Students who have completed their degree requirements, or will complete their requirements the semester before participating in their overseas activity, are not eligible for funding for overseas activities, unless under special arrangements for dual degree programs.
4. Applying
4.1. Applications must be submitted using the Macquarie International online application system. Applications can be submitted at: http://www.international.mq.edu.au/goingabroad
4.2. Individual applications are required for each proposed activity. Two separate activities will not be assessed within one application.
4.3. All mobility scholarship applications must be submitted prior to the departure date of the activity. mobility scholarships are not given retrospectively.
4.4. Only complete applications will be reviewed. Applicants who have submitted an incomplete application will be notified by email to their Macquarie student email account and will be required to provide outstanding documentation as required. Such applications will be assessed in the next round of mobility scholarships provided all required documentation has been received by that submission deadline as described in Clause 4.6 below.
4.5. Incomplete applications will automatically be rejected should requested references, proof of suitable enrolment, or any other required information or documentation not be received within three (3) months of the request being submitted.
4.6. The deadline by which mobility scholarship applications must be received is the 15th of each month. Applications which are incomplete as of the 15th of a particular month will not be considered until the 15th of the following month as described in clause 4.4 above.
5.
Student Responsibilities
5.1. Researching and applying for visas for other countries, and compliance with Australian student visa conditions for full-degree international students, are the responsibility of the applicant. Applicants should consult with the relevant embassy or DIAC for information.
5.2. Applicants are responsible for confirming credit transfer arrangements, where appropriate, with the relevant academic department. Macquarie Abroad will provide general assistance, but will not be held responsible for credit transfer or requirements related to a student’s degree requirements.
5.3. Applicants must provide a reference from a current Macquarie University academic supporting the mobility scholarship application. The applicant’s indicated referee will be asked to provide the reference through an automatically-generated email sent by Macquarie International at the time of submission of the application.
5.4. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their referees provide references by the deadlines as described in clause 4 above. Should appropriate references not be received by the final deadline as described in clause 4.5 above the application will be rejected.
5.5. All costs of participating in overseas activity including but not limited to airfares, accommodation, conference fees, visas, cultural activities and study materials are to be paid by the applicant.
6.
Delivery of Grant
6.1. Successful mobility scholarship applicants are responsible for arranging payment by supplying, on request, their banking details to Macquarie International.
6.2. Macquarie International will advise successful applicants of the date by which their banking details are required. Should an applicant not supply their banking details by the date advised the grant will not be paid until the following month, provided the banking details have been supplied by that time.
6.3. Mobility scholarships will be paid by Electronic Funds Transfer in Australian dollars into Australian bank accounts only.
7. Completion of Activity
7.1. Students participating in overseas activities are required to submit a report to Macquarie International which confirms the successful completion of the activity. Documents which may form a part of this report may include a letter of confirmation of successful completion from an organisation, conference attendee certification, academic transcript or other suitable materials. The report is required to be filed with Macquarie International within four (4) weeks of the completion of the activity.
7.2. Applicants who do not successfully complete their activity or whose activity is cancelled following the payment of a mobility scholarship are required to pay the full amount of the mobility scholarship back to Macquarie International. Macquarie International reserves the right to place a sanction on the applicant’s student account until repayment has been made.
8.
Level of Funding
8.1. Current levels of funding, in Australian dollars, are:
|
Region |
Scholarship amount |
|
Africa, Continental Europe, Japan, Korea, Middle East, South America |
$1,500 |
|
Canada, Ireland, Mexico, UK, USA |
$1,000 |
|
Asia not listed above, Pacific |
$500 |
8.2. Levels of funding are subject to change and are not guaranteed.
8.3. Students undertaking an activity as a compulsory part of a Macquarie University unit in which they are enrolled will be awarded an extra $500.
8.4. Where students are sponsored by an employer or another organisation for all or any part of the overseas activity they must declare this source of funding in their mobility scholarship application and mobility scholarships will be adjusted accordingly. The University may ask students to complete a statutory declaration as verification of this.