The Howard-Smith Scholarship

The Howard-Smith Scholarship was established in 2019 to help increase access to musical education and learning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, as well as students from rural and remote areas or disadvantaged backgrounds. It encourages the study of orchestral and classical western instruments by these student populations. The scholarship is funded by a generous gift from Roger Howard-Smith, an alumnus of the University of Sydney. The scholarship is available to full-time students enrolled in coursework or research degrees at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Preference is given to applicants who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, live in rural or remote locations in Australia, experience financial or other hardship, or are studying orchestral and classical western instruments. The scholarship value is determined by the Dean of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is tenable for the normal duration of the student's course, subject to satisfactory academic performance. The scholarship is awarded as either a merit-based or equity scholarship. For merit-based awards, students are automatically considered as part of their admission application. For equity scholarships, a separate application is required through the Conservatorium's equity scholarship portal. Semester 1 applications typically open in February and close in March annually, with potential Semester 2 applications opening in August, subject to available funding.