Who is eligible to apply for the Psychology Graduate Scholarship Program?

An applicant will have completed or will be completing a 4-year sequence of APAC accredited psychology studies and be eligible to apply for the Master of Professional Psychology (School Psychology).

For applicants completing fourth year in 2026, entry into the 2027 program will be dependent on successfully completing the fourth year of study.

Can a teacher apply for the Psychology Graduate Scholarship Program?

Scholarships are available for teachers to retrain as school counsellors, however if a teacher wishes to apply for the Psychology Graduate Scholarship Program, they can, and at the end of their studies they will be appointed as a school counsellor. For teacher retraining pathways, please see the school counsellor retraining page.

What is the difference between a school psychologist and school counsellor?

Both school counsellors and school psychologists provide psychological support to students and are part of the same School Counselling Service.

School counsellors hold an initial teacher education degree and are employed under the Teachers Award, while school psychologists are employed under the Government Sector Employment Act.

Where can applicants find a list of programs of study that are APAC accredited?

The department does not endorse individual programs of study. It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure their studies are APAC-accredited.

For a list of approved sequences of study, visit the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) website. Information on approved sequences of study including details on the required years of psychological study is also available on the Psychology Board of Australia’s Approved Programs of Study page.

Can an applicant apply if they are still studying?

Yes, if their current studies will successfully be completed prior to the end of the 2026 calendar year and they meet the eligibility criteria.

What are the commitments of a scholarship recipient?

Successful applicants are required to sign a scholarship agreement with the department, committing them to:

• successfully complete the required studies and training
• accepting an appointment as a permanent full-time school psychologist to a NSW public school in one of the locations aligned with their Scholarship Agreement, upon completion of the required studies and training
• remaining appointed in the permanent full-time school psychologist position for a minimum period of 3 years
• attaining and maintaining General Registration as a psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia.

Can a scholarship recipient work as a provisional psychologist while they are studying?

While a scholar is studying the Master of Professional Psychology (School Psychology) they cannot be engaged as a school psychologist with the department. There may be opportunity to commence working as a school psychologist from Term 4, following the completion of their academic studies and professional placement at the end of Term 3.

When do applications open?

Applications open on 25 May 2026 and will close on 3 July 2026. Outside the application period, applicants will be able to sign up to receive email notifications of when future applications open.

What does the application process involve?

During the application period, an 'Apply now' button will be available on the School Counselling Service Scholarships webpage. Outside the application period, anyone interested in the program is invited to register for updates to be notified when future applications open.

The application form is a writable/interactive PDF with fields that can be filled in without PDF-editing software. The PDF can be opened and filled in using the Forms tool in most PDF viewers, including Acrobat, Chrome and Bluebeam.

What is the university application process for the Master of Professional Psychology (School Psychology)?

The Master of Professional Psychology (School Psychology) is a program developed for the department’s scholarship recipients only and is run by Charles Sturt University.

Eligible scholarship applicants will be invited to apply in Term 3, 2026.

In addition to the department’s scholarship recruitment processes, applicants must meet the university’s admission requirements. These are assessments of personal suitability to undertake professional practice as a psychologist and are evaluated through interview, referee reports and a review of APAC-accredited psychology studies.

Who should provide the referee supporting statements as part of the application?

The primary referee supporting statement should be completed by the applicant’s current work place supervisor they have worked with within the last 12 months.

The referee's supporting statement should be completed by a person who knows the applicant in a professional capacity, not personally, and is able to speak to their suitability for the role of a school psychologist.

If the applicant currently works in schools, their primary referee should be their principal.

If the applicant is not currently working, the primary referee should be someone who can comment on the applicant’s professional work and capabilities as a future psychologist, for example a thesis supervisor, or psychology related work place supervisor.

Applicants should advise their referees they may be called upon to provide a further written or verbal reference.

When should the scholarship application be submitted?

Applicants are encouraged to commence and submit their application as early as possible during the application period.

How will an applicant know their application has been received?

Applicants will receive an acknowledgement email within 48 hours of the submission of their application. Copies of all emails should be retained for their records.

If a confirmation email isn’t received, please email the department's Student Wellbeing Recruitment team via swr@det.nsw.edu.au.

All correspondence after the initial application acknowledgment will be sent to the email address provided as part of the application and not the email address the application was submitted from.

Will late applications be accepted?

No, incomplete or late applications will not be accepted. All required supporting documents must be provided at the time the application is submitted.

If the required supporting documents are not included, the application may not progress through to the assessment stage.

Will successful and unsuccessful applicants be notified of the outcome?

Yes. Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified of the outcome via email once the selection process is completed.

If an applicant changes their contact details, they should email their updated details to the Student Wellbeing Recruitment team via swr@det.nsw.edu.au.

If an applicant has been unsuccessful, can feedback be requested?

Yes, feedback can be requested by contacting the Student Wellbeing Recruitment team via swr@det.nsw.edu.au. The team will endeavour to provide feedback as soon as possible.

What does the selection process involve?

The selection process is a three-part process which includes written application shortlisting, live assessment using the Microsoft 360 Teams platform and final selection.

Meeting the eligibility criteria is the first step of the selection process. Applicants will initially have their application reviewed for eligibility. This is followed by a review of the responses to the application questions, supporting statements, academic record to date and the School Staffing Areas that have been nominated. If the applicant is successful at the shortlisting stage, they will be invited to attend an online live assessment.

Final selection will be based on their application including nominated staffing areas, live assessment outcomes, academic results to date and university requirements.

Invitations to attend a live assessment will be sent via email from a department email address. Applicants should check junk/spam folders to ensure they don't miss this advice.

The application process is a merit selection process. Meeting the eligibility criteria is the first step of the selection process.

Priority will be given to applicants prepared to work in rural NSW.

Is the application process a merit selection process?

The application process may be referred to as a merit selection process, meaning that selection decisions are based on the merits of applicants. It is not a merit selection process governed by the Staffing Procedure or Merit Selection Procedure used when filling teaching positions in NSW public schools.

When will applicants find out if they have been successful in being offered a scholarship?

Scholarships will be offered to successful applicants by the end of the 2026 school year, for entry into the program from the start of Term 1, 2027. Please note that academic studies under the Master of Professional Psychology (School Psychology) will commence prior to the university’s semester commencement.

How does an applicant know if they have received the academic mark required for entry into the Master of Professional Psychology (School Psychology)?

Applicants should have received no less than a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 75.

Applicants should discuss their academic records with Charles Sturt University if they have concerns.

Which university will the Master of Professional Psychology (School Psychology) be studied at?

Charles Sturt University.

What should an applicant do if their psychology studies are more than 10 years old?

The applicant should refer their enquiry to Charles Sturt University, or the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) to identify if they are required to complete further psychology studies.

Should further studies be required they will not be eligible to apply for the Psychology Graduate Scholarship Program until the additional studies have been completed.

What financial support do successful applicants receive?

The NSW Department of Education pays all tuition and supervision fees related to the Psychology Graduate Scholarship Program.

Recipients also receive a $1,500 textbook allowance on commencement of the program, a $4,000 placement allowance on commencement of their professional placement and an appointment allowance between $3,000 and $10,000 (depending on high priority or priority appointment location) on entry on duty to their appointed school in Term 1, 2028.

What is the commencing salary of a school psychologist?

School Psychologists are paid a very competitive salary. A school psychologist with provisional registration will commence on $104,156 (as at January 2027).

Further information regarding salaries can be found on the department’s Industrial Relations Service webpage.

What are the promotional opportunities for a school psychologist?

Salary progresses to $160,983 for school psychologists who choose to apply for and successfully attain Advanced Certification. Salaries for promotional positions are $174,034 for senior psychologists education and $178,811 for leaders psychology practice (salaries correct as at May 2026).

Are there any tax implications applicants should be aware of if they are successful in obtaining a scholarship?

When the department provides scholarship recipients with benefits, there may be a Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) implication.

Where the department incurs FBT for benefits provided to scholarship recipients, the Commonwealth requires certain benefits to be disclosed on the individual employee’s payment summary. This is known as a Reportable Fringe Benefit Amount (RFBA). Scholarship recipients will not have an income tax or FBT liability when they have an RFBA on their payment summary. However, the amount is used to access eligibility for other Commonwealth benefits and obligations, for example the Medicare levy.

Applicants may refer to the Australian Tax Office website at www.ato.gov.au for further advice.

How are scholarship recipients appointed?

Scholarship recipients are appointed in line with their Scholarship Agreement, in areas of workforce need.

Applicants should be aware that appointments are not based on their current residential location.

It is recommended that applicants consider the potential implications of an appointment which is not within driving distance.

Appointments to rural areas in NSW will be prioritised.

When do scholarship recipients find out which school they have been appointed to?

School psychologists work across all school settings from pre-school to high school. Regardless of their experience, they can expect to support children across all settings.

The Student Wellbeing Recruitment team will commence contacting scholarship recipients from Term 2 in their final year of study.

In some circumstances, the appointment may not be advised until prior to the commencement of Term 1 of their appointment year, with flexibility given to any relocation arrangements.

What schools are included in the areas nominated as part of the scholarship application?

NSW public schools are grouped into geographic staffing areas. Applicants should familiarise themselves with the schools located within each 'staffing area' in the NSW public schools by staffing area spreadsheet.

Priority will be given to applicants with an interest in working as a school psychologist in rural and remote NSW public schools.

What are the geographic areas of workforce need?

The areas of workforce need are listed in the application form.

Applicants should familiarise themselves with the schools located within each 'staffing area' in the NSW public schools by staffing area spreadsheet.

Priority will be given to applicants with an interest in working as a school counsellor in rural and remote NSW public schools.

Do scholarship recipients who are appointed to rural or remote areas receive the same benefits and/or incentives that are available to the other school psychologists in that location?

Yes. On completion of the Psychology Graduate Scholarship Program and appointment to a permanent position, scholarship recipients may be eligible for a wide range of benefits and incentives. The benefits vary from school to school.

Use the benefits calculator to find out about the benefits and incentives that are available to school-based employees at individual schools.