Scholarship opportunities for our brightest sparks.

As one of Redlands' most respected private schools, Ormiston College offers limited scholarships to both students already attending Ormiston College, and to students wishing to attend the College.

We only offer scholarships to students who have demonstrated a high degree of excellence in their chosen area, combined with a high degree of personal commitment. For those who are successful, this scholarship reaffirms their level of excellence and our belief in their abilities and potential.

Ormiston College offers high school scholarships in two key areas of excellence:

Academic Excellence Scholarships are awarded to students who perform best in the Scholarship Examination.

General Excellence Scholarships are awarded to students who do well in the Scholarship Examination and demonstrate excellence in areas such as sport, drama, music, debating etc.

Scholarship students set the standard

Winning a scholarship is not only a great affirmation and opportunity, as in many areas of life, it also comes with a level of accountability. Scholarship students are expected and encouraged to be a leader in the academic life of the school, to participate fully in school activities and demonstrate pride and loyalty to the College.

Year 7 Scholarship Opportunities

Ormiston College offers scholarships for academic and general excellence for the Year 7 intake level. To be considered for an academic or general excellence scholarship for Year 7, all applicants must undertake a scholarship examination.

The examination for Year 7 entry scholarships is held in the first quarter of the year before the year of the student’s entry to Ormiston College. To each of our successful scholarship winners, we offer part of their private school fees for the extent of the student’s secondary education at Ormiston College.

Ongoing scholarship support is subject to an annual review to determine how the student has performed throughout the past year both academically and in adhering to and supporting the Ormiston College ethos and community. The annual review for General Excellence scholarship recipients will also consider the student's ongoing performance in their area of excellence.

How are Year 7 Scholarships determined?

• Year 7 scholarships are determined via a scholarship examination, plus
• Evidence contained in a portfolio (for students applying for General Excellence Scholarships), plus
• The student will also participate in a relaxed and informal personal interview with our Headmaster to explore the student’s potential, study and life ethos and hidden attributes.

Candidates for General Excellence Scholarships are required to submit a portfolio demonstrating their achievements and contributions.

Original documents should not be included in portfolios as these cannot be returned.

The portfolio should be concise, formatted to A4-size and comprise:

• a short passage written by the candidate which may include their favourite hobbies and interests in support of his or her application
• Semester 1 and Semester 2 school reports for Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5
• Year 3 and Year 5 NAPLAN test results
• Evidence of the candidate’s achievements and contributions in either sporting or artistic – for example:
  
  
• Sporting Achievements and Contributions:
  
  
  • State and national team selection record
  • Team leadership (captaincy) record
  • Sporting performance capacity and attitude (including a testimonial by an independent party such as a selector or representative team coach)

• Artistic (Visual, Performing and Musical) Ability and Potential:
  
  
  • Awards or study completed in at least one artistic pursuit
  • Level and extent of participation and achievement in performance including pertinent details (e.g. instrument played, lead roles in productions, level of performance etc.).

Understanding the Scholarship Examination Process

Scholarship selection testing is conducted on our behalf by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), a well-known independent schools national research and development organisation that conducts scholarship testing of many thousands of students across Australia and for scholarship entry into private education in Australia. If you apply for more than one school using the scholarship selection-testing program, your child will need to sit more than one test as each school uses a different test and scores are not shared amongst schools. The examination includes a test of general reasoning, reading comprehension, written expression and mathematics. These tests have been intentionally selected to be age appropriate and non-threatening. Most students find the testing is challenging but not traumatising, and some students may even find the experience enjoyable. Practice tests may be purchased from ACER by visiting their website.

When registering, please select the type of scholarship being applied for:

• Academic Scholarship
• General Excellence Scholarship - please select 'Other' and indicate 'General Excellence' and the particular area of specialty (e.g. Sport, Drama, Music, Debating etc.) in the area provided on their website.

Do I need to provide any supporting material?

• Academic Scholarships are awarded based on students' performance in the scholarship examination.
• General Excellence Scholarships are awarded to students who do well in the scholarship examination and also demonstrate excellence in areas such as Sport, Drama, Music, Debating etc. Evidence of achievements must be provided in a concise format in an A4-sized portfolio. Original documents should not be included in portfolios as these cannot be returned.

Where do I send the portfolio?

Portfolios should be forwarded to the Registrar, in person to the College administration office at 97 Dundas Street West, Ormiston, or by mail to Ormiston College, PO Box 1835, Cleveland, QLD 4163, or on or before the Scholarship Examination date.

Register for the Year 7 Scholarship Examination

To be considered for a Year 7 Scholarship, candidates are required to sit a scholarship examination.

The scholarship examination for students entering Year 7 in 2026 will be held on Thursday 6 March 2025.

Registrations for the Year 7 2026 scholarship examination are now open and may be made via the link below. Registrations will close at 11pm AEST on Sunday 16 February 2025. Late registrations cannot be accepted.

Years 8 to 12 Scholarship Opportunities

Discretionary scholarships are also offered to new entry students in Years 8 to 12 demonstrating academic excellence or general excellence (music/sporting/cultural). Applications are invited at any time during the course of the academic year. All scholarship applicants will be required to give evidence of a sound academic record.

Responsibility of Ormiston College Scholarship Winners

While winning a scholarship is not only a great affirmation and opportunity, as in many areas of life, it also comes with a level of accountability. Scholarship students are expected and encouraged to be a leader in the academic life of the school, to participate fully in school activities and demonstrate pride and loyalty to the College. He or she is expected to remain at the College until they graduate from Year 12 (barring extraordinary circumstances); though we have the right to terminate a Scholarship at any time should the student’s academic or personal progress and performance be deemed unacceptable.

Scholarship questions

If you have any further questions regarding the Scholarship Program, please contact our Registrar:

Email: enrolments@ormistoncollege.com.au

Phone: +61 7 3488 6794