Uncle Brian McKinnon (Dodd) Scholarship

This scholarship provides:

• $10,000 per year for up to three years for full-time enrolled students
• $5,000 per year for up to 6 years for part-time enrolled students

It is possible to retain this scholarship if the recipient pathways from a Diploma of Visual Arts to an Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts to a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts).

This scholarship provides:

• $10,000 per year for up to three years for full-time enrolled students
• $5,000 per year for up to 6 years for part-time enrolled students

It is possible to retain this scholarship if the recipient pathways from a Diploma of Visual Arts to an Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts to a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts).

One scholarship available.

One scholarship available.

To be eligible for this scholarship you must:

• identify as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
• be an Australian citizen 
• be enrolling full-time or part-time in semester 1 2025 in one of the following programs:
  • Diploma of Visual Arts (C5414)
  • Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts (C6174)
  • Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) (BP201)
• be able to demonstrate circumstance/s which impact your ability to study such as:
  • receiving a government tested low-income benefit or having a Centrelink Health Care Card
  • living with a disability, long-term medical condition or identify as neurodiverse
  • experiencing personal/family/social difficulties
  • be from an interstate or rural/regional area and moving/moved to Melbourne to study at RMIT
  • have previously/are currently living in foster/kinship care or are a ward of the state
  • be from an under-represented background (i.e. completing secondary school at a School Network Access Program  school)

If no Diploma of Visual Arts/Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Arts students have applied and are awarded this scholarship, the scholarship will awarded to a student who meets all other criteria, has applied via RMIT or VTAC's Access and Equity Scholarship Application for semester 1, 2025, and with a first preference to undertake a Bachelor of Arts program.

To be eligible for this scholarship you must:

• identify as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
• be an Australian citizen 
• be enrolling full-time or part-time in semester 1 2025 in one of the following programs:
  • Diploma of Visual Arts (C5414)
  • Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts (C6174)
  • Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) (BP201)
• be able to demonstrate circumstance/s which impact your ability to study such as:
  • receiving a government tested low-income benefit or having a Centrelink Health Care Card
  • living with a disability, long-term medical condition or identify as neurodiverse
  • experiencing personal/family/social difficulties
  • be from an interstate or rural/regional area and moving/moved to Melbourne to study at RMIT
  • have previously/are currently living in foster/kinship care or are a ward of the state
  • be from an under-represented background (i.e. completing secondary school at a School Network Access Program  school)

If no Diploma of Visual Arts/Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Arts students have applied and are awarded this scholarship, the scholarship will awarded to a student who meets all other criteria, has applied via RMIT or VTAC's Access and Equity Scholarship Application for semester 1, 2025, and with a first preference to undertake a Bachelor of Arts program.

A link to the application form will be made available when the next application round opens. 

Supporting documentation

Depending on your circumstances, you will need to provide different types of evidence and material to support your scholarship application. Applications without supporting documents will not be considered.

You will also need:

• To confirm your Indigenous eligibility with RMIT’s Ngarara Willim Centre  prior to the application close date

• A selection of five examples of your own, original artistic work (.jpeg or .mp3/mp4) (no larger than 1MB (1024KB) formatted to open on MAC hardware).

These can be uploaded directly to your application, or you will need to provide the web link(s) if they have been uploaded to Soundcloud, Vimeo or YouTube.

Please visit Supporting Your Application for more information.

Application questions

It is expected that the online application will take approximately thirty minutes to complete. The main application questions are listed below to allow you time to prepare your answers prior to starting the online application.

• What motivated you to choose your RMIT program? Include the steps you have taken to achieve your educational goals.
• What are your future plans and career aspirations?
• Describe the artistic merit evident in your work.

Find out more about applying for scholarships .

A link to the application form will be made available when the next application round opens. 

Supporting documentation

Depending on your circumstances, you will need to provide different types of evidence and material to support your scholarship application. Applications without supporting documents will not be considered.

You will also need:

• To confirm your Indigenous eligibility with RMIT’s Ngarara Willim Centre  prior to the application close date

• A selection of five examples of your own, original artistic work (.jpeg or .mp3/mp4) (no larger than 1MB (1024KB) formatted to open on MAC hardware).

These can be uploaded directly to your application, or you will need to provide the web link(s) if they have been uploaded to Soundcloud, Vimeo or YouTube.

Please visit Supporting Your Application for more information.

Application questions

It is expected that the online application will take approximately thirty minutes to complete. The main application questions are listed below to allow you time to prepare your answers prior to starting the online application.

• What motivated you to choose your RMIT program? Include the steps you have taken to achieve your educational goals.
• What are your future plans and career aspirations?
• Describe the artistic merit evident in your work.

Find out more about applying for scholarships .

Applications are now closed.

Applications are now closed.

Applications are now closed. The scholarship is next expected to be offered for Semester 1 2027, applications opening August 2026.

Applications are now closed. The scholarship is next expected to be offered for Semester 1 2027, applications opening August 2026.

View the Coursework Scholarships Office’s terms and conditions (PDF, 698KB) .

View the Coursework Scholarships Office’s terms and conditions (PDF, 698KB) .

This scholarship is awarded in honour of respected Elder Uncle Brian McKinnon (Dodd) of Noongar and the Amangu mob of the Yamatji Nation and is funded by the estate of Gerard Driesen.

Uncle Brian was a driven artist of more than 40 years and RMIT School of Art’s inaugural Vice Chancellors Pre-doctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, with his PhD  ‘I Used to Walk so Softly on this Land’. Uncle Brian’s contribution to the fields of contemporary painting, Aboriginal art, and cultural education is significant in terms of his sustained professional practice, but also due to the passion and care he brought to engaging with community while also challenging the colonial legacies of these institutions.  

Uncle Brian was a well-respected community member, colleague, mentor and friend to many staff and students at RMIT and within the Ngarara Willim Centre.

The Uncle Brian McKinnon Memorial scholarship was established to assist a RMIT Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander student with artistic merit who wishes to pursue the arts as a career path.

Image: Brian McKinnon, Source NITV radio

This scholarship is awarded in honour of respected Elder Uncle Brian McKinnon (Dodd) of Noongar and the Amangu mob of the Yamatji Nation and is funded by the estate of Gerard Driesen.

Uncle Brian was a driven artist of more than 40 years and RMIT School of Art’s inaugural Vice Chancellors Pre-doctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, with his PhD  ‘I Used to Walk so Softly on this Land’. Uncle Brian’s contribution to the fields of contemporary painting, Aboriginal art, and cultural education is significant in terms of his sustained professional practice, but also due to the passion and care he brought to engaging with community while also challenging the colonial legacies of these institutions.  

Uncle Brian was a well-respected community member, colleague, mentor and friend to many staff and students at RMIT and within the Ngarara Willim Centre.

The Uncle Brian McKinnon Memorial scholarship was established to assist a RMIT Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander student with artistic merit who wishes to pursue the arts as a career path.

Image: Brian McKinnon, Source NITV radio

Find out how to contact the Coursework Scholarships Office .

Find out how to contact the Coursework Scholarships Office .

Notice to applicants

The scholarship application process is highly competitive with a limited number of scholarships available. Unfortunately, not all eligible applicants will receive one.

Only successful candidates will be notified via email to their RMIT student account.

For information about other financial assistance available to RMIT students, please speak to one of our Student Welfare Advisors .

Notice to applicants

The scholarship application process is highly competitive with a limited number of scholarships available. Unfortunately, not all eligible applicants will receive one.

Only successful candidates will be notified via email to their RMIT student account.

For information about other financial assistance available to RMIT students, please speak to one of our Student Welfare Advisors .