Students from regional and remote Queensland now have the opportunity to receive a scholarship to support their studies at James Cook University.
Applications are open for the 2026 QCoal Foundation Scholarship, offering $10,000 per year for three years, a total of $30,000, to one undergraduate student.
Now in its 11th year, the scholarship is designed to ease the financial pressures of full-time study and relocation, making university more accessible for students outside major centres.
For 2025 recipient Ashlee Browning, from Tolga on the Atherton Tablelands, the scholarship was a deciding factor in her move to Townsville to study Geology at JCU.
“This scholarship was a key factor in encouraging me to go to university in the first place, because originally I didn’t want to relocate,” Ms Browning said.
“It’s a big deal moving from a small town to a city, and the scholarship really took away a lot of the financial burden – and with that, a lot of the stress.
“Now it’s given me more time to settle in, make friends, and enjoy uni life, because I don’t have to work as much. It’s taken so much pressure off paying for accommodation and fees.”
QCoal Foundation CEO Sylvia Bhatia said the program is about more than financial assistance, it’s about backing students who will become future leaders in regional communities.
Applications close January 16, 2026.
