Applying for VTAC Equity Schemes and Scholarships (formerly SEAS)
Updated August 2026
PLEASE NOTE: VTAC Equity Schemes and Scholarships application was called SEAS (Special Entry Access Scheme) up until 2025.
All students will now be assessed based on personal information and location included as part of their VTAC application regardless of whether they submit an Equity Schemes and Scholarships Application.
If you're applying for tertiary courses through VTAC and circumstances have affected your education, you may be eligible to have those circumstances considered through the Equity Schemes and Scholarships application. As the new name suggests, you can also use the application to apply for scholarships.
What happened to SEAS?
In the past, submitting a SEAS (Special Entry Access Scheme) application was the way that students let VTAC and universities know if something had been happening in their life that had made it difficult for them to study and prepare for assessment as well as they would have liked to. In 2026, VTAC has merged their SEAS application and Scholarships application into one - the Equity Schemes and Scholarship application.
What is VTAC’s Equity Schemes and Scholarships Application?
In Victoria, once you have submitted your VTAC application, you will be able to apply for Equity Schemes and Scholarships through your VTAC account. This is the way for you to let VTAC know how you have been affected by circumstances beyond your control. VTAC will assess your application and, if they agree that you’ve been adversely affected, they will add points to your aggregate, so you will end up with a new selection rank to be used by the tertiary institutions who recognise the equity scheme. You won’t find out whether or not your application has been successful, or how much your selection rank was adjusted by.
Do I need to submit an Equity Schemes and scholarships application?
You only need to submit an application if you have been adversely affected in some way throughout VCE. All students (whether they submit an application or not) will be considered based on their personal information and location because that information already forms part of your VTAC application.
Once you’ve created your VTAC application and put some courses into your preference list, you’ll be able to submit a Equity Schemes and Scholarship application.
What circumstances can be considered?
There are several categories that you can apply for within your Equity Schemes and Scholarships application
Financial Hardship
This category takes into account how your studies might have been affected if your family is disadvantaged financially. If you or your parent or guardian receive a benefit from Centrelink you can apply for this category and use the payment as evidence, however you don’t need to be receiving a benefit from Centrelink to be eligible.
Living with a Disability or Medical Condition
This category looks at how a disability or medical condition has affected your education. Examples of conditions that are eligible are neurodevelopmental disorders, physical disabilities, neurological disabilities, and vision, hearing or language impairments. If a condition has had a negative effect on your education, you should apply under this category.
Difficult Family or Life Circumstances
This category takes into account circumstances such as being a refugee or asylum seeker, family difficulties like the illness or death of a family member or the separation of parents, bullying or any form of abuse, and any other circumstance that is beyond your control and over and above what most students have to cope with.
How does the Equity Schemes and Scholarship application affect my course application?
On results day, you will get your ATAR, and that doesn’t change. However, your selection rank for a particular course can change in two ways: due to an Equity Schemes and Scholarship application, or in some cases because you have achieved a particular result in related subjects. These subjects will be listed in the entry requirements on the course page under “Subject adjustments”.
It’s important to understand that your selection rank for a course can only ever be higher that the ATAR you receive on results day.
If your Equity Schemes and Scholarship Application is successful, VTAC will decide how many points will be added to your aggregate based on the severity of the disadvantage you have experienced. This aggregate is then converted back into a ranking, which is your selection rank.
Because different universities, and even different courses within the same university, use the Equity Schemes and Scholarships application differently, you will not be advised whether or not your application was successful or what your selection rank is for any of the courses on your preference list.
what evidence will you need?
For each of the categories it depends on your exact circumstances, but in most cases you need to supply an impact statement by you and a support statement from someone not related to you who is over 21 and has an understanding of what’s been happening, for example a medical professional, councillor, teacher or family friend. The main focus of both statements is how the circumstances have affected your education, so you need to explain how or why you’ve been unable to study effectively, whether you had to miss a lot of classes, anything that made it difficult for you to do as well at school as you would have liked.
What should you include in your impact statement?
Whether you’re writing your own statement or you are asking someone else to complete one for you, the focus always needs to be on how it will affect your education.
For example, if you have recently been diagnosed with ADHD, you need to state that clearly, but then go on to explain how it made it harder for you at school than for other students in Year 12.
This might include evidence like:
You had to miss school to be assessed and receive advice from doctors
You found it difficult to maintain concentration during long study sessions
You had to adjust to different medications until you found the one that worked best for you, which initially made it more difficult to concentrate in class, take effective notes, etc
VTAC will focus more on what disadvantage the circumstance created for you than what the actual disadvantage was itself, so you need to explain clearly how it affected you.
Applying for scholarships through vtac
Students have always been able to apply for some scholarships available through VTAC, and now it is part of the Equity Schemes and Scholarships application. Please note that there are other scholarships available directly via the different institutions, or other organisations in your community.
You’ll need to complete a scholarship benefit statement, where you’ll need to explain how a scholarship will benefit your studies. You can also complete an optional additional statement about community service and leadership if that’s relevant to you.
Frequently Asked Questions about VTAC Equity Schemes and Scholarships
What happened to SEAS?
VTAC Equity Scheme and Scholarship application has replaced SEAS, but it still covers the same educational disadvantages to make sure that everyone is assessed fairly for tertiary courses.
How do I know if I should apply?
If you have suffered any educational disadvantage due to a condition or circumstance, you should submit an Equity Scheme and Scholarship application. VTAC will assess your application and decide whether you’re eligible or not. Make sure that you focus your application on the educational disadvantage, don’t just outline the circumstance.
What counts as educational disadvantage?
An educational disadvantage is anything that stopped you from having the same educational experience as other people doing VCE that year. It could involve things like not being able to attend class, not being able to concentrate to study affectively for SACs and exams, or not having access to learning equipment and technology. If you feel that others had an advantage that you didn’t due to a condition or circumstance that you have suffered, then you should apply.
Please note: If you think you should apply for the Equity Scheme, make sure you head to the VTAC website to get all of the up-to-date information about how to apply for each of the categories, and if you’re still not sure, I suggest you check with a teacher or support staff at your school so they can help you. This scheme is there to create some equity and recognition for the fact that some students have more to overcome than others when it comes to school, so if you’re eligible make sure you get the assistance you need.
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