New Delhi : Deakin University, Australia, has announced a ‘Deakin In-Country Bursary’ of 30% for students enrolling for studies online in Trimester 3 commencing in November 2020, and Trimester 1 commencing in February 2021. Deakin offers premium quality and continuity for those aspiring to an international education during the pandemic. Based on the latest advice from the Australian government, on-campus classes are expected to commence in July 2021.
When announcing the Bursary, Professor Iain Martin, Vice Chancellor of Deakin University said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the dreams and decisions of many Indian students who planned to study abroad this year. We understand the uncertainty, as well as the economic and safety concerns of students and parents. To help students reach their study goals during these challenging times, Deakin has introduced a 30% in-country bursary for all Indian students enrolling in studies prior to transferring on-campus when the situation improves”.
“Deakin is offering students the opportunity to start their degree online at home through the University’s innovative Cloud Campus. They will then be able to continue and complete their studies in Australia from next year under safe and better conditions,” Professor Martin said.
During the pandemic, while some universities are struggling to switch from on-campus to online teaching and retain their standard of education, the transition for Deakin has been smooth. Professor Martin explained: “We successfully completed our July 2020 intake, and while our number of admissions has been affected like any other global institution, transitioning to a wholly online education was well within our capability. Deakin University is a pioneer in providing quality off-campus learning in Australia since its inception in 1974. Digital is in our DNA, with 40 years of distance and online learning excellence”.
Deakin is ranked eighth worldwide and first in Australia in the first-ever world university rankings based on the performance of MOOC in 2019. Deakin’s fastest growing campus is in the Cloud Campus where over 60,000 students study predominantly online.
Speaking about the Online to On-Campus (O2O) initiative and eligibility to apply for the bursary, Ravneet Pahwa, Deputy Vice President (Global) and CEO (South Asia), Deakin University said, “The courses in the Online to On-campus program enable students to achieve their study goals without interruptions or delays. We also have a very good understanding of the demand for specific fields of study post-COVID, and are providing courses in areas such as data analytics, health, digital communication, public health, health economics, sports, software engineering and many more. Students can start studying online immediately and transfer to on-campus to finish their degree in Australia”.
“Given the current situation, and as students study with us online from their home countries, the 30% tuition fee waiver is a wonderful opportunity for students to pursue their ambitions. Students are eligible for this Bursary if they have achieved 70% and above in their twelfth for enrolment in an Undergraduate (UG) courses and over 55% in their Bachelors for enrolment in a Postgraduate (PG) courses,” Ms. Pahwa said.
In terms of facilities, the O2O students would be provided with access to DeakinSync: a personalised online learning portal where students can interact and collaborate with peers to share notes and other resources. DeakinSync provides students with high-quality audio-visual class material, and live-streamed or downloadable classes and seminars.
Online study is never a lonely experience with Deakin. Discussion boards allow you to interact with classmates, workshop ideas and collaborate on group assignments. The Cloud Campus Facebook group is another place where you can chat, ask questions and expand your network. Deakin’s Study Buddies program is also a great way for Cloud Campus students to connect with others studying similar units.
