Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students 

Notre Dame is committed to providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with the highest quality educational experience.

Hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have graduated from Notre Dame and gone on to work in medicine, nursing, education, law and many other professional areas. Notre Dame offers a range of services and support to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in their transition to university and success once they’ve settled in. This includes dedicated Indigenous Student Support Officers, an Indigenous mentoring program, scholarships, admissions pathways, private and small-group tutoring, and placement opportunities, among other support.

Notre Dame is proud to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the lands upon which our campuses sit:

• the Fremantle Campus is located on Nyungar Whadjuk Country,
• the Broome Campus on Yawuru Country, and
• the Sydney Campus on Gadigal Country.

• Indigenous Student Support Officers

  Dedicated Indigenous Student Support Officers work to make your time at university as smooth as possible. They’ll contact you prior to your commencement to make sure that you’re properly prepared and to support you throughout your degree. You can contact your Indigenous Student Support Officer about anything, including but not limited to:

  • Enrolment
  • Scholarships
  • Indigenous accommodation
  • One-on-one and small group tutoring
  • Mentoring and traineeship programs
  • Academic support
  • Financial difficulty and Abstudy
  • Cultural support
  • Personal issues affecting your study
  • Any other questions that you might have

  Please see their contact details below.

• Academic support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

  Notre Dame students are offered a range of study support services, including:

  • One-on-one sessions with an Academic Advisor on queries related to study, time management, academic writing, essay structure, referencing, procrastination and more.
  • Regular study skills workshops on a range of topics designed to develop and enhance students’ academic skills.
  • Academic advice and support from experienced academics in each School.

  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are also eligible for ongoing, one-on-one or small group tutoring through the Indigenous Student Success Program (ISSP). Tutoring is free of charge and qualified tutors can be arranged in any discipline.

  For more information, please contact the Indigenous Student Support Officer at indigenous@nd.edu.au.

  If you’d like tutoring in the ISSP tutoring program, please complete the Tutoring Student Application and send it to the appropriate Indigenous Student Support Officer.

  If you’d like to tutor in the ISSP tutoring program, please email us for further information at indigenous@nd.edu.au.

• Scholarships

  A number of scholarships are available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

  You can visit the scholarships page for information about scholarships available in your School, or search for scholarships available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

• Indigenous student employment

  There are occasionally opportunities for students to be employed by the University in the following areas: events, hospitality, food preparation, student panels, high school visits, front counter, data entry/filing.

  To be considered for such roles, please complete the Employment Expression of Interest Form.

• Opportunities

  Pathways into University
  At Notre Dame we know that you're a person, not a number. We consider who you are, what you have done and what you want to do with your life. If you’re looking to study at the University there are a number of pathways available to you. Check out the Pathways page.

  Alternative entry into Medicine
  The Notre Dame School of Medicine provides an alternative entry pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to study Medicine. For more information, visit the Pathways to Medicine page.

  Notre Dame Indigenous Students Society
  The Notre Dame Indigenous Students Society (NDISS) is run by and for Indigenous Notre Dame students. As well as representing Indigenous students on a range of University committees, the Society runs regular events which are a great way to connect with other Indigenous students on campus.

  Want to learn more about the Society? Sign up by completing the Member Registration form and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

  CareerHub
  Don’t wait until your final year to compete with thousands of other graduates. Check out CareerHub and find out what you need to do now to guarantee your professional work opportunities.
  
  For more information about Careers and to speak with a Careers Advisor, visit the Career Service page.

  CareerTrackers
  CareerTrackers links Indigenous university students with employers for paid, multi-year internships. Each student completes internships in uni breaks with one of CareerTrackers’ excellent partner organisations, matched to their career aspirations and their degrees. For more information, see the CareerTrackers website.

  National Indigenous University Games
  Once a year, Indigenous uni students come together to battle it out for sporting supremacy. Mixed teams compete in four sports: touch football, basketball, netball, and volleyball. All Indigenous students are welcome, and no experience is necessary!

  For more information, check out the UniSport website or contact Notre Dame’s Sports Coordinator at fremantle.sports@nd.edu.au.

• Mentoring programs

  All commencing students at Notre Dame are automatically placed in the Student Peer Mentoring Program which links new students with personal student mentors. The program aims to smooth the transition from school (or work) to university.

  In Sydney, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are given the option of participating in the Indigenous Student Mentoring Program. This program includes support from an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander student mentor and several opportunities to meet other first-semester Indigenous students.

• Nulungu Research Institute

  Notre Dame is committed to providing strong support for the process of Reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. To promote and integrate the mission of Reconciliation across all campuses, the University established the Nulungu Research Institute in 2008.

  Located in Broome, Nulungu provides an Indigenous research and academic focus for the entire University – including the Fremantle and Sydney campuses – and operates at local, regional, national and international levels.

  Nulungu encourages the pursuit of excellence in research through valuing community-based Indigenous knowledge. Our research expertise across the team covers a wide range of disciplines. Nulungu focuses on the core research themes of  Culture Country and Language; Transformational Education; Aboriginal Wellbeing; Sustainable Lifeways and Social Justice; and Policy, Practice and Evaluation.

  A key feature of Nulungu’s research approach is our collaboration with national and international academic institutions, teaching and research communities, government and industry - all within an Indigenous context.

  Nulungu has demonstrated the capacity to establish and maintain successful engagement across disciplines and professional fields, secure funding from a range of sources, and complete projects of relevance and priority to Indigenous communities.

• Significant dates

  Throughout the year a number of Aboriginal events are recognised. See a full list on the Significant dates page.

Contact us