In response to COVID-19, the 2020 Study Tour went online to become the Aurora Education Foundation's (Aurora) first virtual Study Tour Symposium.

In November 2021, Aurora will host a 3 day Study Tour Symposium, face to face in Sydney. The Symposium will cover meetings with universities you would normally visit on the Study Tour (Berkeley, Harvard and Stanford in the US and Cambridge, London School of Economics, University of London and Oxford in the UK), including the opportunity to arrange academic meetings at these institutions in your specific area of study. Participating in Sydney will grow your network by introducing you to amazing Charlie Perkins and Roberta Sykes alumni and introduce you to the current cohort of Indigenous scholars in the US and UK who will share their study experiences and pathways. Aurora will cover topics such as scholarship opportunities available in Australia to study overseas and host panels to discuss cultural safety, self- determination and systemic change. Ultimately, with their Indigenous mentors on hand every step of the way, the Symposium will help you make better informed decision on pathways for postgraduate opportunities overseas.

Ten years on, the Aurora Study Tour has:

• provided opportunities for over 150 talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to gain insights into the experience of undertaking postgraduate study at premier overseas institutions.
• seen 62 participants go on to apply to study at the universities visited, with 94% being accepted.

Dates for the Sydney Aurora Study Tour Symposium are 17, 18 and 19 November, in person, in Sydney. Successful applicants will have their travel, accommodation and meals covered to participate at the Symposium. When the Study Tour is able to next visit the UK and US, successful applicants for the 2021 Sydney Study Tour Symposium will be invited to participate.

​To be eligible applicants must:

• Identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander;
• Have graduated from your first degree, or have completed at least two years of your undergraduate degree;
• Have a distinction average or an Honours degree;
• Have a strong interest in postgraduate study overseas;
• Be willing to act as an ambassador of the program while overseas and on your return to Australia, committing to 5 Outreach events with school and university students.

​Application Dates:

Applications for the Study Tour are now open and close 15th July 2021

For further information on the Aurora Study Tour, please visit the Aurora Indigenous Scholarships Portal or email the Aurora Scholarships Team on scholarships@aurorafoundation.com.au.

Every step in the process of the Study Tour ... was a journey of massive self-growth for me.
I told myself to embrace the unknown and the discomfort.  I reminded myself, Aurora has selected me, I'm meant to be here and I even made a speech at an event.  Now, when I'm feeling unsure about myself, I think about that night... 'I can do this' was my mantra.

- Danika Watson, 2019 Study Tour Participant

The 2019 Aurora Scholars at Berkeley

Visiting these leading institutions in the US and the UK has had a profound effect on the direction I want to take my postgraduate research... Meeting with people from such diverse backgrounds, including my peers on the Tour, other graduates and the Professors themselves, has opened my eyes to the potential I have and the paths I can take to ensure that I take full advantage of my knowledge and abilities...

- Sarah Bourke, 2012 Study Tour Participant
Sarah went on to study an MPhil then DPhil in Anthropology at Oxford University as a Roberta Sykes Scholar

You can read more about the experience in the words of participants by clicking below:

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2020 Study Tour Reflections

2019 Study Tour Reflections

2018 Study Tour Reflections

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