Long Tan Bursary

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Children and grandchildren of Vietnam veterans could receive assistance with the cost of education.

On this page

  1. What is the Long Tan Bursary
  2. Eligibility
  3. Apply
  4. Contact
  5. The Battle of Long Tan

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What is the Long Tan Bursary

The Long Tan Bursary helps eligible children and grandchildren of Vietnam veterans pay for their tertiary education.

Each year 37 bursaries are awarded to successful applicants across Australia. Each bursary is worth up to $12,000 over 3 years of continuous full-time study.

The Long Tan Bursary scheme is named after the Battle of Long Tan, the best‑known battle fought by Australians during the Vietnam War.

Australian Veterans' Children Assistance Trust (AVCAT) administers the Long Tan Bursary scheme on behalf of our department.

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Eligibility

To be eligible for a Long Tan Bursary, you must:

  • be the child or grandchild of an Australian veteran who served in the Vietnam War during 31 July 1962 to 30 April 1975
  • have Australian residency status
  • plan to enrol, or be enrolled, in post-secondary education at an Australian University, TAFE College or Registered Training Organisation
  • be studying, or planning to study full time, either online or face-to-face
  • qualify for continuous payment of educational benefits under Youth Allowance or a comparable Commonwealth educational benefit, for example Abstudy or Austudy.

You can only receive this bursary once. You cannot apply again if you have already received this bursary.

The Long Tan Bursary is not available to students undertaking professional training, such as the College of Law. Each course must approved by AVCAT.

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Apply

You can apply on the AVCAT website.

When applications open

18 August. This is in honour of Vietnam Veterans' Day. Applications close on 31 October.

What your application should include

You will need to include:

  • information about yourself, your family situation and the Vietnam veteran you are related to
  • your academic background and referee reports
  • details of your financial means.

You will also need to write a statement on why you feel you should be awarded a Long Tan Bursary.

Assessment of applications

Children of Vietnam veterans will be given first priority over grandchildren of Vietnam veterans.

AVCAT collect and assess the applications as part of its administration of the Long Tan Bursary program. We take no part in the assessment process. All applications are treated with the strictest of confidence.

Applications are assessed on:

  • evidence of academic merit and prospects of successfully completing your study
  • your personal circumstances such as financial need, health and family.

Second degrees

Consideration may be given if you require a second degree to complete your course of study (provided you have not previously received a bursary). This includes a Master’s degree or Doctorate. However, you will have a lower priority than those seeking a base-level qualification.

When you will be notified

If successful, you will be notified early the following year, generally early March. The bursary will be paid to your chosen bank account in monthly instalments over the period of study.

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Contact

If you would like to find out more about the Long Tan Bursary, contact the Australian Veterans' Children Assistance Trust:

Communication with AVCAT is confidential.

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The Battle of Long Tan

The Battle of Long Tan was fought between the Australian Army and Viet Cong (VC) forces on 18 August 1966. They met in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan, about 27 km north-east of Vung Tau, South Vietnam.

The battle occurred when D Company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR), encountered the VC 275 Regiment and elements of the D445 Local Forces Battalion. Other Australian units supported D Company, as well as New Zealand and United States personnel.

In torrential rain, just as daylight was fading, the Australian unit endured 3 hours of intense fighting as they held off an enemy force that outnumbered them 10 to one, until relief arrived.

The Battle of Long Tan was one of the fiercest battles fought by Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War, with 18 Australians killed and 25 wounded. It is often used in Australian officer training as an example of coordinating infantry, artillery, armour and military aviation.

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