NOVEMBER 12, 2018: THERE will be more opportunities for regional students to go to university with the Morrison Government providing an additional $34.1 million for scholarships. What that means locally is that CQ University will have an additional 165 Commonwealth Support places next year, growing to 193 for each of the three years following.The scholarships of up to $18,000 are to support students wanting to study courses such as science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM), which are particularly relevant to our region, and students can get applications in soon, as Round 2 applications close on December 14.Over the 4 years (2019-2022) this student boost for CQ University equates to about $9.1m in additional Commonwealth funding to support students studying in northern Australia (most of whom are in central and north Qld).Eligible qualification levels include Cert IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Bachelor Degree, Honours, Graduate Diploma, Masters Degree, or Doctorate.New guidelines will also make it easier for drought-affected students to apply, including families receiving the Farm Household Allowance.Every Australian should have access to our world-leading higher education system, no matter where they live, and that is why we have more than doubled the number of STEM scholarships for regional and remote students.Overall the Morrison Government is funding an additional 1,995 scholarships through the Rural and Regional Enterprise Scholarships program, on top of the 1,200 scholarships that are currently available.I encourage every student in the Dawson electorate who wants to pursue a tertiary qualification in the STEM field to consider applying for a scholarship in this expanded program.For more information, including on how to apply, visit https://www.education.gov.au/rural-and-regional-enterprise-scholarships or https://www.qtac.edu.au/scholarships