What is UNSW Startup Year?
The Government wants you to launch your startup!
To help you see if this is the right opportunity for you, let’s break down it down.
What is UNSW Startup Year?
UNSW Startup Year is a set to redefine the landscape of Australian entrepreneurship. The year-long entrepreneurial program is designed to help you launch your startup with as much support as possible.
The UNSW Startup Year is a practical and immersive post graduate accreditiation dedicated to building entrepreneurial skills and launching your startup.
It offers a unique pathway for graduates from across Australia with aspirations to build, launch and grow their ideas. Upon successful completion of this program, students will have grown their startup and be awarded a Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship.
Why now?
In June 2023 federal government created a unique loan, called STARTUP HELP - to launch your startup. This is a promise to nurture innovation, fuel economic growth, and foster a generation of entrepreneurs equipped to tackle the challenges of the ever-evolving business landscape.
This allowed for the UNSW Startup Year to launch in 2024 to help young Australians bring their ideas to life. Eligible students will be able to access a new form of Higher Education Loan Program assistance, STARTUP-HELP and participate in a higher education-based entrepreneurship course.
What is STARTUP-HELP?
If you participate in a Startup Year course, you might be eligable to get a STARTUP-HELP loan to pay for your studies.
STARTUP-HELP assistance is a loan from the Australian Government available to eligible individuals to participate in a Startup Year course at Australian Universities and University Colleges - think of it as a dedicated startup HECS loan. These places are not subsidised by the Commonwealth, but eligible students may use a STARTUP-HELP loan to pay their Startup Year course fees. The loan does not cover costs such as accommodation, laptops, textbooks, or capital for startup businesses.
The Fine Print
The Department of Education goes into finer detail on their website, that although it isn’t a grant program, it’s a HELP loan – similar to the ones you take out for your studies at uni:
“The Startup Year program is not a government grant program; it offers an income-contingent loan (STARTUP-HELP) which is similar to other HELP loans which allows students to defer any course fees associated with a Startup Year course. Students selected for STARTUP-HELP places will also be eligible for income support, where they meet other eligibility requirements.” - Startup Year FAQs
Am I eligible?
To be eligible for the UNSW Startup Year Program, you must have:
Completed any recognised degree from an accredited higher education provider in Australia
Achieved a Credit average (65% or higher) in your degree
Be able to participate full time in the year-long program.
a desire to create or join a startup venture.
Be a Domestic Student
To be eligible for the STARTUP-HELP loan, you must meet the above criteria, and if you are a recent graduate, you must have graduated within the last 3 years.
How do I find out more?
View the Handbook: Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship (Startup Year)
Visit Startup Year — UNSW Founders for more information about the UNSW Startup Year Program.
Register for one of our bootcamps to get a taste of the course -> https://unswfounders.com/startup-year
Or simply get in touch via startupyear@unsw.edu.au