Melbourne Girls Grammar offers opportunities for rural and regional students to join our home away from home, a supportive environment where Grammarians thrive.
For 130 years, Melbourne Girls Grammar has welcomed girls from rural, regional, and international backgrounds. Our Boarding House staff provide a friendly and supportive boarding environment where Grammarians thrive, and there is a strong culture based on shared family values. Together, our staff and residents create a home away from home. Boarding provides the experiences to enable each girl to prepare for further study and inspires confidence and independence that will prepare them for the future.
Each year Melbourne Girls Grammar awards Boarding Scholarships based on merit (both academic and in other areas of performance) to rural and regional students for entry into Year 9.
Applications for boarding scholarships are open and will close on 7 February 2025.
We are proud to offer boarding bursaries to rural students entering Years 7-12 who would not ordinarily have the opportunity to attend the School. These are means-tested and provide the financial support to help families transition their daughter from life in the country to living in on-campus accommodation in inner Melbourne.
Applications for boarding bursaries are open and will close in June 2025.
This scholarship is available due to the generosity of Old Grammarian and past boarder, Judy Roach (Westacott, 1948).
This scholarship will next be offered to a boarding student for entry in Year 9 commencing January 2028.
Application for the 2026 Scholarship Program are now open. Please provide your details below and you will receive an email with a link to our online application portal.
Boarding scholarships provide the opportunity for girls from regional Australia to study in Melbourne. Candidates should be able to demonstrate merit in one or more performance areas and/or through their score in the scholarship exam. Boarding Scholarships are available to Australian residents entering Year 9 or 10.
Boarders enjoy the benefits of living away from home, developing independence and joining a community of diverse students from Australia and abroad.
The successful recipients of boarding scholarships will receive the remission of all, or part of, their boarding fees and tuition fees for the duration of their schooling at Melbourne Girls Grammar.
Candidates must submit an application form during the scholarship registration period, from November – early February.
Candidates are required to sit the Australian Academic Services (AAS) test held in February each year and fill a form with questions on their areas of interest /performance. Exam results and application answers are evaluated and a shortlist of candidates contacted for an interview with the Principal. Scholarships are awarded at the sole discretion of the Principal.
Applications for Boarding Scholarships for 2026 are now open.
We are pleased to offer Boarding Bursaries to rural students who would not ordinarily have the opportunity to attend Melbourne Girls Grammar. Bursaries are available to applicants entering Years 7-11 who also require on campus accommodation.
Candidates will be required to demonstrate:
Bursaries provide part remission of residential expenses associated with living on campus and are awarded based on means testing. Bursaries are awarded at the sole discretion of the Principal.
To apply for a rural boarding bursary, please contact the Enrolments Team by phone (03) 9862 9200 or via email to discuss your personal situation in more detail.
The Judy Roach Scholarship for Boarding is a special scholarship, recognising Old Grammarian Judy Roach who attended Melbourne Girls Grammar in the 1940s. The Scholarship provides financial support to cover a large proportion of the costs associated with boarding and tuition at the School over four consecutive years (9 -12).
Judy Roach (Westacott, 1948) commenced at Melbourne Girls Grammar at the beginning of World War 2, boarding at the School from 1943 – 1948. Judy was a country girl from Terang, a small town in the Victorian Western District. Many aspects of boarding life for Judy were starkly different to the environment today, however, the qualities of confidence and resilience instilled in boarders and the lifelong bonds which are built remain unchanged.
Physics and English were Judy’s favourite classes and to this day she recalls the passion of her teachers and the high level of support she received. Outside of class, Judy was a sporty teenager, and was a highly capable tennis and baseball player. In 1948, Judy held the leadership position of Boarding House Prefect within the boarding house, operating as an advocate for her fellow boarders and their needs.
1948 Boarding House Council: Back row Left to Right – Jocelyn Wilkin, Mollie Holman, Barbara Stuart, Catherine Toll, Pauline Anderson. Front Row Left to Right – Beverley Wright, Barbara Dahlenburg (captain), Miss Barratt, Barbara Webb War and Judy Westacott
Judy channeled her passions for science and sport into a career, practising as a physiotherapist for most of her life. At this time, women were expected to relinquish their careers to raise children. Her husband, Ian Roach, who she married in 1958, however, was highly supportive of her career aspirations, and she practised physiotherapy for a remarkable 52 years. Their daughter, Sally Gough (1981) attended Melbourne Girls Grammar, as did their three granddaughters who have continued the legacy of boarding at the School.
Whilst Judy has many fond memories from her association with Melbourne Girls Grammar, the friendships she built during her time in the Boarding House were by far the highlight. These happy memories and lifelong bonds are in part what motivated her to give back to the Melbourne Girls Grammar community through the Judy Roach Scholarship for Boarding. As a couple, Judy and Ian shared a vision that girls’ education was equally important as boys’, and in particular, they wanted to help rectify the unbalanced situation where girls’ schools were less well endowed and commonly overlooked. It is Judy’s hope that this scholarship will provide opportunities for future generations of Grammarians to follow in her footsteps, and develop confidence, resilience, and lifelong bonds at Melbourne Girls Grammar.
The successful recipient of the Judy Roach Scholarship for Boarding will receive 80% remission for both tuition and boarding fees for the duration of her schooling at Melbourne Girls Grammar, from entry in Year 9 through to Year 12.
The three overarching eligibility criteria for the Judy Roach Scholarship for Boarding are as follows:
Candidates for the Judy Roach Scholarship are required to sit the academic examination conducted by Academic Assessment Services (AAS). The examination takes place at Melbourne Girls Grammar.
Candidates will be chosen according to the criteria below. They should:
Short-listed candidates and their parents/guardians will be invited to attend an interview with the Principal at Melbourne Girls Grammar.
Candidates are required to complete an online application form. In addition to this form, each candidate is asked to submit a letter, in her own words, outlining why she would like to study and board at Melbourne Girls Grammar. This letter should also provide examples of her commitment to the School’s core values – courage, integrity, compassion and self-discipline.
As part of the online application, candidates’ families will be required to submit financial records, as well as certified recent school reports and NAPLAN results.