Passionate about sustainability and ready to grow?
The Wattle Fellowship is looking for you.
Whether you're an artist or engineer, designer or data scientist, policy thinker or grassroots advocate—there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to leadership. If you care about people and our planet and want to grow your skills, confidence and impact, we want to hear from you.
No matter where you are on your leadership journey, you're welcome here. Even if you don’t tick every box—apply anyway. You might be exactly who we’re looking for!
Applications are now closed but you can still sign up to our mailing list.
What You’ll Get
- Access to workshops, retreats and mentoring: all fully funded
- Funding (up to $2,000) to deliver a sustainability Action Project
- Coaching to craft a personal Leadership Development Plan and a sustainability Action Project
- Recognition on your academic transcript
- A lifelong community of changemakers
Equity Grants may be available for students experiencing financial barriers. Additional travel support is provided for students based regionally.
Who Can Apply?
You must be:
- A current University of Melbourne, La Trobe University or Victoria University undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD student
- In good academic standing (no minimum WAM required)
- Enrolled in a degree at the start of the Fellowship (you can graduate during the program)
- Domestic or international, part-time or full-time
If you're currently overseas, you can still apply—just ensure you're in Victoria when the program starts.
How to Apply
Applicants complete written responses to our questions. Shortlisted applicants are invited to a half-day of the Wattle program involving individual interviews and group activities. We also welcome (but do not require) an optional short video, piece of work, or anything else that gives us a better sense of who you are.
What We Look For
We're committed to building a diverse cohort, and we encourage people from all backgrounds and levels of experience to apply. There's no single profile of a Wattle Fellow — our alumni come from medicine, engineering, law, arts, science, and everything in between.
That said, we do look for a few things consistently:
Commitment to sustainability — You care about sustainability issues, and that care shows up in how you think and what you do. You don't need to be an expert but, you need to mean it.
Connection to purpose — You have a sense, even if it's still forming, of why this work matters to you personally. You're not just interested in the topic, you're interested in what you can contribute to it.
A track record of action — You've done something. It doesn't need to be formal or impressive: it might be a student club, a community project, a piece of research, or something you organised yourself. We're looking for people who act on what they believe.
Reflectiveness — You're honest about what you don't know and what you're still learning. You can talk about what went wrong as readily as what went right.
Readiness to be coached and to coach others — You're open to being stretched. You respond to challenge and feedback with curiosity, not defensiveness, and you can sit with discomfort without needing to resolve it too quickly.
Cohort fit — You genuinely champion the people around you: their ideas, their courage, their growth.
Any questions? Please see our FAQ’s or contact us via email at wattle-fellowship@unimelb.edu.au
FAQs
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We’ve designed it to take around 1.5–2 hours. We’d rather you spend that time reflecting honestly than crafting perfect answers.
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Yes. The Wattle Fellowship is open to current students at the University of Melbourne, La Trobe University, and Victoria University for the first time in 2026.
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Yes. The written stage of the application process is online and accommodations can be made if you are unable to attend the in-person selection days. You will need to be in Victoria for the commencement of the program.
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No. While shorter stints away are acceptable, it is important that fellows can attend workshops and retreats in-person wherever possible.
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No. You must be a current University of Melbourne, La Trobe University or Victoria University student to apply.
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Fellows need to be enrolled students when they begin the program. If a student graduates prior to the conclusion of the Wattle Fellowship, they are still eligible if they can continue to fully participate in the program.
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No. However, you do need to be in good Academic Standing.
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Yes.
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Yes. Students who are based at regional campuses may qualify for additional support to cover the cost of travel to and from Melbourne for workshops and events.