Guide to applying for a BIT Co-operative Scholarship

When it comes to attending an interview for the BIT, there’s no one winning formula. The good news? We want you to come in and be yourself. The interview is all about demonstrating the things that set you apart from other applicants. Your skills. Your aspirations. Your interests beyond the classroom.

Some key things we’re looking for in your application

Lead the way

Yes, the BIT is an IT degree – but it’s not just an IT degree. In fact, our sponsors have more interest in leadership and management capabilities than in, say, technical brilliance. In the interview, we want to see your leadership potential. Think about sharing some real-life examples: did you take the lead on a school project? Captain your sports team? Run a business alongside your studies? Tell us what you did and how you did it.

An impressive score

Your grades and ATAR are an important component of your BIT application. However, it’s not the end of the world if you faced some academic setbacks along the way. Be open about your experiences, and tell us what you did to overcome these challenges. A little bit of resilience goes a long way.

Talking the talk

Communication and interpersonal skills are critical to your success, no matter what sort of career you pursue. Are you friendly, personable, calm under pressure? Can you make your point clearly and succinctly, and engage effectively with a variety of people? Future leaders are good with people and can communicate effectively with lots of different personality types.

Life beyond the classroom

Yes, you need a strong academic record to be considered for the BIT – but we’re looking for more than that. Have you been involved in school council, music, community work or sport? We want to see your initiative, energy and passion for the world beyond your studies. You’ll also be asked to provide evidence to support your claims (where possible). If you’ve played a team sport, tell us about your club and the role you play. If you’ve volunteered with a community organisation, give details about what you did and why you wanted to get involved.

Working it

Work experience is a great way of demonstrating that you’re ahead of the curve when it comes to professional attributes. Applicants with work experience generally have a better understanding of how organisations work and how IT fits within them. We want to know what you did, where you did it and what you learnt, so get ready to share the details.

A passion for IT

Previous IT experience isn’t compulsory, but it’ll stand you in good stead. Applicants with some IT experience perform better in the course than those without. If you’ve studied an IT-related subject at school, or applied technology in interesting ways at school, work or home, tell us about it. No previous IT involvement? Tell us about your passion for technology and the role you see it playing in your future career instead.

Planning to take a year off between high school and university? You should still consider applying and interviewing for the BIT in the year you finish school. If shortlisted, you can then request that your application is reconsidered as part of the following year’s intake. This means you will need to to attend an interview during your gap year. 

Note: This option is only available if you’ve been short-listed.

Deferring the BIT can be tricky. We rely on our sponsors to provide scholarships, industry placements and other essential elements of the course every year. This means we can’t predict how many sponsored places will be available from one year to the next. If you’ve attended an interview, you could consider requesting that your application and interview report be considered in the following year’s BIT intake. Keep in mind, there are no guarantees that you’ll be successful.