Already an intern
You can apply for ICS
ICS pays a study allowance on top of what you earn on placement. You need a signed internship contract before you apply, and your advisor can help you through it.
Start your expression of interest
Indigenous Cadetship Support (ICS) Scholarship
Indigenous Cadetship Support is a Commonwealth scholarship administered by CareerTrackers on behalf of the National Indigenous Australians Agency. It is open to students in the CareerTrackers program.
Is ICS for you?
ICS is administered through the CareerTrackers program, so where you start depends on where you already are.
Not in the program yet
Join CareerTrackers first
The internship comes first. Register as a student, and once you are placed your advisor will take you through ICS.
Register as a studentWhat is ICS worth?
Up to $7,116.20 a semester, paid fortnightly while you study.
Rates as published in the CareerTrackers ICS Student Info Pack, March 2026.
What lands in your account, and when it starts
Two allowances, paid across the academic year while you study. Both sit on top of what you earn on placement.
Each full semester you may receive ten fortnightly payments of $661.62 as a taxable study allowance, which the Student Info Pack puts at about $562 in hand, plus a $500 tax-free book allowance at the start of the semester. Payments run across the academic calendar year and are there to help cover your living expenses.
If you are approved partway through a semester, your payments may not include back-pay for the fortnights already gone in that semester. Applying early in the semester is worth doing for that reason alone.
Who can apply
ICS is a Commonwealth Government program, so these criteria are set by the National Indigenous Australians Agency and are not ours to waive. The Student Info Pack sets them out in full, and your advisor can talk you through any of them.
- Identify as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- Be enrolled full-time and on campus in your first undergraduate degree at a university in Australia
- Be an Australian resident
- Have signed an employment contract for a minimum of 12 weeks' work per annum
How the application works
Four stages, and the time each one takes varies. We email you as your application moves between them.
Start your expression of interestExpression of interest
Fill in the online form. You can submit it before you have your proof of enrolment — we ask for that before any payments start.
The waiting list
There is a limited number of scholarship placements. If none is free when you apply, you join the queue. New placements open only when a current recipient graduates or opts out, so the end of the year is usually the busiest time.
Commencement advice
When a placement comes free we email you a Commencement Advice Form to sign and return with your enrolment. You have five business days, after which the placement may be offered to the next student on the list.
Final approval
An approval letter confirming your commencement and cessation dates, your payment schedule for the semester and the date of your first payment. Notify Centrelink that you have been approved.
Questions about ICS
Attend CareerTrackers events including LDI, attend all monthly meetings with your advisor, provide your enrolment and transcript each semester, respond to your advisor in a timely manner, complete all your internship requirements and tell your advisor straight away about anything that affects your ability to take part.
Your advisor confirms every fortnight that you still meet these requirements. If they cannot, your payments pause until the ICS Team is satisfied they are being upheld. If the requirements are not met in a timely manner, the ICS Team may cease your payments and reallocate your placement to another student on the waiting list.
It is optional, so do your research before you apply to be sure it is right for you.
One thing to weigh: if you need to relocate for an internship, subsidised travel assistance from us requires that you are receiving ICS. Talk to your advisor if you need that support but ICS would conflict with your financial situation, for example if you are better off continuing to receive ABSTUDY.
The time required for all four stages varies considerably. Check your email regularly, as that is how we most often make contact, and have your information on hand when we ask for it. You will receive automated emails updating you on the status of your application at each stage.
Your ICS payments cease from the moment you defer, whatever the duration, and your placement is reallocated to another student waiting to receive ICS.
When you return to university and your internship you can reapply through the Expression of Interest form. Once processed you rejoin the waiting list until a placement becomes available.
ICS covers the Allowable Time for your specific degree, which is the minimum time required to complete it on a standard full-time load. NIAA allows a one-off extension of up to one year, on the basis that you graduate within those additional 12 months.
Send an Extension Request to ics@careertrackers.org.au as a letter of roughly one page: your new expected graduation date, the units you have completed and have remaining, a detailed explanation of why you are graduating later and the plan now in place. Letters are confidential to the ICS Team and your advisor. Extensions are not guaranteed and depend on position availability, so explore alternatives while yours is processed.
The study allowance component of ICS is taxable, so you receive an email payslip after each payment, as you would in your internship. At the end of the financial year you can access your PAYG summary yourself through myGov. Tell your advisor if your contact details change.
Your advisor first — they can answer questions about the eligibility criteria and help track your application. You can also email the ICS team directly at ics@careertrackers.org.au at any stage.
Before you start, and what happens after you submit
Read the Student Info Pack first. We email you as your application moves through each stage.
As a CareerTrackers intern, you may be eligible to apply for a Scholarship. Before commencing the Expression of Interest, please ensure you have read and understood the Student Info Pack.
Please note that by completing the form below, you are only registering your interest in ICS and it is not a guarantee that your application will be successful. However, to keep you in the loop, our team will notify you via email as your application progresses through each stage of the process. As there is a limited number of ICS Scholarships available each semester, there may be a delay between applying for ICS and when your application is approved.
If you have any questions while completing the form, feel free to contact your Advisor or email us directly at ics@careertrackers.org.au