Alumni and friends
Join us in building an enduring legacy at UNSW Accommodation.
If you're a proud UNSW alumnus and former resident of our campus colleges, this is your chance to reconnect with old friends and establish new connections. Our mission is to nurture lasting ties between past and present students and their colleges, fostering a sense of community spirit.
We encourage your involvement in various social and cultural events. By reuniting with your college family, you'll strengthen bonds and create opportunities to expand your professional and social networks in a familiar, welcoming environment.
- Giving
- Thank you
UNSW accommodation scholarships
UNSW is committed to providing a high standard of education to students from all backgrounds. One way we do this is by offering accommodation scholarships to students from low-income households.
Moving away from home to a new city and a university of more than 50,000 students can be daunting. Being part of a college community can provide a strong support network and sense of belonging, which can go a long way in helping students succeed.
Accommodation scholarships help students overcome the financial barriers to living in a college. Scholarships can be funded by individuals or groups. A scholarship room will be allocated and named in recognition of a donor or donor group's generosity.
Please contact us to discuss how you can make an impact in the lives of students.
John Holden (Basser 1959)
John Holden presents his cheque to Head of the Kensington Colleges Isabelle Creagh watched by Chris Lewis and UNSW Vice President of Advancement Jennie Lang.
In November 2015, at a small ceremony attended by Basser College students, staff and UNSW personnel, Mr John Holden (Basser 1959) and his son Angus Holden presented a cheque for $600,000 to Basser College.
We are thrilled to announce this fantastic gift, the largest ever given to any of the colleges! This generous endowment will create two lifelong residential scholarships at Basser College. They are intended fo students from rural and remote Australia. We couldn’t be more excited for the opportunities this will provide!
John hails from Grafton and has known Basser since he was the first House President of Basser College in 1959. He attended the college opening, which was officiated by the Governor-General, alongside Adolf Basser. After UNSW, he founded his own manufacturing business, Jord Engineering, which his family still owns and runs.
John explained his reason for giving at the ceremony: “There were 30 people in my final class at school. Many would have succeeded at Sydney or Brisbane universities, but their families couldn’t afford the accommodation fees. People are more affluent nowadays, but many in Australia still struggle. I just felt that I might be able to make a bit of a difference.”
When presented with the cheque, Isabelle Creagh expressed her gratitude, “We’re very grateful to John and his family for their support,” she said. “These scholarships will have a major impact on the lives of many future generations of rural students who otherwise would not be able to attend UNSW and the colleges.”
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Jimmy Koh, one of our earliest Singaporean students, donated $100,000 to Basser College, to support student activity and students in financial hardship.
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Paul Clitheroe and Dr. Chris Barnes from Baxter College have created an opportunity for rural students. They established the generous $100,000 Barnes Clitheroe Baxter Rural Residential Scholarship to support a deserving student from the bush.
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Brendan Welsh and Debbie McLaughlin support residential scholarships for Indigenous students through the ITNewcom Foundation.
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Brendan Welsh and Debbie McLaughlin support residential scholarships for Indigenous students through the ITNewcom Foundation.
