Young women in Year 11 and 12 from Program partner schools who are curious about a career in STEM, are invited to apply for the Khuda Women in STEM Academy.
Through mentorship, hands-on real-world projects, financial and academic support, you’ll ignite your passion for STEM, develop your skills and confidence, and join a community of like-minded young women who will be our future scientists, engineers, and innovators.
All students selected for the Khuda STEM Academy will be on a pathway to becoming a University of Sydney Khuda STEM Scholar, with reduced ATAR requirements and guaranteed scholarship at University for the duration of eligible Science and Engineering courses, specialised mentoring and peer support as well as tailored academic and career opportunities.
This program focuses on core sciences and engineering and does not include the exploration of medicine and health, psychology or animal science related disciplines.
All costs of the program are covered by the Khuda Family Foundation.
The Year 11 program is designed to help you explore STEM courses and careers, develop leadership, problem solving and design thinking skills and connect you to industry to see STEM in the workplace. The program has three key components outlined below.
Skill Development and Leadership Program
Held on campus, on one day during each of the four school holidays, you will be immersed in interactive and engaging STEM activities that showcase the exciting and diverse range of STEM careers. You’ll also building key leadership skills and connect to the University of Sydney women in STEM community and likeminded participants in the Khuda Women in STEM Academy.
STEM Challenges
Explore the real-world impact of STEM professions as you undertake an exciting challenge set by a leading woman academic from the University of Sydney Science and Engineering faculties. You’ll work in small groups to solve the challenge under the mentorship of a University of Sydney Women in STEM student ambassador studying in a related field to your challenge.
In-school STEM activities
Collaborating with your dedicated school Khuda Women in STEM student ambassador and our University of Sydney STEM clubs and societies, you’ll develop the confidence, ability and leadership skills to champion STEM initiatives in your school and beyond.
Whether you're organising STEM talks, launching a new school club, running workshops, promoting competitions, or managing social media posts, we’ll help you to develop your skills and combine your passions and talents to make a meaningful impact and drive positive change in the world of STEM.
Expected time commitment
Skill Development and Leadership Program: Four x one-day events during each of the school holidays. There is a minimum requirement of 75% attendance.
STEM challenges: These will run from April to September, with the expectation that groups meet regularly outside of school hours to work on their challenge, spending approximately 40-50 hours on the challenge over 6-months. Group meetings can take place either in-person or online, and your Khuda student ambassador mentor will be available for fortnightly check-ins.
In-school STEM activities: These are run on an ad-hoc basis and are shared across the group based on your interest. You don’t have to do all of them, but there is a minimum requirement to contribute to at least two activities in the year, with the recommendation of one activity per term. The estimated time commitment per term is 5 – 10 hours.
STEM Futures is the final year of your Khuda Women in STEM Academy program. We know things start getting serious in Year 12, so we’ve designed a program to support you to achieve your best.
Build on your connections with the University of Sydney Women in STEM community and your Academy peers as you immerse yourself in the interactive and engaging STEM Futures activities. Explore careers in more depth, support your STEM subjects with our HSC refresher courses and gain essential information on your University of Sydney STEM course selection options.
April school holidays: Join us on campus for Spotlight on STEM where you continue your exploration of STEM courses, university life and campus facilities with our Khuda Women in STEM student ambassadors and explore careers that align with your own strengths and interests. This event is compulsory.
July School Holidays: Attend our KickStart HSC Physics, Chemistry or Biology workshops if relevant.
December: Come to our Info Day for a special event to celebrate your graduation from the Khuda Women in STEM Academy and learn more about the Khuda Scholars program.
Maths support is provided by the Khuda Women in STEM Academy, with in-school maths tutoring available for HSC maths subjects to provide you with the extra support needed to take your maths to the next level. Each school has their own unique arrangements so speak to us about the arrangement at your school.
Collaborating with our own Women in STEM clubs and societies and student ambassador mentors, you’ll develop the confidence, ability and leadership skills to champion STEM initiatives in your school and beyond.
Whether you're organising STEM talks, launching a new school club, leading workshops, running competitions, or managing social media campaigns, we’ll help you to develop your skills and combine your passions and talents to make a meaningful impact and drive positive change in the world of STEM.
Expected time commitment: The in-school STEM initiatives will be led by Year 11 Academy scholars with activities shared across the group. The estimated time commitment per student is 5-10 hours per term.
In your application you will need to:
Complete and submit your Khuda STEM Academy application by 6 September 2026.
The Khuda STEM Academy is designed for all young women—whether you're just beginning to explore STEM or already passionate about it. We welcome a diverse range of participants including:
You must also meet the following minimum eligibility requirements:
Students will be selected based on a combination of their answers to statement questions, report cards, and teacher references.
| Dates | Activity |
|---|---|
| 6 September, 2026 | Academy applications close |
| October, 2026 | Application outcomes emailed |
| December 2026 | Welcome event will be held at the University of Sydney from 6pm – 8:30pm. |
| Late January 2027 | First event day of the Skill Development and Leadership Program |
| Start of 2027 | Student Ambassador mentoring nd in-school math tutoring |
Q. If I am selected for the Khuda STEM Academy, does it mean that I must choose to study an eligible STEM degree at the University of Sydney when I graduate high school?
A. No. You can study whatever you are passionate about at any institution, or you might decide on another career path altogether. You are only required to participate in the activities through the Khuda STEM Academy whilst you're in Year 11 and 12 which are all about STEM exploration.
Q. Will the $4,000 Khuda STEM Academy scholarship go to me or my school?
A. The scholarship will be paid directly to you (or a parent if you do not have a bank account) in four instalments annually.
Q. Are combined degrees included in the list of eligible degrees for the University of Sydney admissions scheme and guaranteed university undergraduate scholarship?
A. Yes. There are a number of combined degrees that are eligible for the program. View them on the Khuda Women in STEM Scholars page.
Q. What if I am interested in studying medicine? Should I still apply for the Khuda STEM Academy?
A. Yes, if you are genuinely interested in exploring other areas of STEM please apply. The Khuda STEM Academy is about STEM exploration where you will be exposed to a whole array of STEM degrees and occupations, and you might find that you really enjoy another area of STEM you may not have initially heard of or considered. However, if you still want to study medicine when you complete high school, there is nothing stopping you. All it means is that you will not be eligible for the admissions scheme and undergraduate scholarship through the Khuda STEM Academy as medicine is not an eligible degree for the program as there are already a high proportion of women in medicine.
Q. How will you assess who gets into the Khuda STEM Academy?
A. We are looking for a diverse range of students from all three categories - STEM Explorer, Emerger and Enthusiast, and your application will be assessed against other applicants from your high school. We are looking for authentic responses to the four written statements (no ChatGPT responses!) as well as your responses to the application questions and your report card. The biggest weighting will be given to your written statements, so while we ask for your report card, this is not exclusively a high achievers program and we want students with a range of abilities and strengths. So don't worry if you're not top of your maths or science classes!
Q. What if I am leaning more towards the humanities instead of STEM. Is this program still for me?
Yes. As long as you satisfy the program eligibility requirements of maths (any level) and at least one science or TAS subject, then we encourage you to apply. The intention of this program is to encourage STEM exploration through hands-on experiences and seeing the real-world impact STEM can make on individuals and communities, so if you haven't completely ruled STEM out, and you're curious to explore these opportunities, this program is definitely for you!