Scholars Program

Applications are now open for the UMSU-Award Winning Effective Altruism Scholars Program, for Semester 2 2026.

The Scholars Program is an 8-week educational fellowship designed to introduce participants to key ideas on how to use their careers and other resources to improve the world as effectively as possible. It will run between weeks 4 and 12 of Semester 2, consisting of approximately 2 hours per week of fascinating curated readings, and engaging discussions with peers, led by an experienced committee member or other program alumnus.

The program examines highly pertinent cause areas such as:

• Global health and development;

• Animal welfare;

• Catastrophic disaster risk (e.g. from AI or climate change); and

• Improving the long-term future.

All of these are often considered to be the world's most pressing problems, according to criteria such as scale, neglectedness and tractability. The question will be asked of which interventions can make the most progress in these areas with a given unit of resources, thereby challenging common assumptions and generating unique insights. Participants will also explore intimately related topics such as:

• Cognitive biases and rationality;

• The philosophical principles underlying effective altruism; and, of course;

• More practical direction about how to apply these ideas in one's own life.

The program is open to all students, both undergraduate and graduate, in any area of study. It is designed to be accessible to anyone and does not require any particular prior knowledge.

To apply, simply submit the form below, which should take less than 30 minutes to complete. Successful applicants will be contacted in week 3 of Semester 2 to confirm details including session allocations, and begin their participation in the program.

• Application form

Applications close on Saturday the 8th of August at 11:59 PM.

This is a great opportunity for students to receive guidance about how to do the most good they can, and form connections with others who have similar aspirations. Completion of the Scholars Program will also be recognised by the University via a Melbourne Plus Digital Credential.

We look forward to seeing many new participants this semester.