A RAS Foundation Rural Scholar rounding up sheep during some hands-on training.
15 JULY 2026. Since 2010, the RAS Foundation's Rural Scholarship program has helped hundreds of young people from rural and regional NSW pursue further study.
But scholarships are only half the story — the real question is what happens afterwards. Do scholars stay connected to the communities they came from?
An analysis by the RAS Foundation, tracking scholars from the 2018–2023 cohorts, gives us the clearest answer yet.
Where are they now?
“82.9% of scholarship recipients return to, or remain in, rural and regional communities following their studies”
Of the 316 scholars for whom the Foundation has current location data, roughly 83% are living in rural or regional Australia today — 229 in rural and regional NSW, and a further 33 in regional communities in other states. Factoring in the small number of scholars whose current location remains unknown, the Foundation estimates that 82.9% of scholarship recipients return to, or remain in, rural and regional communities following their studies.
An ongoing trend
This builds on findings from earlier years. A 2020 Ernst & Young Impact Study and Social Return on Investment report found that 71% of scholars from the 2010–2019 cohorts were living in rural or regional NSW. Subsequent annual surveys have echoed that trend: 67% for the 2020 cohort, climbing to 78% for the 2021 cohort, and 93% of the 2023 cohort reporting a return to rural or regional NSW.
Why this matters
This isn't just about education outcomes. The data indicates that the Rural Scholars program continues to deliver strong results against its regional retention objective. Scholars aren't simply completing their studies and moving on — many are returning to, or remaining connected to, the communities that shaped them.
For Coolaroo Foundation, that’s the measure of success: individual opportunity that strengthens regional Australia for the long term.
