The Charlie Perkins Trust partners with the Aurora Education Foundation to deliver the Charlie Perkins Scholarships to the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

​The Scholarships were launched in 2009 in the memory of leader and activist Dr Charlie Perkins - the first Aboriginal person in Australia to graduate from university. In 2009, with the assistance of the University of Oxford, the Charlie Perkins Trust established the annual Charlie Perkins Scholarships to support two talented Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians each to undertake postgraduate study at the University of Oxford from 2010. In 2011, with support from the Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust, the Scholarships also became available for study at the University of Cambridge. 

These postgraduate Scholarships are directed towards Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians who have the potential to become leaders in their field of study and in their communities. 

Ten years ago there had never been an Indigenous Australian studying full-time at Oxford or Cambridge. Since then, 26 Charlie Perkins Scholars have been accepted into full-time studies at these universities. To date, 18 have graduated. You can read more about each Scholar's journey here.