Southern Cross University, Lismore 2480
Office hours - 8:00 to 4:30pm
Teaching time is until 3:10pm
15 places
Close 16 Oct 2026
Scholarship opportunity · IB World School · Northern Rivers NSW
Small classes. Six-week terms. A week off between. A campus on Southern Cross University grounds. Full-tuition scholarships now open for 2027 entry.
Applications close 16 October 2026 · Book a conversation first
Twenty minutes with our Head of Academy. No essays. No form to book. Just a conversation.
Limited places · 2027 entry · Domestic scholarships
Two pathways, each for two years: the Expeditionary Years (Years 9–10) and the IB Diploma (Years 11–12). We meet families first — then invite the right young people to apply.
If this is why you clicked
We built the alternative — on a university campus, with kindness as the foundation.
And if you are the young person reading this: we are looking for curious, kind, independent thinkers — across arts, sciences, humanities, languages and leadership — ready for challenge with meaning.
What makes us different
Not a louder version of a conventional school. A deliberate design for young people who want depth, belonging and stretch.
Academy classes are capped at 20; every student is known, and on first-name terms with their teachers. Senior classes are capped at 15. There is nowhere to disappear — and no one who wants to.
We do not run eleven-week terms. Better learning happens in six-week blocks. Young people do not burn out, families breathe, and learning stays sharp.
Living Academy sits on Southern Cross University’s East Lismore campus. Quiet bush, a lake, big trees, world-class facilities. Students step into a university environment from 14.
Universities worldwide know the IB — Oxford, Cambridge, ANU, Melbourne and thousands more. Living Academy is the first and only school in the region offering it.
If your child has been wrestling with the schoolyard as much as the classroom, this is a different kind of place — rigorous, and human.
Years 9 & 10 · The Expeditionary Years Scholarship
We call Year 9 and Year 10 the Expeditionary Years because they are. Six major expeditions and eleven camps are built into the two-year model — a sustained sequence, a modern rite of passage, not a single bolt-on trip.
Full tuition for two years. Whole-school camps and whole-year expeditions included. Optional programmes such as Arnhem Land sit outside the scholarship.
Signature Stage 5 expedition
Three weeks across inland NSW and South Australia — Mungo, Flinders Ranges, Coober Pedy, the Nullarbor and the Bunda Cliffs. Civilisation, deep time and a Thriver rite of passage on the edge of the continent.
Expeditionary Years · on country
Mungo
Wilpena Pound
Nullarbor
Coober Pedy
Inland Australia
Southern Right Whale
Some of the expeditions
* Arnhem Land is an optional programme, not covered by the scholarship. Read the signature trek: Take a Big Bight of Australia · living.school Big Bight page.
Years 11–12 · The IB Diploma Scholarship
Full tuition for two years on our Southern Cross University campus in East Lismore — quiet bush, a lake, and a senior programme universities recognise worldwide.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma is a two-year senior programme taken in place of the HSC. Students study six subjects across languages, sciences, mathematics and the arts, alongside three core components: an independent research essay, Theory of Knowledge, and Creativity, Activity, Service.
It is designed to produce young people who can think for themselves, argue from evidence, and hold complexity without flinching. Universities know this — which is why the IB is recognised at Oxford, Cambridge, ANU, Melbourne and thousands of institutions across more than a hundred countries.
The IB Diploma Scholarship covers full tuition for the two-year programme at Living Academy, on our Southern Cross University campus in East Lismore.
“We moved our family 1,800 km from Victoria to enrol our three kids in the Living School.”Living School parent
How this works
Most families find us by radio, word of mouth, or a quiet search for something better. We would rather meet you than make you fill a form cold.
With Jake, Head of Academy
Choose a time that suits you. On a phone is fine — most families are.
Fit before paperwork
Ask whatever you need. We are clear about whether Living Academy is the right stretch for your child — and when it is not.
Only if it feels right
We want to meet you first. If the fit is there, you receive the written application and we walk you through it.
Later in the process
Shortlisted applicants sit a scholarship examination and an academic interview. We assess how you think — and whether our model is the right stretch. We support families throughout.
Office hours 8:00–4:30, Monday to Friday. No essays required to book.
Common questions
Because that is what Year 9 and Year 10 actually are here. Six major expeditions and eleven camps built into two years, not bolted on. The scholarship funds those years and everything that happens in them.
No. The call is a conversation to get to know each other, not part of the application. You decide whether to apply afterwards.
Friday 16 October 2026, for 2027 entry.
Yes — the full two years. Year 9 and 10 for the Expeditionary Years Scholarship, or Year 11 and 12 for the IB Diploma Scholarship. Whole-school camps and whole-year expeditions are included. The only things not covered are some optional programmes (for example Arnhem Land) and a personal laptop.
Yes. We are looking for curious, kind, independent young people across any area of strength — arts, humanities, languages, leadership, sciences and beyond.
It covers Years 9 and 10. If your child then chooses the IB Diploma for Years 11 and 12, they can apply for the IB Diploma Scholarship — that is a separate application and selection process at that point.
On Southern Cross University’s East Lismore campus. Most of our families travel from Lismore, Goonellabah, Lennox Head, Ballina, Wardell, Clunes, Dunoon and as far north as Suffolk Park. Private buses run on several routes — we can talk you through what is available.
Yes. The IB is deliberately structured towards university-level study, and some higher-level courses touch on first-year undergraduate topics. What matters most are the study skills your child builds across Years 11 and 12 — research, writing, time and independent thought.
We are deliberately different. Locally, two things stand out: no other school in the region runs an expedition programme on this scale, and we are the first and currently only school in the Northern Rivers offering the IB Diploma.
The International Baccalaureate is a global leader in international education, developing inquiring, knowledgeable, confident and caring young people. At Living Academy it is taken in place of the HSC. More at ibo.org.
Eligibility
Scholarships are available to Australian citizens, permanent residents, New Zealand citizens (SCV 444), and other visa types permitting domestic enrolment (contact us to confirm).
Students on subclass 500 student visas are not eligible for scholarship under current Australian visa rules. Living School welcomes full-fee international applications — email enrolments@living.school.
This is not school as usual. This is education designed for the world ahead.Living Academy | Scholarships 2027
If you are interested in either scholarship
Twenty minutes with Jake, our Head of Academy. We will be honest about fit — and glad you found us.
Office hours 8:00–4:30, Monday to Friday · Closes 16 October 2026
enrolments@living.school | Application form (after your call) | Living Academy
After your conversation · Written application
Full-tuition scholarships for 2027 entry — the Expeditionary Years (Years 9–10) and the IB Diploma (Years 11–12) at Living Academy on the SCU East Lismore campus. We are looking for independent, curious, kind learners. Prefer to talk first? Book a call with Jake. If you have already spoken with us, complete the form below.
Applications close 16 October 2026 for 2027 entry. Questions? enrolments@living.school | (02) 5632 1218
