Giving

Gifts made to Adelaide University will be unrestricted and directed to meet the University’s highest and emerging priorities. An unrestricted gift is a donation that can be used by Adelaide University for any purpose. Without specific restrictions or designated use, the University can drive progress where it’s needed most – empowering students, advancing research, and creating real-world impact.

Adelaide University is sincerely grateful for the support and generosity of donors to both the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.

Through the passing of new state legislation, provision has been made for honouring and transferring gifts made to the foundation universities – including named scholarships and grants. This applies to gifts received in the past or endowed, as well as gifts which have been pledged but not yet completely fulfilled. Adelaide University will apply the gift or endowment to the purpose for which it was intended and accepted, and in keeping with the wishes of donors. As Adelaide University has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, the tax status of any gift is not expected to be affected.

In addition, our team is currently reviewing hundreds of scholarship and grant schemes and will be reaching out to donors as needed with guidance specific to each scheme, including any necessary updates to naming or structure.

Adelaide University will apply the endowment to the purpose for which it was intended and accepted, and in keeping with the wishes of the donor. Adelaide University has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, and the tax status of any gift is not expected to be affected.

To make a gift by phone, please call 08 8313 5800.

You can also make a gift by direct bank transfer, from Australia or overseas.

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To make a gift by cheque, please contact the Advancement team. All cheques should be made payable to Adelaide University.

We are incredibly thankful to those individuals who have chosen to leave a gift in their Will to their university of choice.

Through the passing of new state legislation, provision has been made for honouring and transferring bequests made to the foundation universities.

Adelaide University will apply a bequest to the purpose for which it was intended and accepted; that is, the purpose for which the gift was granted will remain intact and in keeping with the wishes of the donor.

There is precedent for this – when the amalgamations of South Australian education institutions occurred in the 1990s to create the University of South Australia, deeds of gift and testamentary dispositions referring to the former institutions were specifically referenced in the relevant statutes as automatically transferring to the new institution.

As a result, there is no need to update the current wording in your Will, unless you wish to do so, but please contact the Advancement team if you have any queries.

There are different types of gifts you can make in your Will. Some of the options you might consider in discussion with your solicitor or legal representative are:

Bequest
A bequest is a gift of money or property made in a Will. The bequest can be given outright, or made subject to terms such as a preference or condition for its use, or it being contingent on another beneficiary passing away first. Bequests are sometimes also called legacies and there are terms for specific types of bequests (e.g. residual gift, endowment).

A bequest may be a specified amount, or it may be a % of your estate. Please contact the Advancement team to discuss preferred wording for any bequests. 

Residual gift
A residual gift is a gift of the balance of your estate once all bequests to other beneficiaries have been distributed.

Endowment
An endowment is a gift which is held forever ("in perpetuity"). The distribution from the endowment provides a permanent income for the beneficiary, or for a particular purpose specified by the donor.

Endowment Fund
An Endowment Fund is an investment fund established and maintained by Adelaide University, consisting of endowments including gifts in Wills, with the objective of providing long term capital growth as well as a stable annual income stream in perpetuity. 

Trust
In the University's context, a Trust is a legal obligation on the University to use a gift in a particular way. For example, if a gift were received for the stated purposes of funding research into the causes of cancer, that creates a "charitable trust" which obliges the University to hold those funds for that purpose. A provision in your Will permitting the University to apply the gift to an alternative purpose with similar outcomes, if the intended purpose is no longer possible, can be useful.

Adelaide University is trustee of more than 500 trusts established by gifts or bequests, providing income for a wide range of purposes including prizes, scholarships, fellowships, research funding, books and publications, and faculty equipment.

We have a University-wide compliance reporting program to ensure that income of each trust is spent for the purpose specified by the donor. For more information, please contact the Advancement team.

Many of our alumni living overseas choose to make generous gifts that support scholarships for students, fund cutting-edge research and establish endowment funds, ensuring a financially sustainable future for Adelaide University. In 2025, you can make a tax deductible gift to either of the foundation universities.