Scholarships of $5000 will be offered to the state’s brightest and best to study at Melbourne University.

Students from Victoria’s 580 state, independent and Catholic schools will be rewarded by their principals for excellent grades and contribution to the community.

The money will cover the cost of studies, but there will still be HECS fees.

Pitsa Binnion, principal of McKinnon Secondary College, welcomed the move.

“I would relish the opportunity to identify a student from our school,” she told Ross and John.

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Meanwhile, Ms Binnion said Carey Baptist Grammar’s push for more female students was part of a broader race for gender balance.

The top Kew private school has been given another exemption from discrimination laws so it can keep giving preference to applications from female students as they try to achieve gender balance.

“I think people are still committed to sending their girls to single sex schools,” Ms Binnion said.

She said her state school had a 55-45 skew towards male students.

“You’d always love it to be half-and-half, but you can not choose who you get at a state school.”