The CEF released its 2015 Tertiary Scholarships Guide for Rural and Regional Students which is a detailed guide of scholarships offered by universities around Australia.

The scholarships on offer total hundreds of thousands of dollars.

CEF CEO Sarah Taylor said the uncertainty of university fees in 2016 is driving students away.

At the very least she expects some students to defer study until the future becomes clearer.

"University is already prohibitive for many rural and regional students who must relocate and travel long distances from home - ongoing fee uncertainty is just adding to their burden and limiting their choices," Ms Taylor said.

The government's plans to deregulate university fees is expected to drive up the cost of studying in a wide range of subjects and their proposal to change interest repaid on education loans will also drive up the amount students repay, if approved by the senate.

Ms Taylor said the financial pressures placed on students had made demand for their scholarship guide even greater.

"We've had huge interest in the guide this year with many students reporting that they would be unable to attend university without a scholarship or other financial assistance," she said.

"Especially in capital cities like Sydney and Melbourne, students are increasingly being priced out of the rental market so they simply don't have the option of attending metropolitan universities, without assistance.

Scholarships for more than 20 universities are listed, with scholarships based on a wide variety of backgrounds including sports, music, community involvement, gender, heritage, indigenous, disability or disadvantage and there is a dedicated listing for indigenous students.

The scholarships range from a $500 textbook or accommodation grant up to $35,000 per year for education and living expenses.

For a copy of the guide visit www.cef.org.au.