Scholarships for Postgraduate Students in Australia

Studying in Australia is not cheap. There are tuition and accommodation fees, and expenses on food, internet, utilities, transportation, and entertainment. However, these should not hinder students to pursue quality education in Australia. 

In fact, to help postgraduate students continue and fund their masters or doctorate studies, the Australian government, non-government organizations, and Australian Higher Educational Institutions offer various grants, scholarships, and bursaries. To know more about them, here are the top scholarships Australia offers to international students:

Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP)

The RTP focuses on both domestic and International students taking degrees in research, specifically masters and doctorate degrees. Postgraduate students qualified for this program are eligible to one of the following support from their university of choice: 

1. Stipend to assist students with their living costs
2. Allowances to assist students with their study supplemental costs while taking a higher degree by research (HDR). Such supplemental costs include printing of thesis, costs for academic publication, and health cover for them and their dependents
3. Fees offset for HDR tuition fees

Students who want to apply for a scholarship under this program have to directly apply to participating universities. 

Australia Awards

This scholarship is being administered by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to help countries who are in bilateral or regional agreements with Australia provide opportunities to its citizens. Students eligible for this scholarship will enjoy various benefits including, full tuition fees, airplane fee for a single return journey, to and from Australia, allowance for accommodation, textbooks, and study materials, basic living expenses contribution, health cover, and so on. 

Moreover, this financial aid has a strong focus in developing countries, including countries located in the Indo-Pacific regions that have access to participating Australian higher education institutions, including universities, technical, and further education. 

Destination Australia Program (DAP)

Over 1,000 scholarships are being offered by Australia through its DAP to domestic and international students to study in Australia’s regional locations. The Australian government funds eligible higher education institutes so they can offer scholarships for students to study and live in regional Australia. 

Approximately, through the program, institutions may be able to provide students who applied for this program scholarships of up to $15,000 a year.  

Institution Specific Scholarships

Aside from scholarships being offered by the Australian governments, most higher education institutions also offer their own scholarships to students who pass their criteria and requirements. Some scholarships from Australia’s top universities include the Adelaide Scholarships International (ASI), Rotary Peace Fellowships, University of Sydney international Scholarships, and so on. Moreover, the condition for passing these depends on the institution and the programs they are offering. 

Other Scholarships

There are also various non-government organizations offering financial aid to postgraduate international students. These include Fulbright scholarships offered specifically to American citizens, and the GI Bill which focuses on providing educational benefits to qualified US service members, reservists, veterans, and even their dependents, and the Northcote Graduate Scholarships for UK students.

Now that you know some scholarships in Australia, learn more about financing your studies by reading MSM Unify’s article on How to Apply for a Scholarship to Study Abroad.