Australia Awards Scholarship
Do you want to be a leader in your field and make a difference in your country? If yes, then the Australia Awards Scholarship is for you.
An Australia Awards Scholarship provides an opportunity to gain a world-class education from an Australian university with all the necessary support and funding to complete your study.
The scholarship is administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Australia Awards Scholarship is targeted to the students from developing countries to undertake full-time undergraduate or postgraduate study at participating Australian universities and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions.
Host country: Australia
Host institution(s): Australian Universities and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions
Application deadline: Please check the official website for the detailed deadlines as it varies from region to region. For most countries, it is on the 30th of June.
Australia Awards Scholarship Benefits
- Full tuition fees
- Return air travel–payment of a single return, economy class airfare to and from Australia
- Establishment allowance–one-time payment for accommodation expenses, textbooks, study materials
- Contribution to Living Expenses (CLE) – a fortnightly contribution to basic living expenses paid at a rate determined by the department.
- Introductory Academic Program (IAP)–a compulsory program prior to the commencement of formal academic studies covering information on living and studying in Australia
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of the award (for award holder only)–provided to cover the scholar’s basic medical costs (with the exception of pre-existing conditions)
- Pre-course English (PCE) fees–if deemed necessary PCE may be available for students for in-country and/or in-Australia training
- Supplementary academic support may be available to ensure a scholar’s academic success or enhance their academic experience
- Fieldwork (for research awards and Masters by coursework which has a research component where fieldwork is compulsory) may be available for eligible research students for one return economy class airfare via the most direct route to their country of citizenship or within Australia.
Participating Countries
Bangladesh | Bhutan | Cambodia | Indonesia |
India | Laos | Maldives | Mongolia |
Myanmar | Nepal | Pakistan | Philippines |
Sri Lanka | Timor-Leste | Vietnam | Federated States of Micronesia |
Fiji | Kiribati | Marshall Islands | Nauru |
Papua New Guinea | Republic of Palau | Samoa | Solomon Islands |
Tonga | Tuvalu | Vanuatu | Wallis and Futuna |
Botswana | Ghana | Kenya | Madagascar |
Malawi | Mauritius | Mozambique | Nigeria |
South Africa | Tanzania | Zambia | Palestinian Territories |
Eligibility Criteria
- Be a minimum of 18 years of age on 1 February of the year of commencing the scholarship
- Be a citizen of a participating country
- Not be a citizen of Australia, hold permanent residency in Australia, or be applying for a visa to live in Australia permanently
- Not to be married to, engaged to or a de facto of a person who holds or is eligible to hold Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency
- Not be current serving Military personnel
- Not have previously received a long-term Australia Award
- Be able to satisfy the admission requirements of the institution at which the award is to be undertaken
- An academic IELTS result with an overall score of at least 6.5. With no bands less than 6.0, or
- An internet-based TOFEL score of at least 84, with a minimum of 21 in all subtests, or
- PTE Academic overall score of 58 with no communicative skill score less than 50 (If the institute requirement is more than the DFAT’s requirement, the awardee must meet the institution’s requirement)
Important Actions to Start
English language proficiency is a mandatory requirement at the time you lodge your application. So, complete an English language proficiency test.
If you are wishing to undertake a Masters by Research, you must find an appropriate supervisor beforehand. You must provide a statement from a potential research supervisor at an Australian institution giving in-principle support to the research proposal.
Referee reports are mandatory for all applicants. Referee report requirement is as follows:
- Masters by coursework applicants – two referee reports (one academic and one professional);
- Masters by research applicants – three referee reports (two academic and one professional).
The referee report must be submitted with the application. The referee report must use the template available which you can download from here.
Australia Awards Scholarship Participating Universities
Australian Catholic University | Aviation Australia | Bond University |
Box Hill Institute TAFE | Bureau of Meteorology | Canberra Institute of Technology |
Carnegie Mellon University | Central Queensland University | Charles Darwin University |
Charles Sturt University | Chisholm Institute of TAFE | Curtin University of Technology |
Deakin University | Edith Cowan University | Federation University |
Flinders University | Griffith University | Holmesglen Institute of TAFE |
James Cook University | Kangan Institute | La Trobe University |
Macquarie University | Melbourne Polytechnic | Monash University |
Murdoch University | Queensland University of Technology | RMIT University |
Southern Cross University | Swinburne University of Technology | TAFE NSW |
TAFE Queensland | TAFE SA | Tasmanian Polytechnic |
The Australian National University | The Gordon Institute of TAFE | The University of Adelaide |
The University of Melbourne | The University of New England | The University of New South Wales (including ADFA) |
The University of Newcastle | The University of Queensland | The University of Sydney |
The University of Western Australia | University College London | University of Canberra |
University of South Australia | University of Southern Queensland | The University of Tasmania (including the Australian Maritime College) |
University of Technology Sydney | University of The Sunshine Coast | University of Wollongong |
Victoria University | Western Sydney University | William Angliss Institute of TAFE |
Lodging an Australia Awards Scholarship Application
Applications are lodged directly into OASIS, an online application system. You can click here to open the lodging website. It is valid only if all sections are completed.
- You can add and edit information while your application is in DRAFT form.
- SAVE your application each time you make changes.
- You can revise your application up until you SUBMIT it. To edit the application after it is submitted, it must be ‘Un-submitted’. All edits must be completed before the closing date for applications. To avoid last-minute technical problems, submit your application well before the closing date.
- Scan all required documents, save similar documents in one file according to ‘documents type’, and upload them into your application. Please note there is a size restriction of 2 MB for all files uploaded.
- Print a copy of your application for reference before submitting it. Once it is submitted you cannot print a copy.
- You will receive an e-mail acknowledging the receipt of your application.
For more detail and up to date information visit the official website.
Gagan Gautam is a UNICEF Fellow at the Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas, IIT Bombay. He is passionate about working with the community for developmental activities in Nepal and South Asia.