Australian Awards Scholarship is open to international students from some countries in Asia, Africa, Pacific, Middle East and many more.
About Australia Awards Scholarships
Australia Awards Scholarships are long-term awards administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
They aim to contribute to the development needs of Australia’s partner countries in line with bilateral and regional agreements.
They provide opportunities for people from developing countries, particularly those countries located in the Indo-Pacific region, to undertake full time undergraduate or postgraduate study at participating Australian universities and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions.
The study and research opportunities provided by Australia Awards Scholarships develop the skills and knowledge of individuals to drive change and contribute to development in their own countries.
Eligibility Criteria for Scholarships
To be eligible for Australia Awards Scholarships, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Required Language: English
- Eligible Countries: Citizens of any of the participating countries in Asia, Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. See the full list of participating countries.
- Be a minimum of 18 years of age on 1st February of the year of commencing the scholarship;
- You must not be a citizen of Australia, hold permanent residency in Australia or be applying for a visa to live in Australia permanently;
- You must be a citizen of a participating country (as listed on the Australia Awards website) and be residing in and applying for the scholarship from their country of citizenship;
- You must not 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, at any time during the application, selection or mobilization phases (note: residents of Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau with New Zealand citizenship are eligible but must apply for a Student visa [subclass 500]);
- You must not have previously received a long-term Australia Award unless they have resided outside of Australia for twice the length of the total time that they were in Australia (for example, a previous awardee who has been on an Australia Awards Scholarship in Australia for four years will not be eligible to apply for another Australia Awards Scholarship until they have resided outside Australia for eight years);
- You must not be current serving military personnel;
- You must have satisfied any specific criteria established by the Program Area or the government of the applicant’s country of citizenship (e.g. having worked a certain number of years in an appropriate sector);
- You must be able to satisfy all requirements of the Department of Home Affairs to hold a Student Visa. This may mean that the Program Area will need to withdraw an award offer if the recipient cannot satisfy the visa requirements;
Be able to satisfy the admission requirements of the institution at which the award is to be undertaken (this may mean that Program Areas will need to withdraw an award offer if the recipient cannot satisfy the institution’s admission requirements. This may not be known until Program Areas request a placement at selected institutions); - You must not be applying for a scholarship for a course of study at an academic level lesser than they have already achieved (eg be applying for a Master’s scholarship when they already hold a PhD); and
Applicants must inform the Program Area of any connection or relationship to staff employed at Program Areas (including locally engaged staff at post) or with managing contractors so that the application may be properly and transparently managed. - Read the complete eligibility criteria in the Australia Awards Policy Handbook (PDF)
Scholarship Benefits and Coverage
Australia Awards Scholarships are offered for the minimum period necessary for the individual to complete the academic program specified by the Australian higher education institution, including any preparatory training. The following benefits generally apply:
- Full tuition fees
- Return air travel–payment of a single return, economy class airfare to and from Australia, via the most direct route
- Establishment allowance–a once only payment as a contribution towards accommodation expenses, text books, 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 have 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.
Award conditions
Applicants who want to accept an Australia Awards Scholarship will need to sign a contract with the Commonwealth of Australia declaring that they will comply with the conditions of the scholarship.
Scholars are required to leave Australia for a minimum of two years after completing their scholarship. Failure to do so will result in the scholar incurring a debt for the total accrued cost of their scholarship.
Australia Awards Scholarship Participating Institutions
This document lists Australian institutions that participate in Australia Awards.
Australia Awards–Participating Institutions [PDF 195kb]
Australia Awards–Participating Institutions [Word 114kb]
Australia Awards opening and closing dates
The opening date for the 2024 intake for applications is Wednesday, 1 February 2023 and closing Monday, 1 May 2023 11:59pm AEST
How to apply for an Australia Awards scholarship
Before you apply:
- Check the opening and closing dates for your country, and select your country of citizenship/residency from the list of participating countries for specific information on eligibility, priority areas and how to apply. See the participating countries page for opening and closing dates.
- If you intend to apply, you must read the Australia Awards Scholarships Policy Handbook. The handbook provides information including general eligibility requirements, selection processes, entitlements and responsibilities. Note that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade may revise and update the handbook at any time without notice.
- Some countries encourage and allow you to apply online while others require hard-copy applications. See your participating country profile for more information
Applying online
Refer to your relevant participating country profile for the link to the application portal. Please note that Indonesia and the Philippines do not use the Online Australia Scholarships Information System (OASIS). The link to applications for those countries can be found in their relevant Country Profile.
When you register online, you will be required to answer some questions to establish your eligibility. You will then be given a unique registration number, username and password.
You do not need to submit your application immediately. You can set up a draft application form and update it, and your supporting documentation, until the designated closing date as on the relevant participating country profile.
Once submitted, your application cannot be changed. We strongly advise applicants applying online to do so well before the closing date. OASIS experiences peak usage in the days leading up to the closing date and applicants may experience delays.
Refer to the Applicant’s Online User Manual if you need help.
Applying by mail
If you are unable to submit your application online, you can apply by mail. Please check your participating country profile for contact details to obtain a hardcopy application form and any other templates such as referee reports (if applicable).
Completed hard copy application forms and supporting documentation must be submitted by the deadline specified by your country. See the opening and closing dates for each country.
Supporting documentation
Check your participating country profile to see if your country requires additional supporting documents, such as referee reports (template below).
Referee report template [PDF 118 KB]
Referee report template [DOCX 488 KB]
More Information on how to apply for an Australia Awards Scholarship.
Check other related Scholarships here.