The Australia Awards Scholarships, formerly known as Australian Development Scholarships (ADS), 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.
Course level: Bachelor’s and Master’s
Fields of study: Undergraduate or postgraduate programs that are related to your country’s priority areas for development which are listed on the participating country profiles. Australia Awards are not available for training in areas related to flying aircraft, nuclear technology or military training.
Institution and country: Participating higher education institutions in Australia
Sponsor: Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Scholarship inclusions:
- 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, textbooks, and 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.
Eligibility criteria for the Australia Awards Scholarships:
- Age. Be a minimum of 18 years of age on 1 February of the year of commencing the scholarship;
- Nationality. Be a citizen of a participating country and be residing in and applying for the scholarship from their country of citizenship;
- Not be a citizen of Australia, hold permanent residency in Australia or be applying for a visa to live in Australia permanently;
- 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);
- Not currently serving military personnel;
- 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);
- 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);
- 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);
- 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;
- 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)
Application deadline: Application periods vary per country.
How to apply for the Australia Awards Scholarships:
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.
Some countries encourage and allow you to apply online while others require hard-copy applications. See your participating country profile for more information
Other useful links:
