Scholarships to study in Australia come from three places: the Australian Government, individual universities, and a small number of research and industry funds. Which ones you can actually apply for depends heavily on your citizenship. Several widely promoted Australian Government awards are restricted to a fixed list of partner countries, and India is not on that list, so Indian students should focus on university scholarships and on the Australian Government Research Training Program for research degrees.
Scholarships also matter for the visa. The Department of Home Affairs requires Student visa (subclass 500) applicants to show 12 months of living costs of AUD 29,710, plus course fees and travel. The visa application charge is from AUD 2,500 for the main applicant from 1 July 2026, and Home Affairs states that concessions apply only in limited circumstances. Tuition itself varies widely by provider and program, so always check the fee schedule on your chosen university's own website.
- India is not on the DFAT participating countries list for Australia Awards Scholarships, so Indian citizens cannot apply for that award
- The 2027 Australia Awards round ran from 1 February to 30 April 2026 and is now closed
- The Research Training Program base stipend is AUD 34,315 for 2026 and rises to AUD 35,550 for 2027
- The Destination Australia Program has had no new funding rounds since 1 July 2024, and the Student visa subclass 500 charge is AUD 2,500 from 1 July 2026.
How Do You Apply for Scholarships to Study in Australia?
There is no single national application. Australia Awards applications are lodged through the OASIS portal at oasis.dfat.gov.au, Research Training Program scholarships are applied for directly through the university, and most university merit awards are either automatic on admission or need a short separate form. Start roughly twelve months before your intake.
The Australian Government does not run a central scholarship application for international students. Each scheme has its own route, and applying to the wrong body is the most common reason applications are lost.
- Check citizenship eligibility first. Australia Awards Scholarships and Australia for ASEAN Scholarships are limited to fixed lists of partner countries.
- For Australia Awards, register and lodge the application in the Online Australia Scholarships Information System (OASIS) at oasis.dfat.gov.au and attach every document listed in the Australia Awards Scholarships Policy Handbook.
- For a Research Training Program scholarship, apply directly to the higher education provider. The Department of Education states that RTP scholarships are administered by individual providers, each with its own application and selection process.
- For university merit awards, submit your course application first. Several universities, including Monash and the University of Melbourne, consider eligible applicants automatically with no separate scholarship form.
- For awards that do need a form, such as the Deakin Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship, send the scholarship application at least one month before your program starts.
Which Australian Government Scholarships Are Available in 2026?
Three Australian Government schemes matter in 2026. The Research Training Program funds research masters and doctoral study for domestic and overseas students. Australia Awards Scholarships fund students from listed partner countries. Australia for ASEAN Scholarships cover ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste. The Destination Australia Program is closed to new applicants.
| Australian Government Scheme (2026) | Who It Is For | What It Provides | Status in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Training Program (RTP) | Domestic and overseas students in a research doctorate or research masters degree | Tuition fee offset, living stipend and ancillary cost allowance; base stipend AUD 34,315 in 2026 and AUD 35,550 in 2027 (maximum rates AUD 53,608 and AUD 55,537) | Open; apply directly to a participating university |
| Australia Awards Scholarships | Citizens of listed partner countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific (India is not listed) | Full tuition, return economy airfare, establishment allowance, fortnightly Contribution to Living Expenses, Overseas Student Health Cover and an Introductory Academic Program | 2027 round ran 1 February to 30 April 2026 and has closed |
| Australia for ASEAN Scholarships | Citizens of ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste | Funded masters study in priority areas including maritime, connectivity, economic development and the Sustainable Development Goals | Open to eligible ASEAN nationals only |
| Destination Australia Program | Students at regional campuses | Up to AUD 15,000 per year toward living costs for existing recipients | No further funding rounds since 1 July 2024; current recipients supported for up to four years |
| ACIAR John Allwright Fellowship | Scientists and economists from ACIAR partner countries working on ACIAR projects | Australia Awards-equivalent benefits for a research masters or PhD | Applications closed; ACIAR partner countries exclude India and Myanmar |
How the Research Training Program Works
From 1 January 2017 the Research Training Program replaced the Australian Postgraduate Award, the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) and the Research Training Scheme. Any guide that still lists the IPRS as a live scheme is out of date. The Department of Education pays block grants to universities, which then award RTP scholarships under their own selection rules.
- RTP Fees Offset covers tuition for a research doctorate or research masters.
- RTP Stipend contributes to living costs; the 2026 full-time base rate is AUD 34,315 per year and the maximum rate is AUD 53,608.
- The 2027 base rate rises to AUD 35,550 per year, with a maximum of AUD 55,537.
- RTP Allowances can cover relocation, thesis printing and health cover costs.
- You cannot apply to the Department of Education; contact the university's graduate research office instead.
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Can Indian Students Apply for the Australia Awards Scholarship?
No. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade publishes the participating countries list for Australia Awards Scholarships across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and India does not appear on it. The ACIAR John Allwright Fellowship, administered through the same system, also explicitly excludes India, as does Australia for ASEAN.
This is the single most common error in Australian scholarship guides written for an Indian audience. The Australia Awards Scholarships participating countries list covers 25 countries in Africa, a group of Asian countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and seventeen Pacific nations and territories. India is not among them, and ACIAR states directly that its partner countries exclude India and Myanmar.
Indian students therefore have two realistic government-linked routes and one strong private route:
- Research degrees: apply for a Research Training Program scholarship through the university you are applying to, which covers tuition and pays a living stipend.
- Coursework degrees: apply for university merit scholarships, which are open to students from all countries and are where most Indian recipients are funded.
- Sponsored and employer-funded study, or an education loan, used alongside a partial university fee remission.
If any source claims Indian applicants qualify for Australia Awards because their home university appears on a DFAT list, treat it as incorrect. DFAT publishes no such list of Indian institutions for this scheme.
What University Scholarships Can International Students Get in Australia?
Australian universities fund most international scholarship recipients. Values range from partial fee reductions of around twenty percent to full tuition packages. Monash pays AUD 15,000 a year, UNSW offers full tuition or AUD 20,000 a year through Scientia, and Melbourne research scholarships combine full fee remission with a AUD 39,500 stipend.
These awards are open to applicants from every country, including India, and they are assessed on academic merit rather than nationality. The figures below are taken from each university's own scholarship page.
| University (2026) | Scholarship | Value | How to Apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monash University | Monash International Merit Scholarship | AUD 15,000 per year for scholarships awarded from 2026 (AUD 10,000 for pre-2026 awards); total value up to AUD 75,000 | Automatic consideration after an undergraduate course offer; maintain a distinction average |
| University of Melbourne | Melbourne Research Scholarship | 100 per cent fee remission and up to AUD 138,000, including a stipend of AUD 39,500 per year at the 2026 full-time rate | Automatic consideration for graduate research applicants, domestic and international |
| UNSW Sydney | International Scientia Coursework Scholarship | Full tuition fee support for the degree duration, or AUD 20,000 per year toward tuition | Separate application; flagship award for high academic achievement |
| UNSW Sydney | Australia's Global University Award | AUD 10,000, paid toward tuition in the second term of the first year | Assessed for eligible international applicants |
| UNSW Sydney | International Student Award | 20 per cent tuition fee reduction each year for the full program duration | Available for eligible countries from 2026-2027 |
| Deakin University | Deakin Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship | 100 per cent or 50 per cent of tuition fees, depending on the outcome | Application form, 300-word personal statement and two references, sent at least one month before the program starts |
Deakin sets the clearest published academic bar: at least an 85 per cent average in previous study, which it defines as 85 per cent overall in Year 12 under CBSE, ICSE or a State Board, 32 overall in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, or 80 per cent across the first four semesters of an undergraduate degree.
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Even with a partial award you must satisfy the Department of Home Affairs. A Student visa applicant shows 12 months of living costs at AUD 29,710, plus first-year course fees and travel money. The visa application charge is from AUD 2,500 from 1 July 2026, and concessions apply only in limited circumstances.
| Student Visa Requirement (2026) | Amount or Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Living costs evidence, 12 months, student | AUD 29,710 | Department of Home Affairs, subclass 500 |
| Living costs evidence, partner | AUD 10,394 | Department of Home Affairs, subclass 500 |
| Living costs evidence, each child | AUD 4,449 | Department of Home Affairs, subclass 500 |
| Alternative annual income of parents or partner | AUD 87,856, or AUD 102,500 if family members travel with you | Department of Home Affairs, subclass 500 |
| Indicative travel money from outside Australia | AUD 2,000 (higher for African applicants) | Department of Home Affairs, subclass 500 |
| Visa application charge from 1 July 2026 | From AUD 2,500 per application; concessions in limited circumstances only | Department of Home Affairs and Study Australia, subclass 500 |
| Work rights while course is in session | 48 hours per fortnight; no limit for research masters and doctoral students | Department of Home Affairs, subclass 500 |
| English requirement for the visa | IELTS 6.0 overall, or 5.5 with at least 10 weeks of ELICOS, or 5.0 with at least 20 weeks | Department of Home Affairs, subclass 500 |
Home Affairs charges from AUD 2,500 for the main applicant and says concessions apply only in limited circumstances: a lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens, eligible ASEAN citizens, and applications in the independent ELICOS and non-award sector. None of those cover an Indian student entering a degree program, so budget for the full charge. Tuition is not covered by these figures and varies by city and program, so read the fee schedule on your provider's own site rather than an aggregator.
What Do Australian Scholarship Applications Actually Ask For?
Most Australian scholarship decisions rest on academic results, an admission offer and evidence of leadership or community contribution. Universities typically want transcripts, an English test result, a short personal statement and references. Research scholarships add a research proposal and a supervisor who has agreed to take you on.
- An unconditional or conditional offer of admission, since almost no Australian scholarship is awarded before a course offer exists.
- Academic transcripts covering every completed level of study.
- An accepted English test score; the visa floor is IELTS 6.0 overall, and individual programs often set a higher bar.
- A personal statement, commonly around 300 words, explaining why you chose the university and what you will contribute.
- Two references addressing academic ability, community involvement or leadership.
- For research awards, a research proposal and confirmation of academic supervision at the university.
Meeting the minimum criteria does not guarantee an award. Deakin states plainly that competition means higher academic results may be required, and the same is true across the Group of Eight universities.