Australian Awards (Fully Funded) Scholarships for Developing Countries
Australia Awards Scholarships, aim to contribute to the development needs of Australia’s partner countries in line with bilateral and regional agreements, are administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
The fully funded scholarship provide opportunities for students from developing countries, particularly those countries located in the Indo-Pacific region, to undertake full time undergraduate or postgraduate study at various participating Australian universities and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions.
An Australia Awards Scholarship provides you with the opportunity to gain an internationally recognized qualification from an Australian institution. The study and research opportunities provided by Australia Awards Scholarships develop the skills and knowledge of future leaders to drive change and contribute to development in their own countries. It includes all the necessary support and funding to complete your study. Your career will benefit from new knowledge, leadership skills and the links you create both in Australia and through the Australia Global Alumni network. On your return home, you can make a vital contribution to the social and economic development of your country.
The application process is transparent and competitive, providing equal opportunity to all eligible applicants, regardless of gender, ethnicity or disability.
Australia Awards Scholarships are offered for the minimum necessary period for students to complete their academic program specified by the Australian higher education institution, including any preparatory training.
Successful 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.
After successful completion of their scholarship, scholars are required to leave Australia for a minimum of 02 years. Failure to do so will result in the scholar earning a debt for the total accrued cost of their scholarship.
PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES:
Asia
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Cambodia
- Indonesia
- Laos
- Maldives
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Sri Lanka
- Timor-Leste
- Vietnam
Pacific
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands
- Nauru
- Papua New Guinea
- Republic of Palau
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
- Wallis and Futuna
Africa
- Australia Awards Africa eligibility criteria
- Botswana
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mozambique
- Nigeria
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Zambia
Middle East
BENEFITS:
All successful candidates will have the following benefits:
- 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 etc.
- 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.
REQUIREMENT:
Applicants are required to meet the following eligibility requirements:
- A minimum of 18 years of age on 1 February of the year of commencing the scholarship
- A citizen of a participating country and be residing in and applying for the scholarshipfrom their country of citizenship
- Not be a citizen of Australia, hold permanent residency in Australia or be applying for a visato 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, selectionor mobilisation phases
- Note: residents of Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau with New Zealand citizenship are eligible but must apply for a Student visa [subclass 500]
- Not be current serving military personnel
- Not have previously received a long-term AustraliaAward 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 criteriaestablished 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)
- Able to satisfy the admission requirementsof the institution at which the award is to be undertaken
- This may mean that Program Areas will need to withdraw an award offerif the recipient cannot satisfy the institution’s admission requirements. This may not be known until Program Areas request a placement at selected institutions
- Able to satisfy all requirementsof the Department of Home Affairs to hold a Student Visa.
- This may mean that the Program Area will need to withdraw an award offerif 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 (e.g. be applying for a Master’s scholarship when they already hold a PhD)
- 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.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS:
Applicants are required to meet the following English language requirements:
- An applicant or awardee will have to meet DFAT’s Englishlanguage requirements for receiving an Australia Awards Scholarship if their first language is English and if they have undertaken their education in English
- Note that some institutions may still require evidence of Englishlanguage proficiency, and Program Areas relying on the above may need to check whether Australian institutions accept applicants from particular regions or with particular qualifications from English language institutions
- Where an applicant or awardee does not meet DFAT’s Englishlanguage requirements, the awardee must provide an academic English language test result that meets the institution’s academic English language requirement tests before commencing the approved main course of studies. The below are accepted English language tests:
- International EnglishLanguage Testing System (IELTS)
- Test of Englishas a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
- Pearson Test of EnglishAcademic (PTE Academic)
- Awardees’ Englishlanguage test results must be valid at 1 January of the year in which the awardee is commencing studies in Australia
- If an institution requires a different test validity timeframe, awardees must meet the institution’s requirements
- English language scores are not negotiable. All AustraliaAwards Scholarship awardees must meet the following requirement
-
- An Academic IELTS result with an overall score of at least 6.5, with no band less than 6.0, or
- An internet-based TOEFL score of at least 79, with a minimum of 19 in all subtests, or
- PTE Academic overall score of 58 with no communicative skill score less than 50.
- Where an institution’s academicEnglish language requirement is higher than DFAT’s requirement for the main course of study, the awardee must meet the institution’s requirement
EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
For experience required, please visit the page for your home country