Scholarships to study in Australia

Scholarships that can help you to study worry-free in Australia

Always dreamed of studying in Australia but backed out because of the tuition fees and high living expenses of the university? Don't worry! Now is your chance to experience the student life at a prestigious Australian University with the best available options of Australian scholarships, funded by the Australian government or the private and public universities at Australia. This article will help you to analyse all the government-funded, externally funded and university-specific Australian scholarships available for international students at graduation, post graduation, and doctoral level of their higher education.

The awarded scholarships cover the entire tuition fees, the cost of return air travel, CLE i.e. the contribution to living expenses, establishment allowance, PCE fees (Pre Course English), Introductory Academic Program (IAP), the OSHC expenses (Overseas Student Healthcare Cover), and other similar charges.

Scholarships funded by the Australian government to benefit international students

Australia Awards Scholarship provide opportunities to individuals from various developing countries to undertake a full-time bachelor's or master's program at the eligible and participating universities of the country. The most popular government-funded scholarships are

1. AAS or Australia Awards Scholarships: The scholarships that are offered under this category allow the students from all level of disciplines to study full-time courses at the TAFE institutes or at the participating universities. The scholarships are granted to students from selected countries that lie within the Asia Pacific regions, in the Middle East, and Africa. The scholarships cover the complete tuition fee of an applicant, economy class return airfare, a one-time payment of establishment allowance to help the student with accommodation charges along with the study material expenses, and living expenses for a fortnight.

The benefits that come along with these scholarships are

• The students are exposed to a fully paid Introductory Academic Program before the commencement of the main discipline studies. This program is mandatory to be taken up by a student, as it provides relevant information about living and studying in Australia.
• The students who are awarded AAS are also provided with an Overseas Student Health Cover for the complete duration of the scholarship coverage period. This health cover helps a student in managing his basic medical costs while studying in Australia. However, this benefit is provided to the award holders only.
• PCE fees are also covered in these scholarships if required by the student. Also, the Pre Course English training is made available to scholars in-country or in -Australia.
• Fieldwork is also made available for eligible research scholars. They are granted an economy class return ticket via the most direct route to their country or to any state in Australia.

2. Destination Australia Scholarship: The destination Australia scholarship program is a fairly new establishment made by the Australian government to help the students with education funding. The students who'll be granted this scholarship will be offered a sum of $15,000 per year throughout the duration of their program to cover their living and tuition expenses. There are almost thirty-five education providing institutes that'll be offering these scholarships to the international as well as regional students in Australia. The purpose behind establishing this new scholarship program is to support the tertiary education providers or colleges/universities of Australia.
3. RTP or Research Training Program Scholarship: The students who plan to study in Australia for their research doctoral or research master's disciplines can apply for a scholarship under the Research Training Program. The applications for RTP scholarships are submitted directly to the selected as well as participating university. The participating universities have their own set of rules and guidelines for the acceptance of an individual's application in order to reward him with the scholarship. The awarded scholarship will over 3 years of a PhD degree or 2 years of a master’s research program. Students applying for a scholarship in this category should remember that the duration of the RTP scholarship scheme cannot be extended.

Scholarships offered by specific universities to support international students

1. International Research Scholarship by the University of Sydney

It is a scholarship scheme offered to the international students pursuing a postgraduate research degree within the different study areas and departments of the University of Sydney. This scholarship covers the complete tuition fee and the living expenses up to 3 years for an applicant, however, the students in a PhD research program are given leverage to extend the scholarship benefits for another semester. The students selected for the scholarship are assessed on the basis of academic performance and their research abilities.

2. Melbourne International Undergraduate Scholarship offered by the University of Melbourne

The first and the foremost thing any applicant should know about this scholarship is that he cannot apply for this scheme on his own. An international student who is interested to get enrolled in the University of Melbourne is automatically considered for the scholarship scheme and contacted if found eligible. Melbourne International Undergraduate Scholarship is a tuition fee remission scheme granted to the high achieving international students. There are almost thirty schemes which offer remission of $10,000 in the tuition fee of a student and almost ten scholarship schemes that offer complete remission of tuition fee for an international scholar. This scholarship is offered for each commencing year of a bachelor's degree at the university.

3. Macquarie Vice Chancellor's International Scholarship offered by the Macquarie University

This scholarship covers the partial amount of the tuition fee of international students pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in the disciplines of environment, media, human science, education, engineering, and linguistics. Unfortunately, the students belonging to the regions of Australia, New Zealand, ASEAN, or Mongolia are not eligible for this scholarship program. The amount offered towards the tuition fee of an individual awarded by this scholarship depends majorly on the discipline an applicant is enrolled but it goes till $10,000. The students for this scholarship program are selected on the basis of their academic performance and mandatory academic requirements.

4. The International Undergraduate Full Tuition Scholarship offered by the University of Technology Sydney

The scholarship granted by the University of Technology Sydney covers the full tuition fee for international students enrolled in an undergraduate program at the campus, however, the students from New Zealand are not eligible to apply for this scholarship program. The students are selected on the grounds of academic merit. A scholar with a total score of 85% or higher in high school is considered acceptable for the program.

5. Adelaide Scholarships International granted by the University of Adelaide

The comprehensive scholarships offered in this program are dedicated to the international students who are pursuing a master's research or doctoral research degree in any of the specializations offered by the university. The scholars from New Zealand are not considered eligible for this scholarship program. The applicant should've completed the equivalent of an Australian First Class Honours degree before applying for this program. The scholarship covers the tuition fee of the program, fixed living expenses of the student, and the health cover for the applicant. The benefits are offered for 2 years to a master's research student and 3 years to a doctoral research scholar. However, the duration can be extended in case of a student enrolled in the PhD program. The students are selected on the basis of their research abilities and academic merit.

6. RMIT International Excellence Scholarship awarded by the RMIT University

This scholarship program allows a decrease of approximately twenty per cent in the tuition fee of an international student who is taking up an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework degree at RMIT University. The students are selected on the basis of their academic performance, a supporting personal statement, an overall score of seventy per cent in the last qualification completed by the applicant, and a GPA of 2.5-4.0 throughout the duration of the education.

7. ANU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & ECONOMICS INTERNATIONAL UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP granted by the Australian National University

Any international undergraduate student who wants to pursue his education in Australia at the ANU College of Business and Economics can apply for this scholarship. The students for the program are selected on the basis of academic merit. The scholarship covers the entire tuition fee of the selected applicant's course.

Steps to get a scholarship in Australia

Most of the international scholars prefer getting a scholarship for their studies in order to ease out on the expenses to a huge extent.

Here are a few tips that will increase your chances of successfully getting a scholarship at an Australian University

1. Actively participate in community services and activities: Most of the scholarships dedicated to international students are awarded on the basis of academic excellence or financial support requirements, but there are scholarships that are granted to the students for their participation in the community activities. Active participation in the community groups, clubs or teams and a focus towards the community services can help the students to represent their leadership skills which often attract the education providers while reviewing the Scholarship applications. Being a part of the community services is beneficial for both the academic or financial scholarships and community participation scholarships.
2. Apply for as many scholarships as possible: A student can get numerous scholarship opportunities in Australia, so it is recommended that you apply for as many programs as possible and do not restrict your search to only a few institutes or colleges.
3. Seek expert help with your scholarship application: It is important for you to develop a clear and error-free application for your scholarship as it is the main and at times the only ground on which your candidature is judged. A silly mistake can result in your application being rejected for the scholarship. Therefore, if you're not fluent with English seek the help of a friend or colleague or a writing expert to create an influential application.

Keep a close eye on the eligibility criteria and requirements of your university to successfully apply for your scholarship program. Also, keep a note of the opening and closing date of the applications to avoid any carelessness.