If you are planning to study in Australia with financial support, the Australia Awards Scholarships are among the best opportunities available to international students. This scholarship provides fully funded programs at Australian universities across a wide range of fields. In this article, we will explain everything you need to know about the Australia Awards Scholarships, including their benefits, eligibility criteria, required documents, and a detailed step-by-step application process to help you apply successfully.
The Australia Awards Scholarships 2026–2027 are available for undergraduate, master’s, and PhD studies and provide recipients with full tuition fees, a travel allowance, living expenses, an establishment allowance, and more.
Australia Awards Scholarships invite applications from international students who are interested in undertaking higher education at participating Australian institutions. Australia Awards Scholarships aim to contribute to the development needs of Australia’s partner countries in line with bilateral and regional agreements. These awards are administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Scholarship Summary
- Level of Study: Undergraduate, Master’s, PhD
- Institution(s): Participating Australian Institutions
- Study Destination: Australia
- Opportunity Focus Areas:
- Engineering & Technology
- Arts
- Business & Law
- Medical and Applied Sciences
- Nursing and Midwifery
- Human, Health, and Social Sciences
- Program Period: Depends on the chosen degree.
The Australia Awards Scholarships Application Deadline
The application deadline for the Australia Awards Scholarships is April 30, 2026.
Click here to check country-specific deadlines.
Scholarship Coverage
Australia Awards Scholarships provide the recipients with the following benefits:
- Full tuition fees
- A contribution towards accommodation expenses, textbooks, and study materials
- Return air travel—payment of a single return, economy class airfare to and from Australia, via the most direct route
- Contribution to Living Expenses (CLE)—a fortnightly contribution to basic living expenses paid at a rate determined by the department.
- Pre-course English (PCE) fees
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of the award (for award holder only)—provided to cover the scholar’s basic medical costs (except for pre-existing conditions)
- Introductory Academic Program (IAP)—a compulsory program before the commencement of formal academic studies covering information on living and studying in Australia
- Supplementary academic support may be available to ensure a scholar’s academic success or enhance their academic experience. Fieldwork (for research awards and master’s by coursework, which have a research component where fieldwork is compulsory) may be available for eligible research students for one round-trip economy class airfare via the most direct route to their country of citizenship or within Australia.
Eligibility Criteria for the Australia Awards Scholarships
To be eligible for the Australia Awards scholarships, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Required Language: English
- Eligible Countries: Citizens of one of the participating countries in Asia, the Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. See the complete list of participating countries.
- Be a minimum of 18 years of age on 1 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.
- 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.
- Remain unmarried, not engaged, and without a de facto partner who holds or is eligible for Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency 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]).
- They are eligible to apply for a long-term Australia Award only if they have not received one before and have resided outside Australia for at least twice the length of their previous stay in Australia.
- Not be current-serving military personnel.
- 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 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.
- Not applying for a scholarship for a course of study at an academic level lower than they have already achieved (e.g., 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 the program areas (including locally engaged staff at the post) or with managing contractors so that the application may be properly and transparently managed.
How to Apply for the Australia Awards Scholarships:
Please follow the instructions below to apply for the Australia Awards Scholarships:
- Applying online: Go to the Online Australia Scholarships Information System (OASIS). 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 per 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.
- 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).
Website
To learn more about the Australia Awards Scholarships, please visit the official website: