Scholarships in Australia for International Students 2027
Australia funds international students more widely than most people realise and less generously than the headlines suggest. Both halves of that sentence matter.
Nearly every Australian university offers something to good international applicants, and several awards arrive automatically — you apply for admission, and the scholarship follows without a form. That is genuinely unusual and it means most applicants leave money on the table simply by not knowing the award exists.
At the same time, almost none of these scholarships cover living costs. Australia’s student visa requires you to prove AUD 29,710 for twelve months before it issues a permit, and a tuition discount does nothing for that figure. A student with a 20% scholarship and no savings still cannot get a visa.
The one exception is research funding. Australian doctoral and research master’s students can be genuinely fully funded — tuition covered and a tax-free living stipend paid. The gap between what Australia offers a research student and what it offers a coursework student is the single biggest thing to understand before you choose a degree.
This page compares every major route, tells you which one fits your situation, and links to the full guide for each.
Every Major Australian Scholarship, Compared
| Scholarship | What it pays | Who it is for | Apply? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Training Program | Full tuition + about AUD 36,000 a year, tax-free | PhD and research master’s, any Australian university | Automatic with your research application |
| Melbourne Research Scholarship | Full tuition + AUD 41,100 a year + health cover | PhD and research master’s at Melbourne | Automatic |
| Monash Leadership Scholarship | 100% of course fees, whole degree | Undergraduates — 4 awards a year | Automatic |
| Adelaide Academic Excellence | 50% of tuition | Undergraduate and coursework master’s, high distinction average | Form required |
| Sydney Vice-Chancellor’s Scheme | AUD 5,000 – 60,000, once | Bachelor’s and coursework master’s | Automatic |
| Adelaide Emerging Leaders | 25% of tuition | Distinction average | Automatic |
| Melbourne Undergraduate Scholarship | 20% of tuition, whole degree | Undergraduates from countries with GDP per capita ≤ US$10,000 | Automatic |
| UWA Global Excellence | 10% or 20% of tuition | ATAR 85 or 90; postgraduate WAM 65 or 75 | Automatic |
| Adelaide Merit Scholarship | 15% of tuition | Credit average — the most reachable tier | Automatic |
| Monash Merit Scholarship | AUD 15,000 a year | Undergraduates — 20 awards a year | Automatic |
| Destination Australia | AUD 15,000 a year, no tuition cover | Regional campuses only, residence condition | Apply at the provider |
| Sydney Scholars India | 2 full tuition, 26 part-awards for year one only | Indian citizens resident in India | Form, April–May window |
| Adelaide Sibling / Alumni / Partner | 10% each | A family or institutional link, no grades needed | Automatic |
Figures move between intakes. Treat this table as a map and confirm each number on the university’s own page before you plan around it.
Start Here: Which Route Fits You
If you want a PhD or a research master’s, stop comparing tuition discounts. Australian research degrees can be fully funded — full fees plus a tax-free stipend around AUD 36,000, rising to AUD 41,100 at Melbourne. Nothing on the coursework side comes close. Your effort belongs in finding a supervisor, not in scholarship forms. → Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship
If you want a taught master’s or a bachelor’s degree, you are looking at tuition discounts rather than funding. Apply to four or five universities, because each runs a separate competition and most need no extra application. → Adelaide · UWA · Monash · Melbourne · Sydney
If your grades are good but not exceptional, go to Adelaide first. A credit average earns 15%, which is the lowest entry threshold among the major universities, and UWA’s ATAR 85 sits close behind.
If your results are outstanding, Adelaide’s 50% and Monash’s full-fee award are the largest on offer — though Monash gives only four a year worldwide.
If you are happy outside the big cities, regional study pays twice: Destination Australia adds AUD 15,000 a year, and regional graduates qualify for extra post-study work years. → Destination Australia Scholarship
And If you hold an Indian passport, Sydney runs a dedicated programme with two full-tuition awards, though most of its 28 places fund your first year only. → Sydney Scholars India and Global Scholarships
The Seven Guides
Research Training Program (RTP) Australia’s real fully funded option, for research degrees only. Full tuition, a tax-free stipend of roughly AUD 36,000 a year, and health cover at many universities. No government application exists — a supervisor’s agreement decides everything, so the guide includes the email that gets one.
Melbourne International Scholarships Two very different awards at one university. The undergraduate scholarship falls to 20% from 2027 and carries a country-income rule almost nobody mentions. The research scholarship is fully funded at AUD 41,100 a year. Taught master’s students get neither.
Monash International Leadership Scholarship Full course fees for the whole degree — for four students a year, worldwide. Twenty more receive AUD 15,000 a year. Students entering through Monash College or a Foundation Year cannot receive either, which the guide explains in full because it changes how you should plan your entry route.
Adelaide Global Academic Excellence Scholarships The most reachable scheme in the country, rebuilt after the 2026 merger with UniSA. Six tiers from 50% down to 10%, five of them automatic, and a credit average still earns 15%. Three awards rest on a sibling, an alumni link or a partner institution rather than on grades.
UWA Global Excellence Scholarship UWA switched from fixed dollars to percentages for 2027, so the AUD 48,000 figure still circulating belongs to a scheme that no longer runs. The thresholds are low — ATAR 85, postgraduate WAM 65 — and Perth costs less to live in than the eastern cities.
Sydney Scholars India and Global Scholarships Sydney’s global scheme needs no application at all: it considers every international student holding an unconditional offer by each round deadline. That makes the date your offer becomes unconditional the only thing you control, and the guide shows how to bring it forward.
Destination Australia Scholarship AUD 15,000 a year at regional campuses, with no tuition cover and a residence condition the university checks each semester. The guide also untangles the two different definitions of “regional” that cost applicants a year.
What Each University Charges
A scholarship percentage means nothing until you know what it is a percentage of. These are typical annual international tuition ranges for undergraduate degrees.
| University | Tuition a year (AUD) | What 20% saves you |
|---|---|---|
| UWA | 30,000 – 45,000 | 6,000 – 9,000 |
| Monash | 32,860 – 60,600 | 6,572 – 12,120 |
| Melbourne | 37,884 – 80,984 | 7,577 – 16,197 |
| Adelaide | 43,400 – 104,100 | 8,680 – 20,820 |
| Sydney | 49,200 – 65,900 | 9,840 – 13,180 |
Two things follow from that table.
A percentage is worth far more in an expensive course, which inverts the usual assumption that a cheaper degree is the frugal choice. Adelaide’s 15% on a dentistry degree beats UWA’s 20% on an arts degree by a wide margin.
The cheapest total is rarely the biggest scholarship. UWA charges least and sits in a city where rent runs below the eastern capitals. A UWA student with 10% can easily finish a degree for less than a Sydney student with a larger award. Run your own numbers on your own course rather than comparing percentages.
The Deadlines That Decide Everything
Australian universities admit students year-round, which lulls applicants into applying late. Several of these scholarships assess in rounds against a finite pool, so the calendar matters more than the volume of applications.
August to October, the year before. Sydney’s first Vice-Chancellor’s round has closed in mid-August for a February start, and it carries the largest unallocated pool. Several research rounds close around August too.
September to October. Research degree applicants should already be talking to supervisors. A supervisor contacted in August for an October deadline has no time to build a case.
April to May. Sydney Scholars India opens around 1 April and closes around 24 May. It is the only major Australian award with a short, fixed window of this kind.
Rolling, at the provider. Destination Australia deadlines belong to each university rather than to the government, and they differ widely. Check every shortlisted institution separately.
No deadline at all. Melbourne, Monash, UWA and five of Adelaide’s six tiers assess automatically. Your admission date is effectively your scholarship date, which is the strongest argument on this page for applying early.
The practical rule. Submit admission applications as soon as each intake opens and clear every condition the day you can. An unconditional offer in August competes in a smaller field than the same offer in November, and for the automatic awards that timing is the entire competition.
What Every Australian Scholarship Leaves Out
Three costs sit outside almost every award on this page, and they decide whether a plan works.
Living costs. The student visa requires proof of AUD 29,710 for twelve months, plus your first year of tuition, plus health cover and travel. A scholarship counts only for the amount it names. A full-tuition award does not reduce the living-cost evidence by a dollar.
The gap before the money arrives. Most scholarships pay per semester and some pay weeks into term. Your rent, flights, visa fee and first instalment all fall due before any instalment lands.
Health cover. Overseas Student Health Cover runs roughly AUD 500 to AUD 3,000 a year and sits outside most coursework awards, though research scholarships often include it.
The one number that matters. Take the tuition for your specific course, multiply by the years, add AUD 30,000 a year for living, then subtract your expected scholarship. If the remainder is reachable for your family, Australia works. If it is not, no tuition percentage closes that gap, and a fully funded programme elsewhere deserves your application time instead.
The Advantage Nobody Counts
Where you study in Australia changes what happens after you graduate, and it is worth more than several of the scholarships above.
Australia’s Temporary Graduate visa lets international graduates work after finishing, and graduates who studied outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane can apply for a second visa adding extra years. Perth and Adelaide generally attract one additional year; genuinely regional areas can attract two.
Two extra years of full Australian work rights outweighs a 20% tuition discount by a wide margin, and it matters more still for anyone thinking about permanent residence.
The rules run on postcodes rather than city names and they change, so confirm your own before planning around it. But when you weigh an Adelaide or Perth offer against a Sydney one, put this beside the scholarship percentage and the lower rent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a fully funded scholarship in Australia? For research degrees, yes — the Research Training Program covers full tuition and pays a tax-free living stipend. For coursework degrees, Australian university scholarships are tuition discounts rather than full funding.
Which Australian scholarship is easiest to get? Adelaide’s Merit Scholarship at 15% needs only a credit average and no application. UWA’s 10% tier at ATAR 85 is close behind.
Do I have to apply for these scholarships? Mostly no. Melbourne, Monash, Sydney, UWA and five of Adelaide’s six tiers assess you automatically from your admission application. Adelaide’s 50% award and Sydney Scholars India need forms.
Can a scholarship cover my student visa requirement? Only partly. The visa requires AUD 29,710 for living costs plus your first year of tuition, and a scholarship counts only for what it names.
Which university gives the most? Monash pays full course fees, to four undergraduates a year. Adelaide’s 50% tier reaches many more students. For research students, Melbourne pays the highest stipend at AUD 41,100.
Do taught master’s students get scholarships? Less than undergraduates do. Adelaide and UWA cover coursework master’s students in their main schemes; Melbourne and Monash largely do not.
When should I apply? As early as each intake opens. Several awards assess in rounds against a finite pool, so an early unconditional offer competes in a smaller field.
Your Next Steps
Decide first whether your degree is research or coursework, because that single fact changes everything else on this page. Research students should read the RTP guide and start writing to supervisors. Coursework students should shortlist four or five universities and read the guide for each.
Then do the arithmetic before the applications. Tuition times years, plus AUD 30,000 a year for living, minus a realistic scholarship. Five minutes with that calculation saves months spent on a plan the visa would never approve.
Apply early, clear every condition on your offers the day you can, and remember that most of these awards find you rather than the other way round.
ScholarWing researches every guide from official sources and updates it when the funders change their terms. We never charge students and we never promise outcomes.