Funding guide
Full scholarships are rare and competitive. Partial fee waivers of 10 to 30 percent are not; most universities outside the Group of Eight hand them out to any qualified applicant who asks before accepting. Here is where the money is.
Checked against Department of Home Affairs and Study Australia sources · Last reviewed 21 September 2026
International students can access four kinds of funding in Australia: Australian Government scholarships such as Australia Awards and Destination Australia; university merit and fee-waiver scholarships worth 10 to 50 percent of tuition; fully funded research scholarships for masters by research and PhD students; and external awards from home-country governments and private foundations. The realistic target for most students is a 15 to 25 percent university fee waiver, which is worth AUD 15,000 to 30,000 over a course.
| Type | Value | Competitiveness | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Awards | Full tuition, living, travel | Very high | Development-related fields, selected countries (not India) |
| Destination Australia | AUD 15,000/yr | High | Regional campus study, any level |
| University merit / fee waiver | 10–50% of tuition | Low to moderate | Most applicants with 65%+ academic results |
| Research Training Program (RTP) | Full tuition + AUD 33,000+ stipend | High | Masters by research and PhD |
| Country-specific | Varies | Moderate | Indian, Nepali, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese students at selected universities |
| External / private | AUD 2,000–20,000 | Varies | Specific fields or backgrounds |
Australia Awards are the flagship, fully funding tuition, living and travel for students from participating developing countries in the Indo-Pacific. India is not a participating country; Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam and the Pacific are. Applications open around February each year for the following academic year.
Destination Australia pays AUD 15,000 a year for students at regional campuses, allocated by institutions rather than applied for centrally. It stacks with university fee waivers and with the 5 regional PR points, which makes it the most valuable single award available to most international students.
Every university runs an international scholarship scheme, and outside the Go8 most are automatic on application. Typical 2026 offers: 20 to 25 percent at Federation, CQU, Southern Cross, Charles Darwin and Western Sydney; 10 to 20 percent at Deakin, Griffith, La Trobe, Swinburne and RMIT; 10 to 15 percent at UTS, QUT and Macquarie for high achievers; smaller merit awards at the Go8. Many are contingent on maintaining a credit average. The College Finder lists current scholarship offers by institution.
The Research Training Program funds tuition and a tax-free stipend, currently above AUD 33,000 a year, for masters by research and PhD candidates. Universities allocate RTP places and their own equivalents competitively, usually requiring first-class honours or a masters with a research thesis and a confirmed supervisor. A funded research degree is simultaneously the cheapest way to study in Australia and the strongest PR pathway, as the study to PR pathway explains.
A student at a regional campus can realistically combine a 20 percent fee waiver, Destination Australia, a longer post-study work visa and 5 PR points. On a AUD 30,000 course that is AUD 21,000 a year in direct funding plus the migration advantage, which is why we push regional study so hard in the universities guide.
Common questions
Yes. University fee waivers of 10 to 30 percent are widely available, Destination Australia pays AUD 15,000 a year for regional study, research degrees are often fully funded, and government awards exist for selected countries.
Full scholarships for Indian students are mostly limited to research degrees through the RTP and university equivalents. Australia Awards do not cover India. Partial waivers of 10 to 30 percent are common for coursework students.
Most are automatic on application for students with 65 percent or better academic results. Ask at offer stage, before paying a deposit, and use competing offers to negotiate.
An Australian Government scholarship of AUD 15,000 a year for students at regional campuses, allocated by institutions. It stacks with university waivers and regional PR points.
Yes. A scholarship letter counts towards financial capacity and supports the Genuine Student statement.
Study in Australia guide
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