Australia Awards Scholarships, formerly known as Australian Development Scholarships (ADS), provide opportunities for people from developing countries, particularly those countries located in the Indo-Pacific region, to undertake full-time undergraduate or postgraduate study at participating Australian universities and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions. It is hosted by any of the participating Australian Institutions.
They aim to contribute to the development needs of Australia’s partner countries in line with bilateral and regional agreements.
They provide opportunities for people from developing countries, particularly those countries located in the Indo-Pacific region, to undertake full-time undergraduate or postgraduate study at participating Australian universities and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions.
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.
Scholars are required to leave Australia for a minimum of two years after completing their scholarship. Failure to do so will result in the scholar incurring a debt for the total accrued cost of their scholarship.
The scholarship benefits generally include full tuition fees, return air travel, establishment allowance, contribution to living expenses (CLE), Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), Introductory Academic Program (IAP), Pre-course English (PCE) fees, etc.
The scholarships are offered for the minimum period necessary for the individual to complete the academic program specified by the Australian higher education institution, including any preparatory training.
To be eligible to receive a Scholarship, applicants must:
- be a minimum of 18 years of age on 1 February of the year of commencing the scholarship;
- 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;
- not be a citizen of Australia, hold permanent residency in Australia, or be applying for a visa to 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, 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]);
- not be current serving military personnel;
- not have previously received a long-term Australia Award 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 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 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);
- 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;
- Not be applying for a scholarship for a course of study at an academic level lesser than they have already achieved (eg be applying for a Master’s scholarship when they already hold a Ph.D.); and
- Applicants must inform the Program Area of any connection or relationship to staff employed at Program Areas (including locally engaged staff at the post) or with managing contractors so that the application may be properly and transparently managed.