Research scholarships

Transform your future with a research scholarship

At Adelaide University, we’re committed to widening access to education for all, which is why we will offer a variety of government, industry, philanthropic and university-funded scholarships to support research students.

Adelaide University research students will be able to apply for a range of scholarship types, including major and top-up scholarships, research internship scholarships, travel scholarships, and more. These scholarships will provide a range of benefits and allowances, including living stipends and tuition fee waivers.

What costs do graduate research scholarships cover?

Graduate research scholarships can include one or more of the following types of support.

If you’re successful in obtaining a scholarship, your offer letter and the Scholarship Conditions of Award (CoA) will detail the type of support you have been awarded.

Stipend: An allowance paid to you for the duration of your scholarship to help with living expenses. While stipends are designed to cover the living costs of one person, they may not fully cover your expenses if you’re accompanied by a spouse or children.
Tuition fee waiver: A financial arrangement with the University that exempts you from having to pay tuition fees for the duration of the scholarship. Fee waivers are not paid to you directly.
Allowance: Reimbursement for costs associated with undertaking a research degree, such as relocation costs and Overseas Health Cover (for international research students).

Applying for scholarships

Before applying for a scholarship, you must have written confirmation of support from your proposed supervisor.

Applications for major scholarships occur primarily through the main scholarship rounds. Top-up and other opportunities are often offered separately and require a separate and specific application.

Some scholarships are competitive, and opportunities in the scholarship rounds may be limited. Please review any eligibility criteria for your chosen scholarship prior to submitting your application.

Please note: the number of scholarships on offer in each scholarship round is subject to funding availability.

Scholarship rounds

Scholarship rounds are open to Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Philosophy students only.

One of the major scholarships awarded as part of the scholarship rounds is the Adelaide University Research Scholarship (AURS). The conditions of this scholarship may change over time.

Round name	Opening date	Closing date	Outcome communicated to students	Commencement
International (merit)	17 Feb 2025	8 June 2025	mid-August 2025	Jan – June 2026
Project	July 2025	August 2025	September 2025	Jan – June 2026
Domestic (merit)	1 Aug 2025	31 Oct 2025	mid-Dec 2025	Jan – June 2026

Scholarship selection guidelines for merit rounds

Merit-based scholarships are assessed based on a combination of academic merit, research experience and alignment with the University’s strategic goals.

To provide yourself with the best chance at being selected for a scholarship, ensure you include as much detail as possible about your:

qualifications

grades

publications

work experience that is relevant to your research.

If you have studied overseas, your qualifications will be assessed in comparison to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). If your grades do not compare with the Australian system, your results will be scaled accordingly to ensure your application can be assessed fairly.

Scholarships are awarded to the highest ranked applicants in the round. Whether an applicant is awarded a scholarship is determined by the quality of their application relative to the other applications received in that round.