How to Get a PhD Scholarship in Australia: The Research Training Program

What the Research Training Program Pays For

The Research Training Program (RTP) is the Australian Government's main way to fund PhD and research master's students. The government pays block grants to universities every year. Each university then runs its own scholarship rounds. Each university also sets its own benefit levels, inside the government's rules.

An RTP award can include:

• A living-cost stipend, usually paid every two weeks.
• A fee offset. This offset covers some or all of your tuition fees.
• A relocation allowance, if you must move to study.
• A thesis allowance, to help with costs near the end of your project.
• Extra allowances for specific groups, such as a dependent child allowance for international students.

Tip: The RTP is not one single scholarship. It is a national scheme with one name and many different versions. Each university gives it a local name, a local rate, and a local process. Always check the page of the specific university where you want to study.

Who Can Apply

You can apply for an RTP award if you meet these general conditions:

• You apply for, or you already study, a higher degree by research. This means a PhD or a research master's degree.
• You study, or plan to study, at an eligible Australian university.
• You are a domestic or an international student. Both groups can apply for most RTP awards.
• You meet the university's academic merit rules.
• You have a qualified supervisor who agrees to take you on, in a research area that fits the university's plan, with space and resources available.

Universities rank every applicant by academic merit. The Australian National University (ANU) states that it checks three things before it confirms an award: the applicant's rank, a qualified supervisor, and available space and resources, in a research area aligned with the university's strategy.

Some universities add a preference rule on top of merit. The University of Sydney gives preference to applicants who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, to students who start a PhD for the first time, and to students who have not held this type of scholarship before.

How Much You Get: Two University Examples

Each university sets its own stipend rate inside the government's indexed range, and the rate changes every year. These two confirmed examples are for the 2027 academic year.

Tip: Do not use these two numbers for a different university. Open the scholarships page of your target university and check its current rate before you plan your budget.

ANU pays its stipend for 3.5 years of full-time study. It can add a 6-month extension if you keep a good academic record. Check your target university's page for its own award length.

Deadlines and the Application Timeline

Australian universities run more than one intake a year. They call each one a "research period." Deadlines differ by university and by the research period you want to start in. Two confirmed examples for the 2027 round:

• ANU, Round 1: 31 August 2026 for international applicants, and 26 October 2026 for domestic applicants, for a start between January and March 2027. Round 2 closes on 15 April, for a start by the end of August.
• University of Sydney, Research Period 1 and 2, 2027: 11 September 2026 for international applicants, and 12 October 2026 for domestic applicants.

These dates can move. ANU moved its own domestic deadline this year, from 31 October to 26 October 2026, because of a scheduled system outage. Check the official page close to the date when you plan to apply.

Documents You Need

Across most Australian universities, you need:

• Your degree certificates and transcripts, with a certified translation if they are not in English.
• Proof of English language proficiency, such as IELTS or TOEFL, if your previous degree was not taught in English.
• A research proposal or a statement of research interests.
• Contact details for two or three referees.
• A CV that lists your research experience and any publications.

Submit your referee requests as soon as you apply. Both ANU and the University of Sydney warn that a late referee report can delay your application.

How to Apply, Step by Step

1. Choose a university and a research topic. Contact a potential supervisor who works in that area before you apply.
2. Open the university's scholarships page and find the RTP deadline for your intake.
3. Apply for admission to the higher degree by research program. At some universities, such as ANU, this single application also puts you forward for the RTP, with no extra form.
4. At other universities, such as Sydney, submit a separate scholarship application form by the deadline, on top of your admission application.
5. Ask your referees to submit their reports two to three weeks before the deadline. This gives them time to respond.
6. Wait for the outcome. Universities usually announce results from six to twelve weeks after the deadline closes.

Common Mistakes

• Waiting until the deadline to contact a supervisor. Universities expect you to agree on a supervisor and a topic before you submit your application.
• Submitting your admission application without checking the separate scholarship deadline. The two dates are not always the same.
• Assuming the stipend rate is the same at every university. It is not. Always check the university you plan to apply to.
• Forgetting to ask referees early. A late referee report can make your application incomplete.
• Applying to only one university. Students can apply to more than one Australian university for an RTP award.

Where to Find Open Positions

PhD Atlas lists open PhD positions, including funded PhD positions, across many countries. The RTP itself has no central application portal, so search each university's research pages directly for a supervisor and a project in Australia.

Sign up free and PhD Atlas matches open positions to your CV, so you spend less time checking university websites one by one.