Overview:

The University of South Australia grants International Research Tuition Scholarships to international research students each year on the basis of candidates’ academic merit and proven research capability. The scholarship recipients will be supported by a full living allowance funded by an external funder during their studies while students being able to self-fund their living costs or provide proof of this are also eligible for these scholarships.

Quick details:

Application deadline: open at any time of the year

Start time: Early 2021

Location: Australia

Scholarship focus area: Research

Levels of study: Master’s & PhD

Scholarship value:

The IRTS will cover the international tuition fees for 3 years (with a six-month possibility of extension) for PhD students and tuition fees for 2 years for a research master applicant.

Benefits:

What it covers:

• Tuition fees
• Living allowance (funded by external funding)
• The living stipend needs to be in the form of an externally financed scholarship administered through the University or in agreement with an industry partner, sponsorship body or organization.

What it does not:

• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)/insurance
• Students should ensure they have a visa length OSHC while studying in Australia

Eligibility criteria

Candidates meeting the following criteria are eligible:

1. General criteria

• Be commencing international research degree students;
• High quality with proven research capability, as assessed by UniSA;
• Enjoy the support of a strong supervisory panel (with an end-user adviser on the supervisory panel, where suitable), and be enrolled in a research-rich environment;

• Received (or receiving) a fully externally funded stipend scholarship, or in receipt of a living allowance supported by external funding; or
• Able to self-sponsor their living costs for their studies in Australia, and can provide proof of this at the  time of application

2. University-specific criteria for each degree

a- Master’s

• An Honors degree or a Bachelor degree with honors;
• A relevant Bachelor degree (or international equivalent) of at least 3 years with a minimum credit average;
• Already hold an appropriate Master’s degree; and
• Satisfy the Dean of Research that their previous education, related professional experience and published research work is of adequate quality and relevance to qualify the applicant for a research degree

 b- PhD

• An Honors degree or a Bachelor degree with Honors of at least class 2a standard in an appropriate discipline; or
• An appropriate Master’s degree;
• Do not hold a PhD degree already; or
• Satisfy the Dean of Research that their earlier education, relevant professional experience and published research work is of adequate quality and relevance to prepare the applicant for a research degree;

Competitive selection process

This scholarship is highly competitive therefore try to prepare your documents appropriately and observe the criteria strictly otherwise it will not be assessed.

The University of South Australia checks individual scholarship application in view of these factors:

• Grades secured in an undergraduate degree, referee’s reports, proposed area of research, and supervisor report.
• Applicants are rated in a top to bottom order according to their scores on each of these benchmarks and then scholarships are awarded based on merit.

How to apply?

In order to apply for IRTS Scholarships, applicants need to consider a 7-step application process as below and submit an online application afterward.

1. Check your eligibility

All international students must meet English language requirements to be eligible for admission to a research program.

2. Match your research area

When submitting your application you will need to determine which field of the University you are interested in.  Exploring the areas of research that the University provides will also help you in finding your potential supervisor as well.

3. Find a supervisor

A supervisor is an academic staff member from the University of South Australia who will supervise your research work throughout your research degree.

It is desirable that you recommend a supervisor when completing your application, however, you can submit your application without doing so. It is essential that you do not propose a supervisor except they have agreed, in principle, to supervise your research. Find more information on this on the website.

4. Find a scholarship

In your online application, you will need to specify the type of scholarship you want to apply for.

5. Organize referee reports

We require you to provide at least one academic or professional referee report before we can assess your application. In applying for a competitive scholarship, it is strongly recommended that you obtain two referee reports to maximize your competitiveness. Your referees must complete the referee report and email it to research.referees@unisa.edu.au. More information can be found on the website in the respective section.

6. Mandatory documentation

For each undergraduate and postgraduate degree that you have studied, make sure to provide required documents/academic records as listed below:

• University academic mark sheet/transcript including details of courses/subjects undertaken and grades attained. In case your original transcript is not in English you must upload both the original and an official verified English language translation.
• University grading scale (e.g. A = 85% to 100%).
• University diploma supplement (if appropriate).

Note: All supporting documents must be submitted along with the application. All the documents from each qualification should be arranged into a single file that you can upload to your application.

Please apply early to give the University time to review your application and request any additional documents in needed.

7. Apply online

Before applying, please read the applicant checklist available in the “apply online” section on the main page, which will help you in preparing the documents and get more information.

You can apply for an International Research Tuition Scholarship at any time of the year.
Applications must be made online via the University’s Apply Online facility linked below.

For more information please visit the University of South Australia’s Website.

Other opportunities  

• 2020 ‘Honjo International Scholarship Foundation’ Scholarships – Japan
• International Research Training Program Scholarship (IRTP) 2020/2021 at UTS Australia
• PhD scholarship in India by Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund