Australia Awards Scholarships 2023 and the application procedure

Australia Awards Scholarships(AAS)

About Australia Awards Scholarships

 Australia Awards Scholarships(AAS) are long-term programs sponsored by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The main aim of these scholarships is to contribute to the development needs of Australia's partner countries in line with bilateral and regional agreements.

This award program provides opportunities for the future generation of global leaders from developing countries, particularly those located in the Indo-Pacific region, Asia, Africa and Middle-East to engage in full-time undergraduate or postgraduate study at participating Australian universities and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions. 

The study and research opportunities provided by Australia Awards Scholarships develop the skills and knowledge of individuals to drive change and contribute to development in their own countries

The Australia Awards scholarships program is aimed to provide an opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge that an individual needs to bring change and by so doing contribute to the development of their own country.

Countries in Africa for the 2023-2024 Australia Award Scholarship program include:

• Botswana, 
• The Democratic Republic of Congo, 
• Egypt, 
• Ethiopia, 
• Gabon, 
• Ghana, 
• Kenya,
•  Liberia,
•  Madagascar, 
• Malawi, 
• Mauritius, 
• Morocco, 
• Mozambique,
•  Namibia, 
• Nigeria,
•  Rwanda, 
• Senegal, 
• Sierra Leone, 
• South Africa, 
• Sudan, 
• Tanzania, 
• The Gambia, 
• Uganda, 
• Zambia and 
• Zimbabwe

A full list of other eligible countries around the world includes:

• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• Brunei
• Cambodia
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Laos
• Maldives
• Malaysia
• Mongolia
• Myanmar
• Nauru
• Nepal
• Niue
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Palestinian Territories
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Samoa
• Singapore
• Solomon Islands
• Sri Lanka
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu
• Vietnam
• Wallis and Futuna

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Scholarship Overview

• Level of studies: Undergraduate, Postgraduate. These should be related to your country’s priority areas for development which are listed on the participating country profiles.
• Eligible countries: A group of African countries, Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East. Check to see from the list of participating countries if your country is among them. The link is provided below in the How to apply section.
• Scholarship Value: Full tuition support
• Study location: Any of the participating University of your choice
• Application Deadline:  May 3 2023. Applications start from February 1 2023
• Number of Awards: Not specified

Australia Awards Complete Scholarship Benefits

Australia Awards Scholarships are offered for the full duration of your studies and any other necessary training. The following benefits generally apply:

• full tuition fees
• return air travel–payment of a single return, economy class airfare to and from Australia, via the most direct route
• establishment allowance–a once-only payment as a contribution towards accommodation expenses, textbooks, study materials
• Contribution to Living Expenses (CLE) – a fortnightly contribution to basic living expenses paid at a rate determined by the department.
• Introductory Academic Program (IAP)–a compulsory program prior to the commencement of formal academic studies covering information on living and studying in Australia
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of the award (for award holder only)–provided to cover the scholar's basic medical costs (with the exception of pre-existing conditions)
• Pre-course English (PCE) fees–if deemed necessary PCE may be available for students for in-country and/or in-Australia training
• supplementary academic support may be available to ensure a scholar's academic success or enhance their academic experience
• fieldwork (for research awards and Masters by coursework which has a research component where fieldwork is compulsory) may be available for eligible research students for one return economy class airfare via the most direct route to their country of citizenship or within Australia.

Conditions for Australia Awards Scholarships

Like any other scholarship program. there is always a set of principles to guide the program. All applicants interested in the Australia Award Scholarship program will need to sign a contract with the Commonwealth of Australia declaring that they will comply with the conditions of the scholarship.

• One of such condition is that you are required to leave Australia for a minimum of two years after completing your scholarship program. Failure to do so will result in you incurring a debt for the total accrued cost of your scholarship.

General Eligibility Criteria for Australia Awards Scholarships

These are just general eligibility criteria for the Australia Awards scholarships. You might also have to meet your country-specific requirements

To be eligible to receive Australian scholarships, applicants are expected to be :

•  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 mobilisation 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 currently 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);
• not hold convictions or are currently under investigation for criminal activities including those relating to Child Protection and PSEAH.
•  recipients under the Pacific Secondary School Scholarship Program (PSSSP) who have completed their secondary school  education in Australia in the year prior are eligible to apply for the long-term Australia Award;
•  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 (e.g. be applying for a Master’s scholarship when they already hold a PhD), and applicants must inform the Program Area of any connection or relationship to staff employed at Program Areas (including locally engaged staff at post) or with managing contractors so that the application may be properly and transparently managed. Check Australia Awards Scholarships Policy Handbook to read more about these eligibility criteria

How to apply For Australia Awards Scholarships

The information on how to apply for the Australia Award scholarship slightly differs per country because of the specific participating country requirement. The whole application process is done either online directly at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website (don't go and pay money to anyone posing as a middleman) or via Mail. Meaning you can download the required documents, fill the forms accordingly and mail them.

• The first step in the application process is to check if your country is among the eligible participating country. Some countries allow online applications while others accept hard copy
• Next, check the opening and closing dates for your country, and select your country of citizenship/residency from the list of participating countries for specific information on eligibility, priority areas and how to apply.
• Next check the general eligibility requirements and selection procedure for these awards which can be found at the Australia Awards Scholarships Policy Handbook.
• If applying online, next visit Online Australia Scholarships Information System (OASIS). When you register online, you will be required to answer some questions to establish your eligibility. You will then be given a unique registration number, username and password.

Note that applications must not necessarily be submitted at once. Take your time to fill in the forms and upload all the necessary supporting documents accordingly. However, you submit before the closing date for your country and once this is done, nothing can be changed anymore.

• If you are applying by mail you will have to obtain hard copies for your application. From the participating country profile you can find contacts on how to obtain hard copies for your application. The same rules as the online application, take your time, fill in all the necessary information, and submit together with all the supporting documents before the designated deadline for your country.

For more information about this scholarship program visit:

•  Australia Awards Scholarships(AAS)
• Australia Awards opening and closing dates for study commencing in 2024

For information on similar Sponsored prestigious scholarships by the Australian government check List of fully funded Government scholarships in Australia

Before you apply, look at some of the tips below on how to apply successfully to Australian scholarships

As a general tip, when applying for a scholarship, you must keep in mind that, this is not just about meeting the eligibility requirement. There are many other things you must consider. Find out below some of the things you need to know on how to successfully apply for a scholarships

• 6 tips on how To Apply Successfully To Australian Scholarships
• 5 tips on how to Secure a Postgraduate Admission In An Australian University
• Most students have problems getting responses from potential supervisors. Use our tips below on how to successfully contact potential supervisors when asking for a student position

Other scholarship opportunities you should equally check:

If Australia Award Scholarship didn't favour you, it's ok! There are about 3000 scholarships available for international students to study in Australia. Check these other opportunities below.

• Check this list of  other Australian Government-sponsored scholarships
• Check this list  of Australian  University scholarship portals/databases for international students
• Check this list of Australian Universities without application fees

Other Important related links you should check:

• How to apply successfully to Australian Scholarships 
• List of Full Funded Government and Institution sponsored Scholarships in Australia(Undergraduate/Masters/PhD/Short courses)
• 5 tips on how to secure Postgraduate Admission to an Australian University 
• How to successfully contact potential Supervisors
• Undergraduate Scholarships
• Fully Funded Masters Scholarships
• Fully Funded PhD Scholarships
• Top Scholarships infos and guides 
• List of Australian Universities with no application fee
• Research Proposal Guide for Successful Admission/Scholarship applications
• General Research Degree Scholarship Requirements for Australian Universities
• General Undergraduate scholarship requirements to study abroad(Australia)
• General Coursework degree program scholarship requirements

Don't hesitate to leave a comment below, tell us about your experience in applying for a scholarship abroad, your difficulties, and how we can assist you if you need any help. 

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