Compilation of 15 top fully funded PhD scholarships in Australia 2023-(Application tips/Procedures explained)

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Compilation of 15 best fully funded PhD scholarships in Australia 2023- (And some application tips and procedures)

The year had been a bad one for everyone around the world but this can't stop us from pursuing our dreams. Australian borders are now finally open for our lovely international students. Multiple fully funded research scholarships are flooded everywhere for all eligible international applicants interested to undertake research degree programs in Australia. It is one of the best times to apply for admissions and scholarships to study in Australia. Note that applications for research degree programs are accepted all year round in most Australian universities, if interested in a scholarship, you must make sure to apply before the scholarship deadline. Some scholarships are general, while others are project-specific, thus project-specific deadlines.

There are thousands of scholarships available for international students to study in Australia for the year 2023. This post will covers a compilation of the 15 best full funded PhD scholarships for international students to study in Australia in 2023. These are postgraduate scholarships for research degree programs.

If you are still wondering why you should study in Australia, here are a bunch of reasons why you should consider studying in Australia today" 10 reasons why you should study in Australia"

Before looking at these scholarships let's put some things straight to enable you to succeed in your scholarship application. It is high time you stop searching and saving scholarship links and start submitting applications!(After these tips, are the list of scholarships)

Pro-scholarship tips: tips to successfully apply for scholarships

When applying for a scholarship to study abroad, especially Research Degree PhD scholarships, there are a lot of things to consider and put in place first in order to be successful:

1. One of the first things to consider is the requirements for this scholarship. Always check the scholarship requirements before even start thinking about applying for the scholarship. Don't just lodge your application immediately. Please check to make sure that you meet all the requirements. You can check the General scholarship requirements for PhD research degree programs in Australia if you don't know them yet!

Note that in most Universities in Australia, you will be requested to either contact a potential supervisor to discuss research interest before applying for a research degree program, or send an Expression of Interest(EOI) to the graduate research, which if they deem you qualified, you will be invited to submit a formal application. Some research schools can help circulate your EOI to potential supervisors in case you were unable to secure one. See details about these two application routes below

2. If you see that you meet the requirements, the next step is to contact potential supervisors. For research degree scholarships to study in Australia and most other countries abroad, the first key to success is to be able to get approval from a prospective supervisor or supervisors who are ready to supervise your work. Most scholarships in Australia for example will only accept your application in the first place if you are able to show evidence of supervision approval. So how do you contact a supervisor?

You should prepare a well-written email free of mistakes, stating your interest in line with that of your prospective supervisor, listing all your skills and qualifications, previous experience and background knowledge of the program you are going in for, attaching supporting documents etc...

Refer to this guide for full detail on how to contact potential supervisors successfully. We say "successfully" here because only a few emails get back a reply for a reason. You should definitely make sure you are part of those people who can get a reply.

3. While making contact with the prospective supervisor, make sure to be preparing a Research Proposal. For a research degree scholarship, applicants are expected to submit a written research proposal. I must overemphasize here that a written research proposal is the second key to a successful scholarship application.

See details here on how to write a captivating research proposal proposals for scholarship and admission applications to study abroad, including some sample research proposals, examples and tips from Australian Universities

4. The next thing you should consider is getting your referees ready. Most scholarship applications require about 2 to 3 referees for recommendation letters. It is wise to get in touch with your previous supervisors, mentors, or boss etc.. earlier, for recommendation letters. Give them a date for your application and the various deadlines. In my case, I contacted my previous supervisors 5 months earlier before my application and almost every month I sent them a reminder. Make sure any other requested document is ready before you submit your application especial your statement of purpose (SOP) and certificates

In sum, these are steps to apply for a scholarship to study in Australia or abroad in order to be successful :

Identify your study interest
Search for a scholarship in that study area and complete an EOI
Contact potential supervisors
Prepare a captivating research proposal
Contact or look for referees
Ask your friends or colleagues to help review your application supporting documents such as a statement of purpose, research proposals etc...
Submit your application
Pray to God and wait for the outcome
And lastly don't stop searching for more scholarships while waiting for the outcome!

You can read here in detail on How to apply for scholarships- research degree Masters/PhD

Increase your chances of securing a scholarship by applying for more. As a personal experience, this is really good as it gives you more opportunities to secure a scholarship and even better one may be. I applied for scholarships all over. I ended up with a problem of choice between accepting a scholarship to study in Australia or New Zealand or South Korea. I ended up choosing Australia for sure as the benefits especially financial assistance were just so incomparable to these other two countries and above all, Australia is just the perfect place to be, an education dreamland for all.

Equally read these 6 tips On How To Apply Successfully For Australian Scholarships

Now let's look at a compilation of the 15 best university scholarships for international students you should be looking through to study in Australia. Please make sure to consider all of the above-mentioned tips while applying for your scholarships and you will be surprised with the outcome.

Compilation of 15 best full funded PhD scholarships to study in Australia 2023

1. Higher Degree by Research Scholarships 2023 at Deakin University, Australia

This is a multiple fully funded PhD position for eligible international students to undertake research at Deakin University.

The applications for these scholarships are open all year round to students from a broad range of backgrounds across a number of interest areas. Other benefits include living stipends and health cover etc... ReadMore

2. University of Sydney International Scholarships 2023

The University of Sydney International Strategic Scholarship is a multiple fully funded PhD position for eligible international students to undertake research at the University of Sydney Australia in 2024

International students can apply for these scholarships all year round. The scholarship is open to a broad range of backgrounds across a number of interest areas. Benefits equally include living stipends and health cover etc...ReadMore

3.Research Training Program International (RTPi) Scholarships 2023-2024 University of South Australia

The Research Training Program International (RTPi) is fully funded scholarship program sponsored by the Australian government and awarded to international students on the basis of merit and research potential. These scholarships provide stipend allowances, and tuition fees cover for a specific duration of the degree program. The scholarships are open all year round, deadline is mostly project-specific. Readmore

4. University of Queensland Graduate Scholarships(UQGSS)

You should equally make sure to check the University of Queensland Graduate Scholarships(UQGSS). These are fully funded scholarship offers for research degree international students. The number of offers varies and applications are open all year round, in all fields of study. Readmore

5. Postgraduate research scholarships(RTPS) at Central Queensland University Australia

The Central Queensland University RTPS scholarships are one of the best sponsorship programs to study in Australia. Though competitive, the financial supports and benefits are just so amazing. Plus applications are fees. Application Deadline:30 September 2023. ReadMore

6. Earmarked scholarships scheme to support Category 1 project grants

Apply for the University of Queensland Earmarked Scholarships Scheme 2023/24. The Earmarked scholarships are funded by the Australian Government to assist eligible PhD students with their living costs and tuition fees. Applications are open in rounds. The current round deadline is June 30 2023, the next one is 30 September, and the final one for 2023 is 30 December.ReadMore

7. The University International Postgraduate Award (UIPA) 2023 at the University of New South Wales

Apply for the University International Postgraduate Award (UIPA)2023 at the University of New South Wales, Australia. Multiple fully funded postgraduate research scholarships are available to all eligible international students. The scholarships are open within several fields of study. Applications are accepted all year through in 3 rounds. ReadMore

8. Australian Government Research Training Program scholarships at the University of Sydney

Another fully funded research scholarship you should definitely take a look at. These are multiple fully-funded PhD scholarships open at the University of Sydney Australia for high-achieving international students with strong research potential. The positions are open to multiple fields of study. Application Deadline: Open all year round. ReadMore

9.Griffith University International Postgraduate Research Scholarships 2023(Fully funded MSc/PhD positions)

The Griffith University International Postgraduate Research Scholarships(GUPRS) are open for all eligible international students to undertake Masters or PhD research degree programs in any field of choice across the University. The scholarship covers full tuition fees for PhD research applicants for up to 3 years and Masters research for up to 2 years. Additionally, the scholarships provide Overseas Student Health Cover(OSHC) for the applicant and any dependant/s for the scholarship duration. See the scholarship overview below for other benefits. The scholarships are open in rounds all year through. ReadMore

10. International Postgraduate Tuition Awards (IPTA) at the University of Wollongong

These scholarships are highly recommended for applicants looking for opportunities to study in Wollongong. The UOW offers a range of graduate research scholarships and awards to high-achieving international applicants to undertake a higher degree by research studies in different faculties. This is open for all international students interested in undertaking research in this institute. All countries are eligible and the scholarship comes with other financial benefits apart from the tuition fees offsets. Deadline: Second round_ 27 July 2023. ReadMore

11. Monash International Tuition Scholarship (MITS),2023

Multiple fully funded postgraduate research scholarships within any field of choice. Application Deadline: open in rounds. Round 3 is currently open. Closes, August 31. ReadMore

12. The University of Wollongong International Students scholarship

Also apply for the University of Wollongong International students, multiple fully funded postgraduate research scholarships positions open within any field of study. Application Deadlines: 3rd of October, 2023. ReadMore

13. International Research Tuition Scholarships (IRTS) 2023 at the University of South Australia.

The scholarship application is always open ie all year round. So you can take your time, compile all your documents, contact prospective supervisors asking for positions, prepare research proposals, contact previous supervisors asking for recommendations etc...ReadMore

14. Australian Government Research Training Program scholarships(RTPS) at Griffith University

15. University of Sydney RTPS scholarships

The Australian Government RTP Scholarships at the University of Sydney will support successful recipients with full tuition support, living expenses, and other financial details to make life more comfortable in AustraliaFully funded Masters research and PhD positions within a range of study fields. Applications are accepted all year through in rounds. ReadMore

If finding a course to study in Australia is your problem, see our Step by step guide on how to find a course and apply for admissions to study at an Australian University. To succeed with your admissions see some tips on how to easily secure admissions into Australian universities.

Take note that some universities offer their scholarship application separate from admission while many others do a joint application. Universities doing a joint application process(admission and scholarship joint) will automatically grant you a scholarship once you have been offered a place to study at that University. There is no scholarship application in this case as it comes with your offer to study at that University. This is the case with most research degree programs in Australia.

Universities with no joint application process on the other hand will want you to secure admission into the university first before applying for the scholarship ie separately. Whatever is the case, this is always specified in the scholarship document.

Go ahead and apply for a scholarship to study in Australia today!! Good luck!!

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