Australia Awards Scholarship 2026: Eligibility, Benefits and Deadlines

What is the Australia Awards scholarship?

Australia Awards Scholarships are run by the Australian Government for citizens of participating countries in Asia, the Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Awards are held at participating Australian universities and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions. The scheme was previously called Australian Development Scholarships (ADS).

You study a full degree, not a short exchange. The programme is a development instrument, so your proposed course has to connect to your own country's priority areas. Those priority areas are published on the participating country profiles, and they differ from one country to the next.

Australia Awards scholarship levels, fields and what is covered

You can apply for an undergraduate or postgraduate programme, including a PhD, as long as the subject links to your country's development priorities. Training in flying aircraft, nuclear technology or military training is not covered.

Benefits generally include full tuition fees, return air travel, an establishment allowance, a contribution to living expenses (CLE), Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), the Introductory Academic Program (IAP) and Pre-course English (PCE) fees. The official website holds the complete list of benefits. An award runs for the minimum period the individual needs to finish the academic programme set by the Australian higher education institution, plus any preparatory training.

Priority fields are set per country. Examples used in the Africa programme include Agriculture and Food Security; Health; Natural Resource Management including Mining and Mining Governance; Public Policy; and Water and Sanitation. Check your own country profile before you commit to a course.

Australia Awards scholarships for international students: who qualifies

Eligibility is checked at two levels: the general Australia Awards rules and the specific criteria set by your country programme. You must meet both. The general requirements are:

• Be at least 18 years of age on 1 February of the year you start the scholarship.
• Be a citizen of a participating country, and live in and apply from that country.
• Not be a citizen of Australia, hold Australian permanent residency, 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 during the application, selection or mobilisation phases.
• Not be current serving military personnel.
• Not have previously received a long-term Australia Award, unless you have lived outside Australia for twice the total time you spent in Australia on that award.
• Not hold convictions of criminal activities, including those relating to Child Protection and PSEAH.
• Meet any specific criteria set by your country programme, such as a number of years of relevant work experience.

Recipients under the Pacific Secondary School Scholarship Program (PSSSP) who finished secondary school in Australia in the year prior can apply for a long-term Australia Award. Residents of Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau with New Zealand citizenship are eligible but must apply for a Student visa (subclass 500).

Australia Awards Scholarships compared: main scheme, Africa programme and fellowships

The Australia Awards name covers more than one scheme. Read the table to see which one fits you before you start gathering documents.

The Africa programme has its own rules: applicants must generally be at least 25 and not more than 50 years of age at the date of application, hold at least three years of relevant postgraduate work experience, hold a Bachelors degree of at least four years in length, and not already hold or be studying for a Masters. The main scheme has no such age band, so read the right page for your country.

Deadlines and timeline for the 2026 and 2027 rounds

The current Australia Awards Scholarships round closes 30 April 2026 at 14:00 AEST, with courses starting in 2027. Open and close dates can differ by country, so check the dates for your own country rather than relying on the central date.

The Africa Masters programme follows a different cycle. Applications for the 2027 intake are closed, and applications for the 2028 intake will open in February 2027. Each country programme sets its own timeline, so confirm the window on the country page before you plan.

The Australia Awards Fellowships are not open to individual applicants. Australian organisations submit applications on behalf of nominated Fellows, and the official site has the current round and guidelines.

How to apply for the Australia Awards scholarship, step by step

1. Find your country on the list of participating countries and open its profile. This gives you the local eligibility rules, priority areas and application steps.
2. Read the Australia Awards Policy Handbook and the how to apply page before you write anything.
3. Check that your intended course appears among your country's priority areas and is offered at a participating Australian institution.
4. Confirm you meet the admission requirements of the Australian institutions on your list, including any English language test.
5. Gather your documents: academic transcripts, proof of citizenship, proof of work experience and identity documents.
6. Submit online through the official application system. Apply by mail only if you cannot apply online.
7. Submit well before the cut-off. The deadline is fixed at a stated time and late applications are not accepted.

Applications for the current round are closed. To see what is open now, check the filtered list for this page.

Documents and evidence you need

• Academic transcripts and degree certificates, including proof that your Bachelors degree meets the length requirement where one applies.
• Proof of citizenship and residence in a participating country.
• Evidence of relevant work experience, where your country programme requires it.
• English language test results, if the institution or programme asks for them.
• Identity documents for the application and later for the visa.
• A clear statement of how your proposed course links to your country's priority areas.

Keep a copy of everything you submit, in case you need to send it by mail.

How selection works and what makes a strong application

Selection weighs your academic record, your fit with your country's priority areas and your plan to use the qualification at home. The programme is a development instrument, so a proposal that reads like a personal career plan without a link to national priorities is weak.

Make the country link explicit

Name the priority area your course serves and say what you will do with the degree when you return. If your country programme asks for a commitment to return to your current employer, treat that as a real condition, not a formality.

Match the level to your record

Do not apply for a qualification at the same or a lower level than one you already hold. The Africa programme states plainly that you must not already hold, or be studying for, a Masters degree.

Who it suits and who should look elsewhere

This award suits a citizen of a participating country who wants a full degree in Australia, can show the subject fits their country's development priorities, and meets the admission rules of an Australian institution. It fits people who apply from their home country and can qualify for a Student Visa.

Look elsewhere if you already hold a qualification at the same or a higher level than the course you want, if you serve in the military, or if you have a close family tie to Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency. Previous long-term Australia Award holders can apply again only after living outside Australia for twice the time they spent there on the award. If you want a short professional programme rather than a full degree, the fellowships route is different: an Australian organisation nominates you.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using the central deadline for a country whose window opens and closes on different dates.
• Proposing a course that does not appear in your country's priority areas.
• Applying for a level you already hold, which the rules exclude.
• Leaving the English language test or transcripts until the last week.
• Assuming you can apply for a fellowship yourself. Only Australian organisations submit fellowship applications.
• Ignoring the return-to-employment commitment where your country programme requires one.
• Submitting at the last minute when the cut-off is a fixed time of day.

Alternatives if you are not eligible

If the Australia Awards scholarship does not fit, other Australian funding and other destinations are worth a look. Start with our scholarships in Australia for international students page, then widen the search by country or field.

• Country pages: New Zealand, Canada, United Kingdom.
• Field pages: development studies, health, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, law and public policy.
• Browse the full scholarship finder or read more scholarship tips before your next application.