Scholarships and fees

Want to apply for a scholarship?

A limited number of Higher Degree by Research (HDR) scholarships are awarded on academic merit and research potential for full-time study in Doctor of Philosophy or Masters by Research. Competition for scholarships is very strong and recent awardees hold first class Honours degrees or equivalent.

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How to apply

Annual scholarship round

All HDR scholarships

PhD Internship scholarships

Fees

Australian University Honours?

Before applying for a scholarship, you will need to ensure you meet the eligibility requirements for both HDR admission and scholarship and have all your supporting documentation in order. You will also need to confirm you have found a supervisor who is willing to supervise your research.

Higher Degree by Research Annual Scholarship Round - International

Opening date: TBC April 2025

Closing date: TBC August 2025

For 2026 bestowal

If you intend to apply, you must first consider whether you meet the Ranking Guidelines’ short-listing minimum requirements, as follows:

Academic Merit performance

2 years (full-time equivalent) academic work with a significant coursework component. Does not include thesis.
Minimum ranking among the top 11-15% or higher.

Academic Research Training performance

A research thesis or research project report produced as part of an academic degree.
A minimum score of 85% or equivalent for the research thesis or project report.

Research indicators and performance

Evidence that you have published; you may include up to five publications with your application.
Each publication will be scored based on the quality of the publication and other criteria e.g. 5 points for major contributing author of a peer review full-length paper published in an internationally recognised leading journal.

Please note, due to the highly competitive nature of the AGRTPS, applicants who have not published are unlikely to be competitive.

For comparison, all 2024 international scholarship awardees had the maximum number of publication points.

Area of research concentration

Your project must align to a research area in which the University has strength, has concentrated its research resources, and has attracted external funding.

If you do not meet the short-listing requirements above, please determine how to improve your performance before you apply for candidature or scholarship.

Only eligible applicants will be considered for an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship (AGRTPS) International or Flinders International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (FIPRS).

Successful applicants who make satisfactory progress in their Higher Degree by Research receive a tax-free living allowance for up to three and a half years full-time study for a Doctorate by Research, or up to two years for Masters by Research. You will be entitled to paid recreation and sick leave and, in some cases, paid parenting leave. Students relocating from interstate or overseas may also be eligible to claim an allowance for travel expenses and relocation costs to Adelaide. These scholarships pay the international student tuition fees charged by Flinders University for a Higher Degree by Research.

Australian university Honours or equivalent completed less than 3 years ago

If you are an international student who has:

completed an Honours 1 or high 2A or equivalent qualification at an Australian University no more than three years prior to the application closing date and

completed at least four years of tertiary education studies at a high level of achievement and have an appropriate undergraduate degree and
had your HDR candidature accepted in the area in which you propose to undertake your studies.

You may be eligible to apply for Flinders University Research Scholarship (FURS) through the Higher Degree by Research Annual Scholarship Round – Domestic

How to apply for a main round scholarship

You must first submit an online application for HDR admission. Then you must submit an additional and separate online application for HDR scholarship.

To submit your online application for admission, see How to apply.

Please note:

If you are a current Flinders student or a recent graduate (within 12 months) you can submit your Flinders University Research Scholarship (FURS) application via the Student Information System, by selecting the My Scholarships tab at the top of the page, and searching for Flinders University Research Scholarship/ Higher Degree Research Scholarship Main Round - Grouping Reward.
If you are offshore, you may be required to engage a recruitment/education agent to submit your first application (for HDR admission) that will attract a fee, so you should allocate time and funding before you apply. The agent may charge an additional fee for the service of submitting a separate application for HDR scholarship or may not provide that service at all. You must ask your agent to confirm whether they submit one or two applications: If they only submit one application, they have not applied for your scholarship, and you will need to submit the second application yourself (for HDR scholarship)

Follow the application instructions on this webpage but instead of selecting International RHD Scholarship Group, select Flinders University Research Scholarship/ Higher Degree Research Scholarship Main Round - Grouping Reward.

All HDR scholarships

Flinders University advertises HDR scholarships that are related to specific projects or funding bodies, including ‘Scholarships with impact’ like Rhodes Scholarships and scholarships in specific Colleges or research areas.

Please note that application and start dates vary.

If you are applying for a scholarship that is not part of the HDR main scholarship round, you will need to submit your scholarship application directly to the contact person listed for the scholarship. You must submit a separate application for HDR admission as soon as you are advised to do so.

Fees & costs

International HDR students are required to pay tuition fees and associated costs. Tuition fees are listed on the International fees page.

Overseas Student Health Cover is required to be paid for the duration of a student’s visa. For example, the Department of Home Affairs issues research visas for 56 months, and single OSHC for that period is $3907.60 (2024 rates - correct in October 2024, subject to change).

Find out more about the cost of living in Adelaide here.

We welcome applications from international sponsored students - contact.

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