The Good Universities Guide

Unlike postgraduate coursework students, who generally bear the entire cost of their tuition and living expenses while they complete their program, postgraduate research students can access a wide range of financial support. There are schemes and awards designed to assist research students in meeting their program costs, and others that provide a modest wage for the duration of their studies.

Tuition Fees

Domestic students undertaking higher degrees by research are generally entitled to a place in the Commonwealth-funded Research Training Scheme (RTS) which provides them with an exemption from tuition fees for the duration of their research. This funding is limited to two years (full time or equivalent) for masters by research students and four years for PhD students. If students cannot complete their research degree within this time, the university may charge tuition fees similar to those for international students. The RTS usually covers research students’ enrolment in any relevant coursework units too, although sometimes this is limited to units within the student’s host school or department. For more information check out the government's RTS guidelines or contact your preferred institution directly.

International students interested in undertaking a research degree in Australia may be eligible for an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) which covers tuition fees and health cover costs for research students as well as health cover costs for their dependents. For more information visit the IPRS section of the Endeavour Awards website .

Universities and other government schemes often fund conference attendance, field work and similar expenses.

Scholarships

Research students are often able to obtain a scholarship that provides a modest annual stipend. Unlike the majority of coursework students and undergraduates, they may be able to forgo paid work during their degree and concentrate entirely on their studies. Some scholarships also include benefits such as a relocation allowance, travel allowance for attending conferences and a thesis allowance to assist with printing and binding costs. The most common research scholarships are the Commonwealth-funded Australian Postgraduate Awards (see below) but many smaller university or industry specific schemes are available. To find out more about scholarships in your field of interest, contact your prospective faculty, department or supervisor directly.

Australian Postgraduate Awards (APAs)
The APA programme provides an annual stipend and other support to selected high-achieving research students. Awards are available for a period of two years for masters by research students and three years for doctorate by research students. Doctoral students can apply for a six-month extension. In 2008 full-time research students with APAs received a tax-fee stipend of $20,007, while part-time students received $10,710. Participating education providers are allocated APA funding by the government based on their overall research performance. Individual institutions allocate the Awards based on their own selection criteria, so interested research students should contact their university directly. More information on APAs is available from the DEEWR website .

Australian Postgraduate Awards Industry (APAI)
These scholarships are similar to APAs but are funded through the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects Programme, which supports collaborative research between the higher education sector and industry. Funding is allocated for APAI students on specific projects, so they may not be available in your field. Perhaps because these projects are partially funded by industry, the annual stipend is a little higher than for regular APA grants. In 2008 it was $26,140 for a full-time research student.

Paid work

Many research students can pick up short term or casual work in their faculty, often as a tutor for undergraduate classes. Some are employed as research assistants by senior academics, helping with lab work, data collection and administrative tasks. Be aware that there may be restrictions on paid work for students with scholarships, although this varies between universities. Some recommend no more than six hours per week while others specify a maximum of 20. Almost all policies state that paid work must not interfere with scholarship students’ research.

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