Country funding 7 min read
🇦🇺Funding your studies in Australia (2026 guide)
Australia Awards, Destination Australia, Research Training Program, and Group of Eight scholarships — plus HELP loans for domestic students.
For Australian citizens & PRs
- Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) — the government subsidises most of your tuition; you pay a much smaller 'student contribution'.
- HELP loans (HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP) — no upfront tuition, no interest (only indexed to CPI), repaid through the tax system once income passes A$54,435 (2024–25).
- Youth Allowance / Austudy / ABSTUDY — fortnightly living cost payments for eligible students.
For international students — flagship awards
- Australia Awards Scholarships — fully funded (tuition + return airfare + establishment allowance + monthly stipend + health cover) for students from ~50 developing countries.
- Research Training Program (RTP) — Masters by Research and PhD tuition + stipend (~A$32,000/yr tax-free), open to internationals at most Australian universities.
- Destination Australia — A$15,000/yr for students choosing regional campuses.
- Endeavour and John Allwright Fellowships — targeted to specific fields and regions.
Group of Eight university scholarships
- Melbourne — Graduate Research Scholarships, Melbourne International Undergraduate Scholarships (up to A$56,000).
- Sydney — Sydney Scholars India, Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarships.
- ANU — Chancellor's International Scholarship (up to 50% tuition reduction, automatic on admission).
- UNSW, Monash, UQ, UWA, Adelaide — all run university-wide international awards ranging A$5k–A$40k.
Work rules & post-study
- Subclass 500 visa: 48 hours per fortnight during term, unlimited during official breaks.
- Temporary Graduate visa (Subclass 485): 2 years (Bachelors/Masters coursework), 3 years (Masters research), 4 years (PhD). Regional graduates get an extra 1–2 years.
- Health cover: OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) is mandatory for the length of your visa — budget A$500–A$700/yr.
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