Alternatives to the RTP for International Researchers
If an RTP place doesn’t come through, there are other ways to fund a research degree in Australia. Most are allocated in the same university rounds, and one runs on a completely different calendar.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
3 min read
Updated Oct 6, 2026
University-funded equivalents
Most large universities run their own stipend and tuition schemes alongside the RTP. You usually do not apply separately: the same application and ranking covers both.
| University | Own scheme | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | University of Sydney International Stipend Scholarship (USYDIS) + Tuition Fee Scholarship | $42,754 stipend (2026); 100% tuition up to 14 research periods |
| Melbourne | Melbourne Research Scholarship (MRS) | Same Graduate Research Scholarship package: $39,500 living allowance (2026), $41,100 (2027), fee offset, OSHC |
| Monash | Monash Graduate Scholarship (MGS) | $37,145 a year (2026); $41,100 (2027, Monash rates) |
| ANU | ANU University Research Scholarships | $40,475 a year (ANU 2027 rate) |
| UQ | Graduate Research School Scholarships (UQGRSS, includes RTP) | $39,220 a year (2026), tuition, single OSHC |
Sources: Sydney, Melbourne, Monash, ANU, UQ.
Melbourne says it offers more than 300 of these scholarships to international graduate researchers each year (Melbourne international applications), and lists around 600 Graduate Research Scholarships in total.
Australia Awards Scholarships
Full guide →Australia Awards are funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), not the Department of Education, and are open only to citizens of participating countries. They run on a single annual window. For study starting in 2027, most countries opened on 1 February 2026 and closed on 30 April 2026 at 14:00 AEST (DFAT opening and closing dates). That intake is closed.
The 2028 intake is expected to follow a similar February–April 2027 window, but DFAT had not published those dates when we checked. Awards are mainly for master’s study, with doctoral places in some country programmes. Read our Australia Awards guide for country rules.
Project-funded scholarships
Supervisors with research grants often advertise PhD projects that come with their own stipend. These have their own closing dates, and some pay above the university rate. Watch the scholarship finder at your target university and the profile pages of supervisors you shortlist. At UQ, domestic project EOIs follow the date on the project page; check whether a project is open to international applicants before you invest time in it (UQ application dates).
Joint and sponsored routes
Some universities run joint schemes with overseas funders. Melbourne, for example, lists a China Scholarship Council–University of Melbourne PhD Scholarship for citizens of the People’s Republic of China (Melbourne GRS page). If your home government or employer funds your living costs, a university tuition offset may still be available. Check how this interacts with your university’s RTP rules: the federal 75% income rule was removed in December 2025, but UTS’s 2026 conditions still say it won’t pay an RTP stipend if you already receive more than 75% of its value for the same degree.
If Australia doesn’t work out
Similar research-degree funding exists nearby with different calendars:
400 PhD fellowships across eight universities. The RGC deadline is 1 December 2026.
New Zealand Government scholarships for students from eligible countries.
DFAT-funded scholarships with one annual window, mostly for master’s study.
Sydney 18 Dec 2026, Monash 28 Feb 2027, ANU Round 2 15 Apr 2027.