What the Scholarship Covers

Australia Awards Scholarship benefits

Australia Awards Scholarships remain one of the most generous government-funded scholarship packages anywhere. If you are selected, the Australian government covers virtually every major cost of your degree. But "virtually every" is not "absolutely every", and the difference matters more than most applicants realise until they are living in Melbourne trying to find a dentist.

Here is a line-by-line breakdown. Figures come from the Australia Awards Scholarships Policy Handbook (June 2026) and are indexed by DFAT, so check the latest version. The structure of the benefits has stayed consistent for years.

Full tuition fees

The Australian government pays your tuition directly to the university; you never see an invoice. This covers your degree for its standard duration (a Master's is funded for a maximum of two years; a PhD for three to four). If you fail subjects or extend beyond the standard duration for reasons within your control, the scholarship may not cover the extra semesters. Failing a unit can mean paying for it yourself, and Australian unit fees are not small.

Contribution to Living Expenses (CLE)

From 1 January 2026 the CLE is A$99.26 a day, about A$36,230 a year (roughly A$3,000 a month), paid fortnightly into your Australian bank account and currently tax-exempt. It is meant to cover rent, food, transport, utilities and personal expenses. It is indexed, but it does not always keep pace with rent rises in major cities. It starts when you arrive for the Introductory Academic Program and is paid throughout your studies, including university breaks, while you remain enrolled and in Australia.

The name is deliberate. DFAT does not call it a salary or a full living allowance; it is a contribution. In practice it covers a modest lifestyle in most Australian cities, and in Sydney and Melbourne it will feel tight. More on that further down.

Return economy airfare

The scholarship pays one economy flight from your home country to Australia at the start and one economy flight home when you finish, by the most direct and economical route. That is it. You do not fly home during semester breaks at the scholarship's expense (unless you qualify for the reunion airfare below). Tickets are booked for you by the programme, not by you, and upgrades to premium economy or business are not available.

Establishment allowance

A one-off A$5,000 paid by your institution when you arrive, towards set-up costs such as a rental bond, textbooks, study materials, extra insurance, furniture, kitchen supplies, bedding, a phone plan and a transport card. It sounds like a lot until you realise rental bonds are typically four weeks' rent, and four weeks' rent in Sydney for even a modest place can easily be A$2,000 or more. It is not topped up, and no second allowance is paid if you transfer institutions.

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

The scholarship pays for single OSHC for the whole scholarship, including the Introductory Academic Program. All international students in Australia must have it. It is arranged for you; you do not choose the provider. It is decent for core medical needs but has painful gaps, covered in the next section.

Introductory Academic Program (IAP)

The IAP is a compulsory 4–6 week program your university runs for every Australia Awards scholar on arrival, covering academic skills, Australian academic culture and orientation to your city. Skipping it can cost you the scholarship. It is fully funded and you receive your CLE during it. Separately, scholars who are close to but below the English requirement may be given pre-course English training of up to six months.

Supplementary Academic Support

Your institution can spend up to A$500 for every six months you are on scholarship on tutoring and other academic support you need to complete your course. The money is spent by the university on your behalf for eligible activities.

Fieldwork (research students)

PhD and Master's by Research scholars (and coursework students whose degree has a compulsory fieldwork component) can get funding for fieldwork travel, within Australia or back home for data collection. Your supervisor and institution decide how many trips your research needs, and you must justify why the fieldwork is essential. It is not automatic, and costs beyond travel are expected to come from other sources such as your faculty.

Reunion airfare (unaccompanied scholars)

If your scholarship lasts two academic years or more and your family is not with you in Australia, you may get one extra return economy flight home during a semester break. You must have been unaccompanied in Australia for twelve months. PhD scholars get three trips in total that can be either reunion or fieldwork; Master's scholars get one. The timing must not interfere with your academic progress, and it is economy class only.

What OSHC actually covers (and the gaps)

Overseas Student Health Cover sounds comprehensive. It is not. For the most common health needs it works fine, but it is not the Medicare coverage Australian citizens get, and it is nowhere near a premium private plan. DFAT's own handbook says scholars may buy extra cover, at their own expense, for dentists, optometrists and physiotherapists.

What OSHC covers

• GP visits: bulk-billed or partly reimbursed. You will often still pay a gap, typically A$20–40 per visit.
• Hospital treatment: medically necessary admissions, surgery and specialist in-patient treatment, in a shared ward, not a private room.
• Emergency ambulance: a big deal, because ambulance costs in states like NSW and QLD can be A$1,000+ without cover.
• Prescription medicines: partly covered, with a co-payment.
• Pathology and imaging: blood tests, X-rays and similar when referred by a doctor.

What OSHC does not cover

• Dental: not covered at all under standard OSHC. A basic filling can cost A$200–300; a root canal can exceed A$1,500. This is the gap that surprises people most.
• Optical: eye tests and glasses are not covered. Budget A$300–500 if you need new glasses.
• Pre-existing conditions: may face waiting periods or exclusions depending on the provider.
• Extended psychiatric care: initial mental health support may be partly covered, but ongoing or intensive treatment often hits limits quickly.
• Physiotherapy and allied health: generally not covered, or only partly with large out-of-pocket costs.

The dental problem is real

Get your dental work done before you leave home. Seriously. Many scholars need dental care within months of arriving and face bills of A$500+ for routine procedures that would cost a fraction at home. Get a full check-up, cleaning and any fillings or extractions done before departure. The same goes for glasses: bring a spare pair and an up-to-date prescription.

Extending OSHC to dependants

You can add your spouse and children to your OSHC, but the scholarship does not pay for them. If you take family cover through your university's preferred provider, the university pays only the single-cover equivalent and you pay the balance; with another provider, you pay the entire family policy. Expect roughly A$2,000–4,000 a year for a family, depending on the provider and the number of dependants. Dependants on your visa must have OSHC; it is a visa condition.

Dependant support: the painful truth

This is where the scholarship's generosity stops. DFAT's handbook is blunt: "The Australian Government does not provide any financial or other support for the dependents of awardees." If you are married with children and thinking of bringing them, read this section carefully and do the maths before making promises to your family.

No dependant allowance

There is no family allowance on top of your CLE. Scholars are responsible, including financially, for every family member who comes with them: flights, health cover, accommodation, schooling and childcare. A single CLE of about A$3,000 a month does not stretch far for a family in a country where a litre of milk costs around A$2.50 and a basic pair of children's shoes A$40–60.

Many scholars do this maths and make the hard decision to leave their families at home for the duration of their studies. It is one of the toughest parts of the scholarship for people with young children. DFAT expects scholars to arrive without dependants and stay unaccompanied for an initial three months unless the program area approves otherwise, and encourages them to bring family only after that, once they have finished the IAP, found accommodation and arranged schooling. Bringing dependants to live with you also ends your right to the reunion airfare.

Spouse work rights

A spouse on a dependant student visa can work once your course starts. Under Home Affairs rules, family members of Master's and doctoral students can work more than 48 hours a fortnight during semester, so most Australia Awards spouses have full work rights; outside semester, their work rights are more limited. But finding work without local experience can be hard, especially in smaller cities. Cleaning, hospitality and aged care are the most accessible sectors; professional roles in accounting, law or engineering often need Australian recognition of overseas qualifications, which takes time and money.

Children and schooling

This varies by state and it matters a lot. Some states provide free public schooling for dependants of scholarship holders; others charge international student fees of A$5,000–10,000+ per child per year. Check the rules for the state where your university is and contact the state education department before making plans. Do not assume it is free because you are on a government scholarship. Childcare is even more expensive: expect A$100–150 a day in most cities, with limited subsidies for international students.

Declare dependants at application time

If you plan to bring family, you must say so in your original scholarship application. Adding dependants later is difficult and sometimes impossible. If you marry or have a child between applying and arriving, notify the programme immediately. Planning for dependants starts at the application stage.

The living costs reality

The CLE is the same whether you study in Hobart or central Sydney. The cost of living is not. This is the single biggest factor in whether your scholarship feels comfortable or stressful. Percentages below compare rent with the 2026 CLE of roughly A$3,000 a month.

Part-time work

On a student visa (subclass 500) you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight during semester and unlimited hours during scheduled university breaks. Students in a research Master's or doctorate can work more than 48 hours a fortnight even in semester, though your scholarship still requires satisfactory progress. Most scholars use this, especially in expensive cities. Common roles are university tutoring, hospitality, retail and delivery. Tutoring pays best, typically A$40–50 an hour for postgraduate tutors.

Be realistic about your capacity. A full-time Master's or PhD is demanding. Fifteen hours a week in a cafe on top of 40+ hours of coursework means something will suffer. Some scholars manage the balance; others end up extending their degree. Factor in what an extension might cost if the scholarship does not cover it.

Research Training Program (RTP) benefits

The RTP is a completely different animal. It is a block grant to universities, which allocate it to individual research students, so the package is set by your university within government rules. It is more focused and less comprehensive than Australia Awards.

• Tuition fee offset: covers tuition for the standard duration of your research degree (up to four years for a PhD at many universities), paid directly to the university.
• Stipend: tax-free and paid fortnightly. The Australian Government's 2026 base rate is A$34,315 a year, rising to A$35,550 in 2027 (Department of Education), and many universities pay more: Flinders University's 2026 full-time rate, for example, is A$36,061 (about A$3,000 a month). Rates are indexed each January.
• Sometimes extras: some universities add OSHC or a relocation allowance for international RTP recipients (Flinders, for example, lists overseas health cover and up to A$1,485 for relocation). Many do not, so check the specific scholarship's terms.

Beyond that, you are usually on your own: no return airfare, no A$5,000 establishment allowance, no dependant support and no IAP. Where your university does not include OSHC, you must arrange and pay for it yourself.

The RTP stipend is now close to the Australia Awards CLE: about A$34,315 at the base rate against A$36,230, a gap of roughly A$1,900 a year, or under A$6,000 across a three-year PhD. Some universities offer top-up scholarships, but they are competitive and not guaranteed.

The advantage of the RTP is that it is open to students from all countries, has no return-home obligation, and you apply directly to the university rather than through DFAT. For students from countries not eligible for Australia Awards, it is often the best option for funded research study in Australia. See the eligibility page for who qualifies for which stream.

Destination Australia: closed to new students

Destination Australia used to pay up to A$15,000 a year to students at regional campuses, with no tuition, airfare or health cover on top. The government announced in the 2024–25 Budget that there would be no further funding rounds from 1 July 2024. Existing recipients are supported until they finish, for up to four years, but new students cannot get it (Department of Education).

Regional campuses can still be cheaper places to live and study. If that appeals, look at the university's own scholarships for international students.

Quad Fellowship benefits

The Quad Fellowship, a joint initiative of Australia, India, Japan and the United States that also takes citizens of ten Southeast Asian nations, funds STEM graduate study in the United States, not in Australia. Fellows receive a one-time award of US$40,000 for academic expenses.

Beyond the money, it includes networking events, leadership programming and connections across the four Quad nations. It is as much a professional network as a funding source: you join a cohort of fellows from several countries who meet throughout the fellowship.

The application is separate from Australia Awards and RTP and goes through the Quad Fellowship portal, administered by the Institute of International Education. The programme is still evolving, so check the official Quad Fellowship website for current benefits and dates.

What is not covered

This section should exist on every scholarship website but almost never does. People assume what a "full scholarship" includes from the label alone. Here is what Australia Awards, despite being one of the most generous government scholarships in the world, does not pay for.

• Textbooks and course materials. A single prescribed textbook can cost A$100–200, and across a degree you might spend A$500–1,500. Some titles are cheaper as e-books or in the library's reserve collection, but not all. This comes out of your CLE (or your establishment allowance).
• Laptop and equipment. You need a laptop and the scholarship does not provide one. Prices in Australia are generally higher than in the US or Asia; budget A$1,000–2,000 if you buy after arrival. Some universities lend laptops temporarily. If you already own a decent one, bring it. Research students needing specialised equipment or software should check what their university provides through its labs.
• Conference travel. Presenting at conferences is expected of PhD students and encouraged for Master's students, but the scholarship does not pay. Some universities and faculties have small travel grants. An international conference can easily cost A$2,000–5,000 with registration, flights and accommodation, so plan and apply for university funding early.
• Dependant airfares. Your own flights are covered; your spouse's and children's are not. A family of four flying from East Africa or South Asia to Australia and back could spend A$5,000–10,000 on economy tickets.
• Extra tuition for failed or repeated subjects. If you fail and repeat a subject, the extra fees may not be covered, depending on whether DFAT considers the failure within your control. Documented medical issues are treated differently from not doing the work. Australian subjects cost A$3,000–5,000 each, which is not a bill you want on a scholarship stipend.
• Dental, optical and allied health. As covered above, these are outside OSHC. A wisdom tooth extraction can run A$300–500 per tooth; an eye exam plus new glasses A$300–500. These costs add up fast.

Quick comparison across streams

Next: the application process, and what happens after selection.