Australia Awards Deadline: 2028 Intake Dates and Timeline

Where the cycle stands

The 2027-intake dates are taken from DFAT's opening and closing dates table, which as of October 2026 still shows only the 2027 intake. Confirm the 2028 dates there or on your country's Australia Awards page once they are published.

There is no single global deadline

This is the number one thing people get wrong. They search for "Australia Awards deadline" and expect one date. Strictly speaking, that date does not exist. Each participating country publishes its own application window, and the country you are a citizen of decides when you apply. In recent rounds most countries used the same window, 1 February to 30 April, but some ran later or earlier windows, and a handful have pre-application steps managed by local contractors well before OASIS closes.

If your country uses a managing contractor, you may need to submit materials to that contractor weeks or even months before the OASIS system closes. To find your exact deadline, check with the managing agency for your country: usually the Australian Embassy or High Commission, or a contracted organisation that runs the process for the Australian government. The exact dates are published on the in-country post's website or through the managing contractor's channels.

No late submissions. No exceptions.

The OASIS system locks at the country deadline. In the 2027 round, DFAT's table put the close at 2:00 pm AEST on 30 April 2026, not midnight: submit at 1:58 pm and you are fine; try at 2:01 pm and you are out. Convert that time to your own time zone. There is no appeals process, no "my internet was down" provision and no way to email in a late application. People lose their shot every year because they waited until the last day and ran into technical issues. Do not be one of them.

Some countries also have pre-screening before you even touch OASIS. In some Pacific Island nations, for example, a local committee reviews expressions of interest before deciding who may submit a full application online. If your country does this, the real deadline is earlier than OASIS shows. Contact your country's Australia Awards office early, ideally months before applications open, to find out about any preliminary steps.

The full timeline

From the day applications open to your first lecture, the Australia Awards process spans roughly 12 to 18 months. Here is each stage, with approximate timing for the 2028 intake.

1. 1
   Now – January 2027

   Prepare before the portal opens

   Country information and priority fields of study are published by Australian embassies and managing contractors. Start gathering documents, identifying referees and drafting your application statements now. If you start when the portal opens, you are already behind.

2. 2
   Expected ~1 Feb 2027

   Applications open on OASIS

   OASIS (the Online Australia Awards Scholarships Information System) opens for your country's window. In the 2027 round this was 1 February 2026 for most countries.

3. 3
   Expected ~30 Apr 2027

   Application deadline (country-specific)

   Applications close. All supporting documents, referee reports and transcripts must be in by this date. Incomplete applications are not considered, and OASIS does not allow changes after submission.

4. 4
   May – July 2027

   Review and shortlisting

   Applications are screened for eligibility, then assessed against the selection criteria at country level, typically by embassy staff and managing contractors: academic record, professional experience, development impact, and fit with your country's priorities. There is no contact with applicants during this stage. You will hear nothing.

5. 5
   July – September 2027

   Shortlisted applicants interviewed

   Shortlisted candidates are contacted for interviews, usually in person at the Australian Embassy or High Commission, though some countries use video calls. Panels usually include embassy staff, a managing contractor representative and sometimes a sector expert. Not every country interviews; some decide on the written application alone. If yours does, this is make-or-break.

6. 6
   September – November 2027

   Results and conditional offers

   Successful applicants receive conditional offers. Medical examinations, English testing (if needed), university placement and visa processing still have to happen. Unsuccessful candidates are notified around now too, though in many countries, if you have heard nothing by October or November, you can reasonably assume you were not selected.

7. 7
   November – December 2027

   Medicals and English training assessment

   Conditionally selected scholars have visa medicals at approved panel clinics (you cannot use your own doctor) and, if their English is just short of the requirement, are assessed for pre-course English training of up to six months.

8. 8
   January – February 2028

   Introductory Academic Program (IAP)

   Scholars arrive in Australia for the compulsory 4–6 week IAP: academic skills for Australian study, cultural adjustment, health and safety, and practical matters like opening a bank account. It runs before your main course starts.

9. February 2028

   Course starts (Semester 1)

   Most scholars start in February, Semester 1 at Australian universities. The academic year runs February to November, not September to June as in much of the Northern Hemisphere. That is roughly 12 to 15 months after you applied.

10. 10
    July 2028

    Semester 2 intake (less common)

    Some programmes and universities offer a July start. The timeline then shifts: you would arrive around June for the IAP. This is less common for Australia Awards but does happen depending on university and programme availability.

Why it takes so long

Twelve to eighteen months feels absurd at first. Other scholarships decide in a few months. But Australia Awards is not a university scholarship where one admissions office makes a call. It is a government aid programme spanning dozens of countries, several Australian agencies, diplomatic posts, contracted organisations, universities and medical providers. Here is what is happening during those months of silence.

Country-level shortlisting

Each country's embassy or managing contractor reviews every application from that country. In high-volume countries like Indonesia or Vietnam that means thousands of submissions, read by a small team often juggling other responsibilities.

DFAT coordination

DFAT in Canberra oversees the programme. Country recommendations go to DFAT for review, and decisions must align with Australia's broader foreign policy and development priorities. This is not just an education programme; it is a diplomatic tool, and it is treated as one.

Interview logistics

Panels have to be assembled from diplomats, sector experts and contractor staff across time zones and calendars. In remote areas or countries with a small Australian diplomatic presence, logistics are harder still.

Medical clearances

Visa medicals must be done at approved panel clinics. Some countries have only one or two. Hundreds of selected scholars need examining in a narrow window, slots fill fast, and results take time to clear the Australian immigration health system.

University placement

Australia Awards places you, rather than you applying to a university first. The programme negotiates places with universities; your preferences may not have room in your field, or you may be steered to a different institution. That back-and-forth takes time.

Visa and pre-departure

Once everything else is confirmed, visas are lodged. Then come pre-departure briefings (at least a month before you leave), travel bookings and IAP scheduling, each depending on the step before.

The waiting period

The hardest part is the silence

Between submitting and hearing whether you are shortlisted, expect 4 to 6 months of complete silence: no acknowledgement beyond the submission confirmation, no status updates, no progress bar. This is normal, and it drives people mad.

Any Australia Awards forum or Facebook group has the same question posted hundreds of times: "Has anyone heard back yet?" The answer is always: not yet. Assessment is opaque by design because it involves several layers of review and the final list can shift until it is formally approved.

If you are unsuccessful, most countries do not give detailed feedback. You may get a brief notice or nothing at all; some countries send no rejection letters. If the shortlisting notification window passes without contact, that is your answer.

Can you defer?

Only a little, and rarely beyond the year you were offered. Under the June 2026 Policy Handbook, DFAT may let you start later within the same academic year for reasons such as pregnancy, visa issues or family or work responsibilities, and you may have to pay any visa extension costs. Deferral to the following year is allowed only in very exceptional cases outside your control, such as border or travel restrictions, visa processing delays, or a foundation course offered only in first semester. "I got a promotion", "I want to get married first", health issues or not yet meeting the English requirement are not accepted reasons for deferring beyond the offer year.

If you cannot take up the award in the offered year, you will almost certainly have to decline and reapply from scratch, with no guarantee of selection; panels and country priorities change from year to year. Deferral requests must be made after you accept and sign your scholarship contract and before you arrive in Australia.

The rationale is simple. Australia Awards allocates a set number of scholarships per country per year based on development priorities and diplomatic agreements. A deferred slot sits empty, and the programme would rather give it to someone ready to go now. This is a government programme with annual budgets and political accountability, not a university where deferral is routine.

If you doubt you could take up an offer this year, think carefully about whether to apply now. Applying, being selected, then declining or seeking deferral does not reflect well on you if you apply again, and it takes a place from someone else.

RTP timeline (Research Training Program)

The Research Training Program runs on a completely different schedule. RTP scholarships are managed by individual universities, each with its own deadlines, selection process and offers.

The process is generally much shorter: 3 to 6 months from application to decision. Many universities run several rounds a year. The two main rounds usually close around August to October (for a February start) and March to May (for a July start), but this varies a lot. Flinders University's 2026 international RTP round, for example, ran from 30 April to 18 June 2026.

Because you apply directly to the university, you can track your application in its own system, and communication is usually more responsive than Australia Awards. You will typically know within a few months.

Destination Australia: no new rounds

There is no Destination Australia timeline to plan around. The government announced in the 2024–25 Budget that there would be no further funding rounds from 1 July 2024; only existing recipients are still supported (Department of Education). For regional study, follow the deadlines of the university's own scholarships instead.

Key dates to remember

General windows only. Your country or institution may differ, so always verify with the managing agency or university.

Next: how to apply through OASIS, eligibility, and the document checklist.