Australia Awards Documents 2028

Core documents for Australia Awards

The document requirements are extensive, and OASIS is not forgiving about missing items. If something is absent, badly formatted or not properly certified, your application will not progress. There is no grace period and no way to send documents after the deadline: everything goes in before the portal closes, or it does not go in at all.

Here is the full list. Not every item applies to everyone, but most apply to most people. Read the whole list before you start, because some items, such as referee reports and certified translations, take weeks to arrange.

1. 1
   Completed OASIS application form

   The application itself, filled in online. After you submit, OASIS generates a PDF summary; you do not upload it separately. Download and save a copy, because you may lose access after the portal closes.

2. 2
   Certified copy of your passport (bio-data page)

   The page with your photo, name, date of birth and passport number, as a certified copy, not a plain scan. If your passport is expired or close to expiring, renew it before you apply. The name must match your application form exactly.

3. 3
   Certified copies of ALL academic transcripts

   Every post-secondary qualification you have completed or are completing: university, polytechnic, vocational training, diplomas, everything after high school, from every institution you attended. Partial transcripts, or ones that show only a final grade without individual subjects, are not acceptable. More below.

4. 4
   Certified copies of certificates and degrees

   The actual degree certificates, diplomas or graduation documents. A transcript shows your grades; a certificate confirms you were awarded the qualification. You need both.

5. 5
   Proof of citizenship

   Birth certificate or national identity card, establishing that you are a citizen of an eligible country. Your passport may be enough in some cases, but a separate proof is safer. If it is not in English, you need a certified translation.

6. 6
   CV / résumé (3–4 pages maximum)

   Keep it tight; this is not a 10-page academic CV. Focus on education, relevant work experience, community involvement and leadership roles. The panel does not need high school achievements or hobbies. If yours runs longer than three to four pages, cut it.

7. 7
   Statement by applicant (motivation essay)

   Written inside the OASIS form, not uploaded. You answer structured questions on why you want to study in Australia, how it fits your career goals, and how you will contribute to your country's development when you return. This is where most applications are won or lost. "Gaining international experience" will not cut it; be specific about the development problem you want to solve.

8. 8
   Two referee reports

   Submitted through OASIS by your referees directly; you do not upload them. You enter their details and the system sends each a link to an online form. This is a major source of problems. See the section below.

9. 9
   English language proficiency proof

   An IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic score report. The Australia Awards minimum is IELTS 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0, TOEFL iBT 84 on the old scale (4.5 on the new scale introduced on 21 January 2026) with at least 21 in every subtest, or PTE Academic 58 with no skill below 50. Some countries accept a lower score at application if you agree to pre-course English training, so check your country's guidelines. Results are valid for two years from the test date and must still be valid on 1 January of the year you start (1 January 2028 for the 2028 intake).

10. 10
    Employer support letter (if employed)

    A letter confirming your employer knows about your application and will release you for your studies. Some country programmes require it; others recommend it. Either way it strengthens your application by showing your organisation values your development. If you are self-employed or unemployed, you do not need one.

Additional documents for research degrees

For a Master's by Research or PhD, the standard list is not enough. You need to show you have a viable project and that an Australian university can supervise it. Research degrees cost more and use more resources than coursework, so the programme wants proof the investment will not be wasted.

Research proposal (1,000 to 2,000 words)

Not a full thesis proposal: a concise summary of what you want to research, why it matters for your country's development, your planned methodology and expected outcomes. The panel is not looking for a publishable design. They want to see you can frame a problem as a research question and explain why an Australian university is the right place to investigate it. If your proposal reads like a literature review, it is too broad.

Evidence of supervisor communication

Emails or a letter from a potential supervisor at an Australian university indicating willingness to supervise you. Not every country requires it, but it strengthens your application considerably and shows your topic is viable. Start reaching out at least three to four months before the deadline; many academics take weeks to reply, if they reply at all.

Publications list

If you have journal articles, conference papers, book chapters or similar, list them. It is not mandatory, and many successful applicants have none, but it demonstrates research experience. Do not pad it with blog posts or newspaper articles; stick to peer-reviewed or academically credible work.

Certification rules

A surprising number of applications fall apart here. The programme wants certified copies, not originals and not plain photocopies. A certified copy is a photocopy of the original that an authorised person has checked, signed and stamped as a true copy. Who counts as "authorised" is specific and varies slightly by country.

Who can certify your documents

• Notary public — the most universally accepted option.
• Justice of the Peace — widely recognised, especially in Commonwealth countries.
• University registrar or authorised academic official — often the easiest route for transcripts and certificates.
• Australian Embassy or Consulate official — accepted, but may mean travel and longer waits.

Translation requirements

Any document not in English needs a certified English translation, submitted together with the original-language document. A translation alone is not accepted.

The translator must be accredited or sworn: in Australia, accredited by NAATI (the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters); elsewhere, recognised by the equivalent national authority. Your bilingual friend cannot do it. Certified translations typically cost US$30–80 per page and take one to two weeks.

Country-specific certification rules

Some countries add rules, such as certification by a specific ministry or apostille stamps. Always check the country-specific guidelines published by your local Australia Awards office. The general rules cover most cases; do not assume they cover yours.

Academic transcript details

Transcripts are among the most frequently problematic documents. Many universities issue them in formats that do not meet Australia Awards requirements, and applicants find out too late.

Referee reports: how it actually works

The OASIS referee system is one of the most common sources of stress and failed applications. It works differently from most scholarships, and mistakes are costly. Your referees do not write a letter: they fill in an online form, and you have no control over when, or whether, they do.

The process, step by step

1. 1

   You enter each referee's name, title, organisation and email address in OASIS.

2. 2

   OASIS emails each referee automatically with a unique link to an online report form.

3. 3

   The referee completes a structured form with competency ratings and open questions about your suitability.

4. 4

   They submit it. You are notified that it is complete, but you cannot see what they wrote.

5. 5

   Both reports must be in before the deadline. If one is missing, your application is incomplete.

Choosing your referees

Common referee problems (and how to avoid them)

• Email goes to spam. This happens constantly; many providers flag the automated OASIS message. Tell referees to check spam and junk folders, and give them the sender address to whitelist in advance.
• Wrong email address. A typo means your referee never gets the link. Check every character; once submitted, changing a referee email is difficult or impossible depending on your country.
• Referee misses the deadline. They may forget or deprioritise it. Send a polite reminder a week before the deadline and another two days before.
• Personal email addresses. Use institutional addresses wherever possible. A report from professor.smith@university.edu.au carries more weight and raises fewer red flags than one from john_smith_1987@gmail.com, and some programmes require institutional emails.

OASIS upload requirements

OASIS has technical limits that catch people out, especially with large scans. Hit a size limit on the last day and you are in trouble.

Tips for compressing PDFs

• Use free tools like Smallpdf, iLovePDF or Adobe Acrobat's compression; most cut file size by 50–80% without visible quality loss.
• Scan at 200–300 DPI. You do not need 600 DPI for a transcript.
• Scan in greyscale where possible; colour scans are typically three to four times larger.
• Combine pages of the same document into one PDF. A multi-page transcript should be one file, not five.

Saving and backup

• Save after each section. OASIS lets you save progress, and it can time out. Lose an hour of work to an expired session and you will not get it back.
• Screenshot every page. After submitting, capture each section. Some applicants have lost access after submission, and screenshots were their only record.
• Keep originals organised locally. One folder with named subfolders per document type, so you can re-upload quickly if something goes wrong.

Country-specific additional requirements

The list above covers the standard requirements. Individual country programmes often add their own, and some take significant time to obtain.

Government endorsement letters

Some countries require an endorsement letter from a government ministry or department confirming it knows about your application and supports your field as relevant to national development. In some countries this is a formality; in others it is a genuine review that takes weeks. Start early.

Nominating agency approval

In certain countries applications are channelled through a nominating agency, usually a government body or an organisation designated by the Australian Embassy. You may need to register, attend information sessions, or submit through them rather than directly in OASIS. The agency may pre-screen and set its own deadlines, earlier than the OASIS deadline.

Indonesia: separate pre-selection

Indonesia has one of the largest Australia Awards programmes and runs its own pre-selection. Indonesian applicants are screened first by a local managing contractor before applications go forward in OASIS, which means extra forms, documents and deadlines. If you are Indonesian, do not rely on the general OASIS instructions; use the Australia Awards Indonesia website for the country process and timeline.

How to find your country's requirements: go to the DFAT Australia Awards page and find the country profile for your nationality. Each lists the local administering body, extra requirements and the exact deadlines that apply to you. Then read how to apply for the OASIS walkthrough.