Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship for International

The Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarships (AGRTPS) (International) are designed to help international students to pursue a Higher Degree by Research at Flinders University. The AGRTPS offers an overseas tuition fee offset, a living stipend, and Overseas Health Care cover. Please remember that the AGRTPS is a Commonwealth Sponsored Scholarship for visa purposes. Each year, a limited number (up to 5) of AGRTPS are available, and the scholarship process is quite competitive. The AGRTPS is given to candidates with a strong aptitude for independent research. AGRTPS are evaluated based on academic merit, academic research training, and performance indicators.

Organized by: Australian Government
Host University: Flinders University
Application Deadline: August 5, 2022

The scholarship is renewable for a maximum of three years for a Research Doctorate and a maximum of two years for a Research Masters’s degree. Successful applicants must study full-time and start a higher degree by research in Australia for the first time.

Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship Benefits:

• The AGRTPS provides a stipend at the Australian Government’s normal rate of $28,854 pa tax-free (2022 full-time rate).
• The AGRTPS also includes a spot in a Research Training Program (RTP), which covers tuition for up to four years.
• An AGRTPS student who relocates to Adelaide from another country is eligible for an establishment stipend of up to $1,485 (after arrival at Flinders) to help with relocation fees and airfares, providing receipts can be supplied.

Eligibility Criteria:

Awards are typically only available to those who:

• Be a citizen of any nation other than New Zealand and not have Australian citizenship, permanent resident status, or New Zealand citizenship; and
• In the year for which the scholarship is to be offered, intend to begin full-time study for a higher degree by research in Australia for the very first time. Students who started their higher degree by research the previous year but were unable to apply for an AGRTPS due to the timing of their application for admission and subsequent enrolment, or who began a higher degree by research and terminated that enrolment within six months of commencement, may be considered; and
• Intend to enroll in a research concentration area. These are areas where the University has a particular strength, where research resources have been concentrated, and where external funding has been attracted.
• Meet all entry requirements for a higher degree by research, including English proficiency levels following the English Language Proficiency Requirements for HDR Candidature.
• Please check the Conditions of Award for full eligibility criteria.

Required Documents:

• Research Supervisor

If you are successful, you must establish contact with an academic staff member and obtain an informal agreement from that individual to supervise you. Your submission should contain email proof of the supervisor’s agreement. Applicants who don’t have a supervisor at the time of application will be disqualified from receiving an AGRTPS/FIPRS.

• 5 publications

Publications will be evaluated to assess the quality of past research in the field you choose to study at Flinders University. You must include evidence of published work; you may consist of up to five publications with your application. Each publication must have a completed coversheet; publications without coversheets will be rejected. If you have more than five publications, talk with your Flinders University supervisor and choose the best five. Explain briefly why these five individuals were selected. Provide no more than five publications. Additional publications should be listed separately or on your CV. Cover sheets are not necessary for publications on the CV that are not among the top five. Only English-language publications should typically be listed among the top five. Publications in other languages will be approved only if the nature of the publication (for example, a report to a government agency) necessitates it. Publications must be no older than 5 years. Remember, due to the AGRTPS’s highly competitive character, applicants who have not previously published are unlikely to compete.

• Academic Transcripts

Please do not submit secondary school credentials or non-educational certificates or awards; instead, offer certified copies of all university-level academic transcripts that have been translated into English.

• Research Proposal

You must submit a 500-word research proposal detailing the problem, hypothesis, or question and the methodology or strategy.

• Academic Referees

2 copies of the Academic Referee’s Confidential Report forms should be filled out in Section A and sent to two suitable referees of your choosing.

Referees should, if possible, have educated, personal, and professional knowledge of your academic competence and be able to exercise judgment over your research potential. Academic Referee reports must be sent by August 5, 2022, to rhdscholarships@flinders.edu.au. Indicate on your application form who received the Referee Report forms.

• CV

Your application should contain a current CV explaining your professional history, all research experience, and a complete list of cited publications.

Note: All documents must be uploaded through the application platform and in English. Please save it as a PDF and scan it in the proper orientation. Please label all documents with your surname and the document’s name, for example: name_Transcript, name_publication.

How to apply for the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship?

You must first apply for admission to a higher degree by research (Ph.D. or Master of Arts by research). An application for the International RHD Scholarship Group to be considered for an AGRTPS and FIPRS. You don’t need to reapply for admission if you already have a valid offer of admission to a higher degree through research.

To apply for Admission:

• International applicants should submit an application through Studylink, and information on how to apply may be found here.
• You should register here after reading the material.
• You can connect back into that portal to finish your admissions application after you’ve finished registering.
• After registration is submitted, a Flinders student ID is generated within an hour; you must write down this number.

Application for Scholarship

Use the Student ID from your registration & the date of birth you gave at registration, you must activate your account here. You will be given a Flinders Authentication Name (FAN) once your account has been activated, at which point you can apply to the worldwide HDR scholarship group.

• Log in to your OKTA dashboard through the quick links on the Flinders website 
• Select Student System
• Choose the My Scholarship tab
• Click on the Create a new scholarship application button
• Select 2023 from the search & select the International RHD Scholarship Group

You must reactivate your FAN using the FAN reactivation link if you attended Flinders University but graduated more than a year ago. You will subsequently be able to submit your scholarship application using the Student Information System, as previously mentioned, after you have an active FAN.

You can reactivate your FAN through the FAN reactivation page if you previously applied to study at Flinders. You will need to input your first name, last name, date of birth, and student ID, typically found on any correspondence you’ve received from the institution. If you can enter your student ID, the system will be better able to recognize you.

Your application will be evaluated once all the required information and questions are answered. After applications have ended, the evaluation will begin.

Selection Criteria:

• The Scholarships Committee will choose grant recipients based on academic merit and potential for future research.
• The University’s Guidelines for Ranking Postgraduate Research Scholarship Applications will be used to rank the applications.
• Students pursuing a higher degree through research for the first time will receive preference from the University.
• For a complete list of selection criteria, please visit the Conditions of Award.

RHD Scholarships@Flinders.edu.au is the email address to contact the Student Finance Office with any inquiries regarding the application procedure.

Any inquiries regarding the procedure for submitting a candidacy should be sent by email to the International Centre at agrtps.international@flinders.edu.au.

Please refer to Flinders University’s website to learn more about the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.