International Science School

Our lecture series features world-leading researchers from across STEM disciplines around Australia and across the globe. During the 60+ years of the ISS, we have welcomed top theorists and experimentalists, entrepreneurs and Nobel prize-winners, up-and-coming researchers and great scientific leaders – all with an inspiring story to tell. You can watch many past lectures on the ISS YouTube channel.

 You will enjoy hands-on experiments, lab tours, seminars and workshops designed to develop your skills, give your brain a workout, and get you collaborating, sometimes competing and often laughing with the other students. The program features activities from across the breadth of STEM. Past ISSs have included:

• Tours of amazing, cutting-edge science research labs at the University of Sydney, in physics, chemistry, biosciences, engineering, IT, geoscience, and much more
• Surprising hands-on experiments that take you beyond the secondary school curriculum to give your brain a workout and sharpen your skills
• A speed-meet-and-greet with our finest up-and-coming young researchers to learn about their research and talk about STEM degrees and careers
• Tricky scientific moral and ethical challenges in our Ethics and Leadership Workshops
• A behind-the-scenes look at the University's museum collections to learn about preserving, presenting and communicating science in public settings
• The Science & Engineering Challenge, developed by the University of Newcastle
• A packed social calendar. After the science is done for the day, a swag of social events is on offer to help you all get to know one another. Past ISS events have included:
  • A dinner cruise of beautiful Sydney Harbour, including an on-board DJ to crank up the party vibes
  • Nightly social events including a trivia competition, movies and games nights
  • The traditional ISS Bush Dance (trust us, it's always great fun!)
  • The ISS Gala Reception, where ISS scholars meet our past alumni, donors and sponsors of the program, and soak up the Hogwarts-like grandeur of the University of Sydney's Great Hall
  • The ISS Talent Night. (Do you sing? Dance? Do magic? Play an instrument? The ISS Talent Night needs you!)

Australian students:

• If you're in Years 11 or 12 in 2025 at an Australian school, and you’re a citizen or permanent resident of Australia, you can apply to be an ISS scholar. We do not accept applications from Australian students attending schools overseas.
• ISS scholars are selected on academic merit, aptitude and potential. We’re looking for talented students with a passion for science, wherever you are. City or country, public school, private school or independent school ... it doesn’t matter where you come from; if you're into science you should apply.
• Attendance is free! ISS scholarships cover all expenses so students attend at no cost to themselves or their families. Scholarships are valued at around $4000 and cover travel within Australia, all food, accommodation, events and activities.
• The ISS is fully residential. All participants – even those from Sydney – will stay together in student accommodation for the entire two weeks of the program to give everyone a chance to get to know the whole group of talented students from across the country and all around the world.

International students:

• The ISS is truly international. Of the 110 ISS scholars, around two-thirds come from the states and territories of Australia. The other third attend from our ISS partner countries around the world: China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the USA.
• Overseas students are selected by ISS representatives in their home country. We have selection panels in the countries listed above, and they each have their own system for selecting students to attend the ISS. We do not accept applications directly from students outside Australia.
• The ISS is still free if you’re an international student! All overseas scholars receive scholarships for the ISS program, and our overseas partners and supporters fund airfares to Sydney. 


For information about the selection criteria, see the section below.

Up to 70 students from across Australia will be selected to take part in ISS 2025. Selection panels in each state and territory will assist in the selection of students, based on the following criteria:

• Only Australian citizens or permanent residents currently attending school in Australia may use the Australian application form. We do not accept applications from Australian students studying overseas.
• Applicants must be in their  final two years of secondary school in 2025 (typically Years 11 or 12).
• As the ISS covers many different science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, applicants should be studying at least 50 per cent STEM subjects in their final two years of secondary school. We understand that different school systems have different requirements for students’ subject choices, and our selection panels will broadly consider applicants studying at least a range of STEM subjects.
• We seek  talented students with a passion for science. Applicants should achieve the highest grades in the top-level syllabuses of English and STEM subjects in their most recent formal assessments (e.g. ‘A’ grade, or > 80 per cent, or equivalent). Our selection panels will use their judgement to select from across the range of school systems and grading schemes.
• Applicants require a recommendation from their school in the form of a letter of support from the principal and/or head science teacher – typically an applicant should be assessed as one of the highest-achieving science students in the school. Preference may be given to students whose vocational interest is a career in the sciences.
• Applicants need to include a personal statement, comprising a short essay about why they wish to attend the ISS. Selection panels will be looking for clear communicators with a passion for science, who are able to represent their community, school, state and country at the ISS.

Our selection panels will make decisions based on the above criteria, as well as aiming for a balance of participants based on gender, location, school system and relative opportunity. 

All selections are final and at the discretion of the University of Sydney and organisers of the ISS program. 

Gathering scholars from across the globe, getting them to Sydney and settled into the accommodation, and making sure everyone is healthy, safe and having a good time is a huge job, and something we take very seriously – which is why we bring together an amazing team of staff to make it all happen.

The ISS Staffies are a crack team of enthusiastic, talented and highly skilled young people. They stay in University accommodation for the two weeks and are with you throughout the ISS to make sure you’re happy, healthy and safe. Many of our staffies are past ISS scholars, and, in most cases, pursuing STEM degrees at university – so they’re a fantastic resource ready to answer your questions about uni studies and careers!

Our dedicated and highly experienced overnight staff team is on hand at the accommodation keep an eye on the scholar group, provide support and care, and attend to any problems or concerns.

The ISS Leadership Team – our Director Dr Chris Stewart, the ISS Project Officer, and an amazing group of talented people in the Faculty of Science Marketing & Communications team – together throw an enormous amount of effort into making the ISS an amazing and inspiring fortnight.

All expenses for accommodation and transport related to the ISS program are For the entire two weeks of the International Science School, all our scholars and our dedicated staff will stay in boarding facilities close to the University of Sydney. This includes all scholars who live in Sydney.

Rooms:  Students will share single-sex dorm rooms with up to three other students, giving them the chance to make new friends from across Australia and around the world.

Meals: three full meals a day (and a few snacks to keep you going), catering to different tastes, needs, medical conditions, allergies and diets. Don’t worry – if you have particular dietary requirements, we can handle it!

Travel

How you get to us will depend on where you're coming from. But rest assured, unless you're walking, your travel will be covered!

Australian students: the ISS will cover your transport by plane if you live more than several hours away from Sydney, or by bus or train if you live closer to us.

International students: all scholars selected by organisations in their home country will have their airfares to Sydney paid for by those organisations. The ISS will meet overseas groups of students at Sydney International Airport and take them to their accommodation.

We collect and retain personal and health information in the course of undertaking our functions. The object and functions of the University are prescribed in Section 6 of the University of Sydney Act 1989 (NSW).

Examples of the personal and health information that we collect include:

• teaching – information relating to student admission and academic progression, including learning and assessment, special consideration, misconduct and graduation
• research – records of human and animal ethics applications and approvals, and grant administration
• administration and support –  staff records, ICT records such as email systems, images recorded on University CCTV cameras
• community engagement – alumni and donor records, researchers and borrowers in University libraries, museums and archives, patrons and performers for public events.

More detail about the personal information collected by the University can be found on the privacy collection statements for our websites, our students, our staff (pdf, 265KB), CCTV system (pdf, 194KB),  Clinical recording and observation system (CROS) (pdf 126KB), Forum restaurant online ordering (pdf, 96KB) and our multi-factor authentication (MFA) processes (pdf, 90.6KB).

Further information on how the University collects, stores and secures personal data can be found on our Privacy at the University website.