Scholarships FAQs

• Scholarships are awarded to help support you while you study. They can be awarded based on academic merit, equity and/or other specific eligibility criteria.
• Prizes are usually awarded based on academic results in the previous calendar year.  See Prizes and Awards for more information.
• Bursaries are awarded on the basis of financial need, designed to help cover essential living and study expenses. Bursaries cannot be used to fund overseas travel or tuition fees. See Financial Support for more information.

The University of Sydney offers a range of scholarships that are available to:

• Undergraduate coursework students
• Postgraduate coursework students
• Higher Degree by Research students
• Domestic students
• International students
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
• Students from specific regions and countries
• Students in specific courses, units of study or research areas.
• High achieving students
• Students who may be in a disadvantaged position to undertake university studies
• Students who meet other bespoke scholarship eligibility criteria

Visit the University of Sydney scholarships website to find a scholarship that suits you.

The most common administered benefits come in the form of:

• Cash payments (for coursework) or stipends (for HDR) paid directly to your Australian bank account for living expenses and to assist with the costs of attending university.
• Accommodation allowances paid directly to the University’s accommodation provider or, as cash payments for you to arrange and pay for your own accommodation.
• Tuition Fees paid by the University directly towards  your tuition fee liability to the University.
• Overseas Health Cover (OSHC) paid directly by the University to the insurance provider.
• Student Services Amenities Fee (SSAF) paid by the University directly towards your SSAF liability to the University.

All of the University of Sydney’s available scholarships, along with eligibility criteria and terms and conditions are listed on the scholarships website.

The Scholarships Office is unable to advise on whether you’re eligible for certain scholarships until you have submitted an application and applications have closed. This is because some scholarships are assessed on a variety of personal factors and not just merit.

We recommend browsing the scholarship website for available scholarships. Once you've found a scholarship you're interested in, read the eligibility information for that particular scholarship carefully before you apply.

Once you’ve applied and applications have closed, we can then assess your eligibility.

External scholarships are awarded by external companies or organisations. The University of Sydney can assist you with certain parts of submitting an application for these scholarships, however you will need to submit an enquiry to the Scholarships Office at least one month prior to the deadline in order for us to assist with your application.

Some prestigious scholarships require you to write a personal statement as part of your application, which is your chance to highlight your goals and achievements. Whether you are required to submit a personal statement will be outlined in the Selection Criteria of the scholarship terms and conditions and also requested in the online scholarship application form. 

For the purpose of most scholarships offered by the University of Sydney, a domestic student refers to:

• Australian citizens
• Australian permanent residents
• New Zealand citizens
• Australian humanitarian visa holders, or
• Pacific Engagement visa holders.

There are some scholarships with very specific Eligibility Criteria. An example is scholarships only open to Australian citizens. Therefore, it is important you read the Eligibility Criteria carefully to understand if you can apply.

The University of Sydney’s mobility program offers many opportunities to study overseas as part of your degree. Visit study overseas with student exchange for more information.

You can view additional travel and exchange scholarships on offer by visiting:

• Study overseas scholarships (for coursework)
• Research overseas (for HDR).

The terms and conditions of a scholarship, as advertised on the scholarship website page, should outline if part-time study is permitted. For scholarships that permit part-time study,  provided you successfully enrol part-time, your scholarship benefits will automatically align to your part-time enrolment status.

If the terms and conditions state you are required to attain approval to hold your scholarship on a part-time basis, you will need to contact the Scholarships Office.

There is no limit to the number of scholarships that you can apply for. You are encouraged to put in an application for any scholarships that you may be eligible for.

If you are offered more than one scholarship, you’ll need to check the terms and conditions of each scholarship to see if it’s possible to hold both.

To view accommodation options on or near campus, visit the accommodation page.

The University of Sydney residential colleges offer scholarships for on-campus living. Visit the relevant college's website for more information, found on our residential colleges page.

Other accommodation scholarships offered by the University can be found by navigating the scholarships website and checking the benefits detailed on the individual scholarship pages.

Once you have browsed the faculty and general scholarships pages and found a scholarship that you are interested in, on the individual scholarship web page:

• Carefully read the terms and conditions to ensure you are eligible to apply.
• Refer to the advertised open & close dates as well as the instructions provided under “How to Apply”.
• Some scholarships do not require submission of application and, if eligible, you will be automatically considered.
• Other scholarships will have a link under “How to apply” which takes you to the application form with prompts to the information and documents required to successfully submit your application.

Scholarship application open and close dates vary depending on the specific scholarship. The open and close dates are advertised on the scholarship web page.

To ensure you are considered for a scholarship, you must apply by the date and time of closing outlined on the application form. 

All enquiries with regards to applications should be referred to the Scholarships Office using the links on the Contact Us  page, under  "Make an Enquiry".

Generally, it takes about 4-6 weeks from the scholarship closing date to provide scholarship outcomes. As soon as we have the advice from the faculty or assessing body, we will notify you.

For some scholarships, including Commencing undergraduate student scholarships, we will only be able to notify successful applicants.

For Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarships, refer to the RTP Application and Award Timeline.

You should respond to your scholarship offer by the due date detailed in your scholarship offer, even if you are not sure yet about accepting your course offer. If the due date has passed and you have not yet responded, then it is not guaranteed that the offer can be reinstated.

Depending on the applications received for a scholarship, the Scholarships Office may follow up if they have not received a response from students who have been offered a scholarship; however, this is not always the case so it is important that you adhere to the due date in your offer letter.

The terms and conditions of your scholarship should outline if deferrals are permitted. For scholarships that permit deferrals,  once you have deferred your course your scholarship will automatically align to your new enrolment dates. 

If your terms and conditions state you are required to get approval to defer your scholarship, you will need to contact the Scholarships Office.

Yes, upon accepting your scholarship you are agreeing to its terms and conditions. It is important that you read the terms and conditions carefully and understand them.

Terms and conditions are advertised on the scholarship website pages and are provided to you with your scholarship offer.

It's best to check your scholarship terms and conditions for this information, as some scholarships may have different payment schedules.

Coursework scholarships are generally paid once a semester following census date. Due to the volume of scholarship payments that need to be processed, it can take up to four weeks for payment to be received after census.

Postgraduate research scholarships are usually paid each fortnight.

If your bank details change, you should update them immediately to ensure your scholarship payments aren’t affected.

If you are receiving an academic tuition fee scholarship, the payment will automatically be credited towards your tuition fees prior to the census date.

You can update your bank details in Sydney Student by logging in with your UniKey, then go to ‘My finance’ tab > ‘Your finances’ > ‘Bank details’.

Your scholarship will be listed in your academic transcript and your Sydney Student Portal. Go to ‘My Finance’, ‘Scholarships, prizes, bursaries and loans’.

To retain your scholarship, you are required to meet your scholarship eligibility criteria as well as meet any ongoing scholarship eligibility requirements outlined in the your scholarship terms and conditions.

A minimum Semester Average Mark (SAM) is often required in the ongoing eligibility requirements of scholarships. If enrolled in a University approved exchange program or course that is marked as either Satisfied Requirements or Failed requirements you must maintain a Satisfied Requirements grade.

For coursework scholarships, prior to the census date of each semester, the Scholarships Office will review your academic results of the previous semester and your enrolment in the next one to ensure you have maintained the required eligibility to retain your scholarship.

If it is determined that you do not meet the retention requirements, you will be contacted by the Scholarships Office and asked to provide reason as to why your academic performance may have been affected and supporting evidence; this is referred to as the ‘show-cause’ process. Reasons may include, for example, personal or medical issues.

Assessment of your ‘show-cause’ case may take up to six weeks and the final decision is made by the Awarding Delegate. During this time, you will not receive any scholarship payments.

Once the assessment of your case has been completed, you will receive communication from the Scholarships Office about the continuation of your scholarship.

If you have applied for or are receiving Centrelink benefits, you are obliged to notify Centrelink of any scholarships you have received. We will not do this on your behalf, but can provide you with an evidence of scholarship letter on request.

As a scholarship recipient, it’s important to understand the terms and conditions of your award, including how certain enrolment changes can affect it.

For example, certain scholarships are awarded to study a particular course or subject to a full-time study load.

If you are considering changing your course or looking to drop a unit of study, you should review your scholarship terms and conditions first. If approval is required or you have any questions before you make the change, you can contact us.

If you’re considering suspending your studies, you should check your scholarship terms and conditions first to see whether it’s possible to suspend your scholarship, and contact us if you have questions or approval is required. Some scholarship conditions may not allow a suspension. Failing to request approval might lead to a termination of your scholarship.

Learning in a University environment is different for everyone, but our academic and personal support services are always available to help you succeed in your studies.

The University’s Learning Hub helps you to develop your academic communication, research and study skills.

Professional and confidential psychological and mental health services are free and available through our counselling and mental health support.

Advanced standing refers to periods of enrolment in the degree prior to receiving a scholarship, or periods of enrolment in the degree while the scholarship is suspended.

Example 1: if you have already been enrolled full-time in a PhD for one year before commencing a scholarship, your advanced standing is one year.

Example 2: if you are enrolled as a part-time student for six months while your scholarship is suspended, you will incur three months (full-time equivalent) of advanced standing.

The terms and conditions of a scholarship, as advertised on the scholarship website page and in your Letter of Offer, should outline if part-time study is permitted. For scholarships that permit part-time study, provided you successfully enrol part-time, your scholarship benefits will automatically align to your part-time enrolment status.

If the terms and conditions state you are required to attain approval to hold your scholarship on a part-time basis, you will need to contact the Scholarships Office.

If payments have stopped, this may be because you have made a change to your candidature. If you have suspended, taken a leave of absence, changed to part-time, or downgraded your candidature, your scholarship payments may have been stopped. Please contact the Scholarships Office to check status and recolve the issue.

Once you have submitted your thesis your scholarship will cease. The only exception is in the case of Sydney College of the Arts students who submit a thesis and then have their work examined in an exhibition. In their case the scholarship will cease on the examination date.

Generally, you can receive a concurrent award, scholarship or salary to undertake your research degree provided such award, scholarship or salary provides a benefit less than 75% of the primary scholarship.

You should refer to the terms and conditions of your primary scholarship to ensure that you are permitted to receive a top-up scholarship.

Your supervisor should then complete the Create and Modify Award form (only available to staff).

This depends on the type of scholarship you receive. Please contact the Scholarships Office to understand your options.

Check the terms and conditions of your scholarship to see if an extension is possible. If so, read through the Research Scholarship Extension Application (pdf, 257KB).

Your department / supervisor may not have advised the Scholarships Office that they have agreed to extend your scholarship. The Scholarships Office manages the scholarships payroll so if our office has not been advised of the extension, your payments will still cease on the original end date. Please contact the Scholarships Office to check status and resolve the issue.

You should refer to postgraduate research scholarship payments information, which is available as part of the HDR scholarship commencement form (pdf, 228KB).

The payroll office uses a formula to calculate your fortnightly payment based on your annual rate.

If you also work at the University, you can access your payslips through Workday accessed via the staff intranet. You will need to log in using your unikey and password. 

If you  are not University staff, you will need to contact HR to request a payslip. 

The Scholarships Office doesn’t need to be advised when you take the annual leave. You and your supervisor must keep a record of the annual leave taken. 

Overpayments can sometimes occur when there are changes to your candidature. If you were not expecting a larger payment you should contact the Scholarships Office immediately. If an overpayment has occurred, you will be sent an overpayment advice and are expected to return the funds to the University straight away. 

If you will be conducting your research overseas you need to apply for count time away on Sydney Student. If you have questions about count time away or whether overseas research is permitted on your sitpend, please contact HDRAC.

See information on the Postgraduate Research Support Scheme. If you will also be conducting a period of research overseas, you may be eligible to apply for a Grant-in-Aid or a research overseas scholarship.

If you are also employed by the University you will see your employment income, and the tax being deducted from this income on your payslip.

If you are a full-time student your stipend payments are tax-exempt, so the University does not deduct tax from your fortnightly payment, and you will not receive a payment summary for your scholarship. If you are receiving the scholarship as a part-time student the University does deduct tax, so you will receive a payment summary for your scholarship. If you work at the University, you can access your payment summary through Workday via the staff intranet. If you are not University staff, you will need to contact HR for your payment summary.

This depends on the type of scholarship you receive and will be outlined in your scholarship terms and conditions. If your stipend is permitted to continue in a doctoral degree, HDRAC will adjust the length accordingly. 

Yes, your tenure will typically decrease.

If you receive a scholarship which can only be held by a doctoral student or you have already received the maximum window of payment for a masters student, your scholarship will cease if you transfer to a masters degree. 

The relocation allowance claim should be submitted to the International Fees Team using the International Research Scholarship reimbursement form (pdf, 99KB).

Please direct any relocation claim queries to the International Fees Team at international.fees@sydney.edu.au.