The Australia Awards Scholarships is a program sponsored by the Australian government with the aim of helping young people from developing countries to undergo their full time educational programs at Australian universities either for their undergraduate degrees or postgraduate degrees.
Not all Australian universities partake in this scholarship program and there is a list of Australian universities that participate in the Australia Awards Scholarships. Participating scholars can opt to do their Bachelors, Masters or PhD under this scholarship program.
The program was formerly known as Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) before the name was changed to Australia Awards Scholarships.The program particularly targets people from the Indo-Pacific region and scholars can not only enroll at universities, but also at Technical and Further Education institutions.
What does the Australian Awards Scholarships cover the scholar?
This scholarship program will cover the scholar that is awarded for the following;
- The full tuition fees of the scholar.
- The (OSHC) Overseas Student Health Cover, this means that the scholar will be covered for basic health and medical costs for the time period of the scholarship program. This does not mean that if the scholar had pre-existing conditions then they will be covered. The OSHC is only for basic medical costs.
- The return flight expenses.
The scholar will be covered for their single return flight back home in economy class via air from Australia through the most straight forward/direct air route.
- The housing or establishment allowance of the scholar.
The scholar will also benefit from the scholarship program in terms of establishment allowances which cover accommodation or housing expenses, text book expenses, study items expenses etc. and the payment will be made once for all these establishment allowance.
- The scholarship also contributes to the living expenses of the scholar.
The department of (CLE) that is, Contribution to Living Expenses will determine the amount of money and rate that will be paid fortnightly to the scholar as a contribution to the scholar’s basic living expenses.
- Introductory Academic Program (IAP).
The Australia Awards Scholarships will also cover the IAP for the scholar. The IAP is a mandatory program which all foreign students must take in Australia before the starting of their main academic programs. It covers information on how foreign students can effectively live and study in Australia.
- The PCE fees.
Called the Pre-course English fees in full, this program is not entirely necessary for all students. But it is deemed necessary for the scholar to take it, then AAS will cover it.
- The scholarship will also cover the scholar for fieldworks which is most times compulsory for Master’s students for their research.
Eligibility Requirements.
To be eligible to apply and receive the scholarship, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- The applicant must be at least 18 years or older and they should clock 18 years by February 1st of the year that they started the scholarship.
- The applicant must be a citizen of one of the Participating Countries (more on this later) and must be residing in and applying from the same country.
- The applicant should not be a citizen of Australia, the applicant must not have a permanent residency in Australia or be applying for a Visa that permits them to live in Australia permanently.
- The applicant must not be married to or engaged to a person who has or is eligible to have Australian or New Zealand citizenship.
- The applicant must not be currently serving in the millitary or be a millitary personnel.
- The applicant must not have been a recipient of a long term scholarship award in Australia. And if they had been, they must have stayed outside Australia for twice the amount of time they had the scholarship award in Australia.
- The applicant should be able to meet all the requirements prescribed by the Department of Home Affairs for a foreigner to hold a Student Visa. So, if an applicant has been offered the award but does not meet the Student Visa requirements, the award will be withdrawn.
There are more requirements that need to be met by the applicants for this award and we just gave a number of them above. You can head over to their website at www.dfat.gov.au to see the full eligibility requirements.
How To Apply For Australia Awards Scholarships
Remember that before you can successfully apply, you need to meet the eligibility requirements which we gave above. Now, you can follow the following steps to apply;
- You should first check the opening and closing dates for applying for scholarship in your country. Also, check the list of participating countries on their website to make sure that your country is allowed to participate. There are also specific information for each country so make sure you check for your country.
- You are mandated as an applicant to read the handbook called Australia Awards Scholarships Policy Handbook . The handbook is usually frequently updated. The handbook is also available on their website at www.dfat.gov.au for full information.
- Also, depending on the country you are from, you might need to apply either with hard copy applications or via online processes. Once you click on your country’s specific eligibility requirements and application method, you will be able to tell.
- To apply, go to the OASIS (Online Australia Scholarships Information System) at https://oasis.dfat.gov.au to begin the process. After you have answered the necessary questions to prove your eligibility to apply, you will be given your unique registration number, password and username. The good part is, you can set up a draft application form right there and keep updating it from time to time. Also, you should update the necessary supporting documents to it as well.Depending on the closing date for your country, you should submit your application before then.
- You can also apply via mail too. Visit their website for more information.
- Also, there are PDF documents on the scholarship website that outline all the supporting documents you will need to apply.
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This brief information we have given you in this article about the Australia Awards Scholarships program is only a part of the required information. You should visit their website for full official information at www.dfat.gov.au.
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