Australian Government Scholarship: Are you an African student currently to study in Australia?
The Australian Government Scholarship for 2024 have opened doors for 1,000 African students to provide educational opportunities, thereby reducing financial barriers for eligible candidates.
The scholarship is fully funded; hence, the entirety of the costs of your tuition, accommodation, travel, healthcare, and living stipends are generously covered by the Australian Government.
1000 Africans are also expected to benefit from these scholarship awards, providing you with an opportunity to earn your postgraduate degree in the top-tier country of Australia.
The scholarship is applicable to master’s and short-term preparatory studies.
This post is a detailed article explaining the requirements, benefits, and application procedure of the Australian Government Scholarship Awards for interested candidates.
Australian Government Scholarship Details
Award Categories:
- Australian Awards Scholarships for Masters: Undertake higher degree studies in Australia at the Masters level.
- Australia Awards Scholarships for Short Courses: Undertake short-term, targeted professional training courses, either in Australia or Africa, focusing on development-related sectors.
Purpose:
Australia Awards Scholarships, integral to the Australian Government’s development assistance program for Africa, grant access to postgraduate education, training, and professional development for qualified Africans.
Upon return, scholarship alumni are expected to actively contribute to the development of their home countries.
Australian Government Scholarship Requirements
To be considered for the Australian Government Scholarship for masters students or short course award, applicants must meet their country’s eligibility requirements, including:
- Minimum age of 25 years on February 1 of the scholarship year.
- Citizenship of a participating country.
- Residence in and application from the country of citizenship.
- Not holding Australian citizenship or permanent residency.
- Not married to, engaged to, or a de facto of an Australian or New Zealand citizen.
- Not currently serving military personnel.
- No previous long-term Australia Award unless residency outside Australia is twice the length of the total time in Australia.
- Not already hold or be undertaking a Master’s degree or equivalent (equivalent to a Master’s degree in home country).
- Already hold an undergraduate degree (equivalent to an Australian undergraduate degree).
- No convictions of criminal activities (including in their home country).
- Compliance with specific criteria of the applicant’s country of citizenship.
- Meet the minimum English language proficiency of at least;
- 6.5 in IELTS with no band less than 6.0
- an internet based TOEFL score of at least 84, with a minimum of 21 in all subtests, or
- PTE Academic overall score of 58 with no communicative skill score less than 50).
Scores must be valid on 1 January 2025. (Excluding candidates if their first language is English and they have undertaken their education in English).
Please Note that the scholarship requirements vary by participating countries, applicants are advised to check the requirements of their corresponding countries to know how and where to apply.
Available Programmes
- Agriculture/Food Security
- Education
- Health
- Public Policy
- Environmental Management
- Natural Resource Management
- Technical and Vocational Education & Training (Short Courses only)
- EnergyInfrastructure
- Transport
Please Note that priority fields also vary by participating countries.
Participating Countries
The Australian Government Scholarship will be offered to students from the following countries;
- Asia
- Pacific
- Middle East
- Africa
Full list of participating countries can also be found HERE.
Australian Government Scholarships Benefits and Timeline
Financial Coverage:
Australia Government Scholarships cover:
- Full tuition fees
- Return air travel
- Establishment allowance
- Contribution to Living Expenses (CLE)
- Introductory Academic Program (IAP)
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
- Pre-course English (PCE) fees (if deemed necessary)
- Supplementary academic support
- Fieldwork funding (for research awards and applicable Masters by coursework)
Award Conditions
Contractual Agreement:
Applicants accepting an Australia Awards Scholarship must sign a contract with the Commonwealth of Australia, committing to comply with scholarship conditions.
Post-Scholarship Commitment:
Scholars are obligated to leave Australia for a minimum of two years post-scholarship completion. Failure to comply results in incurring a debt for the total scholarship cost.
Duration of Scholarship:
For the duration of the candidate’s program
Required Documents
While applying for the 2024 Australian Government Scholarships, you will be required to submit the following documents;
- Proof of Citizenship
- Curriculum Vitae
- Academic Transcripts
- Bachelors/ Diploma Certificate
- Personal Statement
- Recommendation Letters
- Proof of English Language Proficiency
Application Procedure
Before you apply:
- Check the opening and closing dates for your country, and select your country of citizenship/residency from the list of participating countries for specific information on eligibility, priority areas and how to apply.
- See the participating countries page for opening and closing dates.
- If you intend to apply, you must read the Australia Awards Scholarships Policy Handbook. The handbook provides information including general eligibility requirements, selection processes, entitlements and responsibilities.
- Note that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade may revise and update the handbook at any time without notice.
- Some countries encourage and allow you to apply online while others require hard-copy applications. See your participating country profile for more information
- For detailed application instructions and program information, prospective candidates are encouraged to visit the official Programme Webpage using the link below.
Deadline: April 30th, 2024