StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The Melbourne Research Scholarship is the University of Melbourne’s flagship award for graduate researchers, offered to high-achieving domestic and international students enrolling in a Master’s by Research or a PhD. It sits alongside the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarships — trackers often lump the two together into a "≈600 scholarships" headline, but the university’s official listing puts the Melbourne Research Scholarship itself at around 350 awards, with RTP awards made separately. Both routes are fully funded in the true sense: tuition, living costs, relocation and health cover are all addressed.
The scheme is unusually applicant-friendly: for new applicants there is no separate scholarship application. You apply for the research degree, and the university automatically assesses you for scholarship funding.
What the scholarship pays
- Full tuition fee offset — 100% fee remission for up to 2 years (Master’s by Research) or up to 4 years (doctoral).
- Living stipend of A$41,100 per year (2027 full-time rate, paid fortnightly) — for up to 2 years (Master’s) or 3.5 years (PhD), indexed annually, with limited paid sick, parental and partner leave.
- Relocation grant — a one-off A$2,000 for students moving from other Australian states/territories, or A$3,000 for students arriving from outside Australia.
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) — single membership for international students who need a student visa.
- The official listing values the combined package at up to A$138,000.
A note on figures you may see elsewhere: several trackers still quote A$39,500 (the 2026 rate) and a "600 awards" total. The university’s current official page lists the 2027 stipend rate (A$41,100) and 350 Melbourne Research Scholarships — this article uses the official figures.
Eligibility
- Study level: applicants for a Master’s by Research or doctoral degree at the University of Melbourne, in any research field.
- Nationality: open to domestic and international students from all countries.
- Academic standing: high-achieving applicants — the university selects on academic merit and research potential. (Tracker claims of a fixed "75–80% WAM" cut-off are not on the official page and are not repeated here.)
- Stage: both future (commencing) and current graduate researchers are eligible.
- Course entry requirements: you must meet the entry requirements of the research degree itself, including English language requirements.
Documents you will need
Because new applicants are assessed automatically, there is no separate scholarship dossier — your course application is your scholarship application. That application typically includes:
- Academic transcripts and degree certificates.
- A research proposal or statement of research interest.
- Curriculum vitae and (usually two) referee reports.
- English language test results (e.g. IELTS/TOEFL) meeting the course requirement.
- Identification documents for the student-visa process (international applicants).
How to apply
- Choose your research degree and check entry requirements on the University of Melbourne’s graduate research pages, including English requirements for your faculty.
- Line up a supervisor (strongly advised): contacting a potential supervisor in your field before applying materially improves a research application.
- Apply for the course through the official portal by 31 October 2026 — this is the Round 1 deadline for the 2027 intake and the main international round, when most scholarships are awarded.
- No separate scholarship form is needed if you are a new applicant — your course application puts you in the scholarship pool automatically.
- Already enrolled or holding a deferred offer? Scholarship trackers report a separate online scholarship form with the same 31 October deadline — confirm the current process on the official award page before the date passes.
- Await the outcome: scholarship offers are made with or shortly after course offers; the official status page currently reads "Open for automatic consideration".
FAQs
Correct — for new applicants. The university automatically considers every eligible graduate-research course application for scholarship funding. Only students who are already enrolled (or holding a deferred offer) use a separate form, per scholarship trackers; confirm the current rule on the official page.
Full tuition fee remission, a A$41,100/year living stipend, a A$2,000–$3,000 relocation grant and single OSHC for international students — the official combined value is up to A$138,000.
The university’s official listing shows around 350 Melbourne Research Scholarships. The "600" figure quoted by trackers bundles in Australian Government RTP awards made alongside them.
Trackers report secondary rounds closing 31 January 2027 and 15 May 2027, with most awards made in Round 1. These later dates are not confirmed on the official award page — treat 31 October 2026 as your real deadline and verify any later round on the official site.
The official criterion is "high-achieving" with strong research potential; there is no published fixed cut-off. A first-class honours (or a master’s with a strong thesis component) is the typical profile of winners.
All of them — the scholarship spans every graduate research discipline at the university, from engineering and medicine to arts, law and education.
Verified 18 Oct 2026 against the official University of Melbourne award page (scholarships.unimelb.edu.au/awards/melbourne-research-scholarship: status "Open for automatic consideration"; 100% fee remission; stipend A$41,100/year pro rata (2027 full-time rate), up to 2 yrs Master’s / 3.5 yrs doctoral; relocation A$2,000/A$3,000; OSHC single membership; quantity 350; value up to A$138,000), with the 31 October 2026 Round 1 deadline corroborated by multiple scholarship trackers. Tracker-only figures (A$39,500 2026-rate stipend, "600 awards" aggregate, fixed 75–80% WAM cut-off, "10 business day" notification claims) deliberately omitted or flagged.
