Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend Scholarship

The stipend is $42,000 per year, tax-free. It's paid in fortnightly amounts of $1,615.38 and is designed to help with the cost of living. The tuition fees (up to $33,500 per year) will be covered by the Research Training Program Fee-Offset Scholarship.

To be eligible for the scholarship, you must be: 

• an Australian citizen 
• a permanent humanitarian visa holder 
• an Australian permanent resident 
  or
• a New Zealand citizen.

Both prospective and current HDR candidates can apply. Current PhD candidates must be within two years of candidature. Current Master of Philosophy students must be within six months of candidature.

Prospective candidates

1. Check your eligibility for admission to a higher degree by research program.
2. Browse our Federation academics and contact a potential supervisor.
3. Select the 'Apply now' button above.
4. Complete the pre-eligibility checklist and application form. 

You'll be asked to upload:

• a 250-word title and summary of your intended project
• transcripts of your tertiary-level academic study
• a copy of your honours or master's thesis abstract
• evidence of Australian honours equivalency, if applicable
• a copy of your birth certificate, passport or visa
• any awards or accolades you've received
• any evidence of research output (publications, conference proceedings, etc.)
• a link to your online researcher profile (ORCiD, Research Gate, Scopus or Google Scholar).

You must provide DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) for all journal articles, fully refereed conference papers, books or book chapters provided. If DOIs are not included, the output won't be considered in the scholarship application or ranking. If you submit creative outputs, you should provide links to online catalogues, programs and exhibitions if available.

Current candidates

1. Select the 'Apply now' button above.
2. Complete the application form.

You'll be asked to upload:

• any evidence of research output (publications, conference proceedings, etc.)
• any awards or accolades you've received
• any other relevant information (updated or new transcripts, etc.) 

You must provide DOIs for all journal articles, fully refereed conference papers, books or book chapters (if applicable). If you don't, the output won't be considered. If you list creative outputs, you should provide links to online catalogues, programs or exhibitions if available.

1. Students are expected to commit to full-time study for the duration of their candidature.
2. Scholarships are for a period of three years for PhD students and 18 months for Master's by Research students (minus any completed candidature). Extension to scholarships will not be granted. 
3. Successful scholarship applicants must participate in an internship period, if available. 
4. Students are expected to reside in Australia for the duration of their RTP-funded program.  
5. Prospective students are expected to commence in Semester 1, 2027. 
6. RTP scholarships, administered by Federation University on behalf of the Australian government, provide an annual living allowance of $42,000 (Federation 2027 rate). This stipend is a flat rate over three years and is a tax-free scholarship.

Read our RTP and HDR Scholarship Procedure if you'd like more information.

The Graduate Research School uses a set of criteria to rank applications, but also aims to award scholarships to a diverse range of new and existing candidates. Most scholarships are awarded to PhD candidates, although Master of Philosophy candidates are still eligible. Applicants who don't already have a PhD may be given priority over those who do.

The Graduate Research School Board (GRSB) operates in accordance with the University's fair and transparent decision-making guidelines. 

Ranking criteria

Academic performance (qualifying degree or honours equivalency case)

• Points are awarded for results or the strength of the honours equivalency case.
• If publication/s and/or research output/s have been used to build an honours equivalence case and demonstrate eligibility, they will not be included in the research uutputs section.

Research performance

• Only refereed research outputs within the last ten years will be included.
• Journal articles that have been published in a journal that is indexed in a reputable database will attract more points than those published in journals that are not indexed.
• DOIs must be provided for any research output to be considered.
• Creative outputs will be assessed on a case-by-case basis – links to available online catalogues, programs and exhibitions should be provided if available.  

Disciplinary excellence

• Applicants who have contributed to a discipline that is aligned with their research project may be awarded points for activity (within the last ten years) that extends beyond normal paid employment or demonstrates disciplinary expertise (such as authoring a response to white papers, creating professional development programs or providing expert commentary in the media).
• Evidence must be provided for examples of disciplinary excellence. 

Research strategy, equity and supervisory support

• Applicants are encouraged to have a full supervisory panel in place to support their application. They should discuss this aspect with their proposed principal supervisor.
• Projects that align to the University Research Strategy may attract additional points. 

Selection timeline

1. All prospective candidate applications will be assessed for eligibility for admission to candidature by the Graduate Research School. 
2. Eligible applications will be ranked according to the criteria above.
3. Successful applicants will be notified in writing. 
4. Applicants who are ineligible for candidature will be notified.
5. Applicants who are eligible for candidature but were unsuccessful in obtaining a stipend scholarship will be notified and asked if they wish to be considered for a PhD or Master of Philosophy candidature supported by an RTP fee-offset scholarship only. 
6. Offers of admission for applicants applying for candidature supported by an RTP fee-offset scholarship only will be issued (if approved by the Graduate Research School).