Study Abroad

Guide for PhD Admission and Scholarship in Australia

With lot of students seeking advice for PhD admission and scholarship application, I am writing this blog post to cover major aspects of same.

As I already said, Australian universities are known for quality research and ranked among some of the best universities in the world. They maintain an international standard of research facilities that bring excellence in research output and subsequently future opportunities for career growth.

What is the eligibility for PhD study in Australia?

Basic requirement for PhD particularly for Indian students include a master’s degree for a recognized university with high achieving results. Higher academic grades and peer-reviewed publications help in acquiring scholarship for PhD.

What is the duration of PhD studies in Australia?

PhD program is usually of 3 years of duration in Australia. Usually it gets extended for another 6 months. In Australia, a very high percentage of students finish their PhD studies on time.

Where I can apply for PhD?

Most of the Australian universities conduct doctoral courses.

The selection of a university depends on the subject of research interest and finding a potential supervisor who will guide the research.

Some of the leading universities of Australia are as follows:

Major Universities to offer PhD (Alphabetically Listed; Ranking will be posted separately)

  • Australian National University
  • Griffith University
  • La Trobe University
  • Macquarie University
  • Monash University
  • Murdoch University
  • Queensland University of Technology
  • RMIT University
  • University of Adelaide
  • University of Melbourne
  • University of Newcastle
  • University of New South Wales
  • University of Queensland
  • University of South Australia
  • University of Sydney
  • University of Technology Sydney
  • University of Tasmania
  • University of Western Australia
  • University of Wollongong

How to apply for admission for PhD?

PhD admission usually takes a long time as compared to bachelor or masters study. This is because of it requires a direct involvement of the professor who will subsequently supervise the research and will remain associated with the project throughout the course and even after its completion, if one pursues for an academic career.

Although you can apply and get a PhD placements throughout the year in any (or most) Australian University, Scholarship has a very strict deadline. You must make sure you submit your scholarship document before that deadline. Many scholarship requires you to have a place first before you can apply. I will try to do a common deadline for most universities in the future here but for now, search that first.

A student needs to plan well ahead for admissions and scholarship for PhD. There are a few basic steps which at times take longer time than expected.

  • The first step is to explore the research area in which one would like to pursue PhD. It is very important the research subject should be of interest to the student as one has to carry that research for three or more years.
  • The second step is to find a supervisor, who will be interested to guide you as supervisor. To find a potential supervisor, a student can explore the universities’ website which gives details of faculty contact e-mail addresses and their research interests. A student can send an e-mail regarding expression of interest for pursuing PhD with the potential supervisor. If a supervisor agrees the one can proceed for admission.
  • The third step is to apply for the admission and meet the basic requirements for admission, such as, basic qualification, IELTS score and financial support. One can also apply for scholarship. Most universities have their own funding for PhD research, with which student’s potential supervisor may help writing the proposal and grant application.

What are the documents required for PhD admissions?

Basic documents that a student needs to submit for admission in PhD and for scholarship may include:

  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Certificates showing academic qualifications and achievements
  3. References for your teachers and place of work
  4. Proficiency in English Language
  5. Research Proposal
  6. Statement of Research Interest
  7. List of publications

How I can get scholarship for PhD?

Finding a scholarship is as easy as hard. Because you are asking someone else to pay for your education for at least 3 or 4 years plus living allowance. You must be enough competitive for research than!

Getting a scholarship for PhD is neither difficult nor easy. It depends on your academic merit, subject of research application and your academic references.

Apart from these you need to be careful in your application and watchful of various opportunities available for funding and their deadlines.

A student needs to prepare a research proposal along with a strong case for scholarship i.e. why the university should provide grant and why applicant is the right candidate for this.

Since PhD scholarship involves a big amount of money, it often takes longer time and patience and discipline is required for making timely applications until scholarship is achieved.

How important is English language for studying PhD abroad?

This is extremely important. You will to write your thesis and that requires excellent language skills. You require at least 6.5 band of IELTS score.

When should I start my process of admission for PhD?

Anytime is a good time PhD admissions. PhD admissions happen throughout the year, however, scholarship have deadlines.

It may take a few months to a year for getting the admission and scholarship in place for a PhD.

I hope this post will help you to for application process, I will be writing about detailed description of scholarships available for international students (especially for Indian students)! Stay tuned with HSB 🙂

Next – 10 Good Reasons Why I Choose to Study in Australia

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24 Comments

  1. Hi I am Archiman Lahiry, I completed my masters degree with an average 84.40%. I published two sole author SCI journal article (Impact factor: 1.717 and 1.2). I have 4 conference paper publications 1 sole author and 3 first author. I have Indutry, research, as well as teaching experience. I also got funding from state government. What are my chances of getting a phd scholarship in Australia.

  2. Hello everyone,
    I have applied for Phd at UQ (after contacting a supervisor).
    I completed my master degree (grades 8.78/10) from Amrita University, India. My work was presented at a national conference, participated in a competitive internship programme and also have two manuscripts published in international journals.
    Could anyone tell me about my chances to achieve a scholarship(IPRS , UQI etc).?

  3. please help me that which university in Australia and new Zealand offering easy phd admission means the process is very simple. thanks hope for the favorable response

  4. Hello Admin,

    I have applied for PhD in La Trobe. I have the admission offer and my scholarship decision is pending. I have a research masters from Shanghai with 85.25% and have two publication in international journals. Based on your experience, can you please advise what are my chances of getting a scholarship?

  5. I just applied for IPRS/FIPRS, and recieved a skype call from a potential supervior for a Research Masters. In the end, he said he had not current student and that he will ask the university to process my scholarship. Do you think I will get the IPRS/FIPRS?

    Furthermore, he asked if I would contine to a PhD. Do you think he is looking at an integrated PhD for me?

  6. I applied for a PhD position and scholarship at the ANU, since my application was at the first half of the year, I have already received an offer letter for a PhD and was told i will be contacted at a later date if I’m currently being considered for a scholarship. My question is: what are my chances of getting the scholarship being that:

    I finished my bachelor with second class upper (Nigeria)
    and my Master with research component with 1,93 German grade (or 83% which is highest distinction in Australian grading system) (Germany)
    I have 5 years work experience with national and international research institutions .
    And I stated on the application form that I’m depending on scholarships (from the University) to finance my research.

    Also, does any one know when to expect a scholarship decision? I’m getting really nervous!

    Thanks

  7. Hi,
    I have applied for Phd at UQ (after invitation from professor).
    I had done a research master(grades 8.3/10) from europe and also have 2 yrs research experience. My work was presented at an international conference and the abstract was published in an international journal.
    Could you tell me about my chances to achieve a scholarship(IPRS , UQI etc)

    1. Hi Arun,
      I got IPRS and APA scholarships for my PhD at UQ . I had a GPA score of (4.43/4.5) from my Masters. Also, I have 14 research publications (4 as a primary author) in highly reputed SCI indexed journals. Besides , my work has been presented in more than 10 international conference. I am not sure about the level of competition there but however due to your research experience ,it seems that you will have good chance of scholarship.

  8. Hi…I am a graduate student at Univ of Houston…i will be completing my masters by spring 2014…I would like to know about how and when should a start the application process for PhD in Australia..?…are there any other websites where i can get the detail info abt this.? Thank You.

    1. Hi Ajinkya,
      Applications are generally reviewed year round. As you would be completing your Masters in Spring 2014, start checking out Universities for your research area and communicate with the professors to search for your supervisor.

      There is no specific timeline to start with the process. It is a time taking process and thus start your ground work as soon as possible.

      All the best!

    1. Ashish, Thank you for appreciations!

      PhD is on way! Enjoying Research and Enjoying Lab! 🙂 It is always difficult to answer ‘how PhD is going?’ for a PhD candidate 😉 😛 I reckon, no PhD candidate ever answered that!!! lol…

      Lets ask other PhD candidates here too,,,,, It will be fun to have answer….!!

    1. Dear Neel,

      A bachelors degree with research component or research thesis is recognized for integrated PhD program. However, in practical scenario, if you want to get in to doctoral with bachelors, you need extra ordinary grades and good research component. To secure scholarship, one or two research publication may give you edge.

      Hope this info helps you! Stay tunes with HSB.. 🙂

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