Research scholarships

About the scholarship

The RTP is the Australian Government’s Research Training Program Scholarship scheme for supporting graduate research students. This scheme is administered by individual universities on behalf of the Department of Education. Applications for RTP Scholarships are made directly to participating universities.

The MQRES scheme is a Macquarie University scholarship program that aims to support exceptional domestic graduate research students enrolled in research priority areas aligned with the University’s Strategic Research Framework 2015 to 2025 (World-Leading Research with World-Changing Impact), as well as that of the broader University.

Selection process

Macquarie University has its own application and selection process, as outlined in the Research Training Program Scholarship (RTP) Policy and the Macquarie University Graduate Research Scholarship Rating Criteria.

Macquarie University:

• ranks applicants on the basis of academic merit, relevant research output and experience and/or potential and the University’s Strategic Research Framework
• assesses overseas qualifications using Australian Government guidelines to determine their comparability to qualifications on the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

Selection processes for students to be awarded the Research Training Program Scholarship (RTP) and Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship (MQRES) will also include considerations of the Research Environment. This may include:

• an evaluation of the alignment of the graduate research project with Macquarie University’s research strategy and research priorities
• the quality of the supervisory team
• the international standing of the research area.

Availability

Awards will only be available to applicants who:

• are a citizen of Australia or New Zealand, or an Australian permanent resident
• intend to reside in Sydney, Australia during their candidature
• plan to undertake a Master of Research or Doctor of Philosophy in S1 2025 full-time
• meet the admission criteria for commencement into the Master of Research or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• at the time of application, meet the English language requirement for Macquarie research degrees
• satisfy all the criteria for admission to Macquarie University
• have confirmation of supervision from an eligible Macquarie University researcher (compulsory for FMHHS and desirable for the other faculties).

Awards will not be available to those who:

• are currently enrolled in a progressing Macquarie cohort (BPhil to MRes Year 2 or MRes Year 2 to PhD cohort)
• commenced enrolment in a Macquarie University higher degree research program prior to 1 July 2024
• are receiving another equivalent or major award, full scholarship (i.e., tuition and stipend), or salary to undertake the proposed program
• have already completed a research degree at the same level or at a higher level than the proposed candidature in the same program of study
• provide false or misleading information to the University. Where there is reason to believe this condition has not been upheld, the University reserves the right to reassess the student’s entitlement to the award
• submit an incomplete application

Applications will be withdrawn if they are incomplete. Applications cannot be held over to a future scholarship round, so if you miss the deadline you will need to re-apply for the next round.

Award-holders may:

• be in receipt of minor awards (eg a tuition only or stipend only scholarship), allowances or other earnings which are supplementary to an RTP or MQRES, or derived from part-time work undertaken within the guidelines set by the relevant scholarship conditions
• stipend top-up funding from industry or other sources to a maximum equivalent of 75 per cent of the standard stipend rate
• be in receipt of additional funds for field work, equipment and other such expenses not covered by the award.

If you are seeking to establish eligibility for a scholarship you are encouraged to provide full documentation of your achievements to assist in the assessment of your qualifications.

Other relevant research qualifications which may be considered include:

• completion of a research masters degree or equivalent eg a coursework masters with a substantial research component. You will be asked to provide information on your thesis eg the abstract, examiner reports, thesis copy, length, grade, examination process and the percentage of research component in the course
• published research, preferably in refereed publications eg journals, books, book chapters etc
• conference presentations, preferably refereed
• highly relevant and substantial work-related research experience.

Components

• Top ranked PhD applicants will receive a tuition fee offset and stipend (at $38,500 per annum) for three years.
• Top ranked MRes applicants will receive a tuition fee offset and stipend ($38,500 per annum) for four years to undertake a bundle MRes and PhD^*
• Scholarships for Master of Research only will include a tuition fee offset and stipend (at $ 38,500 per annum) for one year.

^*Students are required to meet the base admission criteria to the PhD upon completion of the Mres.

How to apply

We encourage applicants to submit their application as early as possible prior to the deadline.

All applicants should select ‛Domestic Research Scholarship’ as the scholarship type in their application.

Applicants who are already enrolled (commenced the MQ graduate research program in S2 2024 only) or have received a valid Macquarie University letter of offer for PhD within the last six months, must submit an online graduate research application for Scholarship Only. See more information about how to submit a Scholarship Only application.

Outcomes will be available from early-mid December 2024.