Indian students form one of the largest groups of international students studying in Australia (second only to China), with well over 100,000 currently enrolled across CRICOS-registered institutions. Studying in Australia is a genuine investment, and government scholarships can meaningfully offset that cost for eligible students.
Here’s why Australia continues to draw Indian students:
- Multiple Australian universities feature in the top 100 of current global rankings, including the Australian National University, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Sydney; check the current QS or THE rankings for exact current positions, since these shift year to year.
- Government-funded scholarships can substantially reduce the financial burden for eligible students, covering some combination of tuition, living costs, and travel depending on the specific scholarship.
- International students on a Subclass 500 visa can generally work part-time during term (48 hours per fortnight is the commonly cited current limit; confirm the exact current cap on the Department of Home Affairs site) and full-time during scheduled breaks.
That said, studying in Australia is genuinely expensive. Tuition alone can run AUD 25,000-55,000 a year depending on the level and university, and the current Subclass 500 visa financial requirement asks you to show at least AUD 29,710 a year for living costs. Scholarships help, but most don’t cover everything, so it’s worth planning your funding holistically.
For the fuller cost breakdown, see Cost of Studying in Australia.
Australian government scholarships for Indian students: a current guide
1. Research Training Program (RTP)
The RTP is the Australian Government’s main scheme for funding higher degrees by research (Master’s by Research and PhD). It replaced the older International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (IPRS) and Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) from 2017 onward, and remains active at 40+ Australian universities as of 2026. Each university receives its own RTP allocation and runs its own competitive process, so check your target university’s graduate research office for current international RTP availability.
Eligibility (general pattern, confirm specifics with your university):
- Strong academic record demonstrating research aptitude
- Meeting the university’s admission criteria for a research Master’s or PhD
- Full-time enrollment in an eligible research program
- English proficiency requirements
Benefits: A full RTP package typically combines a tuition fee offset (up to 4 years for a PhD, up to 2 years for a Master’s by Research) with a tax-free living stipend. The RTP stipend has a government-set base rate and maximum rate each year, and individual universities may set their own rate within or sometimes above that range; 2026 base rates commonly start around AUD 34,000. Check your specific university’s current published RTP rate rather than assuming a fixed figure, since this varies by institution.
2. Australia Awards Scholarships
Administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia Awards Scholarships support full-time undergraduate and postgraduate study for students from eligible partner countries. India participates under the Australia Awards South Asia and Mongolia program specifically, and eligibility, priority fields of study, and required documents are set on a country-specific basis, so don’t assume the general global criteria automatically apply; check the India-specific eligibility page. Awardees join the Australia Global Alumni network and are generally required to return to their home country for a minimum period (commonly around 2 years) after completing their award.
Eligibility (general pattern; confirm current criteria on the official Australia Awards site):
- Minimum age requirement as of a specified date in the scholarship’s start year
- Citizenship of a participating country
- An undergraduate degree from a recognized institution
- Meeting the target university’s own admission criteria
- Demonstrated English proficiency
- An endorsement or support letter, where required by the specific award category
Benefits typically include full or partial tuition coverage, a contribution toward living costs at a government-determined rate, health insurance, and travel support; exact coverage varies by award category and is reviewed each cycle, so confirm current benefits directly on the official Australia Awards site rather than assuming last year’s terms apply.
Two older routes that are now closed to new applicants: Endeavour and Destination Australia
If you’ve come across older guides mentioning Endeavour scholarships and fellowships or the Destination Australia Program as active options, it’s worth knowing both are currently closed to new applicants as of 2026:
- Endeavour Leadership Program: discontinued by the Australian Government, with 2019 the last funded cohort and full program access closed by mid-2023.
- Destination Australia Program: the Australian Government announced in the 2024-25 Budget that there would be no further funding rounds from 1 July 2024. Existing recipients continue to be supported for the remainder of their studies, but new 2026 applicants cannot apply through this program. If a specific regional university advertises its own scholarship for regional study, that may be a separate, institution-funded offer rather than a fresh round of the federal Destination Australia Program, so confirm directly with the institution what’s actually funding it.
Don’t plan your funding around either of these; focus your government-scholarship search on RTP (for research degrees) and Australia Awards (for eligible full-time study), and treat any university-specific regional scholarship you find as a separate, institution-level offer worth checking on its own terms.
How to actually apply
- Check the official page for each scholarship (RTP through your target university’s graduate research office, Australia Awards via the official Australia Awards South Asia and Mongolia program page) for current eligibility and deadlines, since these are reviewed and can change each cycle.
- Apply well ahead of your intake. Government scholarships are typically competitive and have fixed application windows.
- Prepare strong supporting documents: academic transcripts, English test scores, a clear statement of purpose or research proposal (for RTP), and any required endorsement letters.
- Don’t assume a scholarship covers everything. Most cover tuition and/or a living stipend, but rarely 100% of your total cost of attendance; plan your remaining funding (savings, family support, or an education loan) alongside your scholarship application.
If you need additional funding alongside a scholarship, GradRight helps you compare education loan and refinancing options from 18+ lending partners in one place. Compare Education Loan Options for Australia
Sources and methodology
This guide references the following for context, current as of the last-updated date above:
- RTP scholarship status and 2026 stipend ranges: multiple current sources confirm RTP remains active at 40+ Australian universities in 2026, with stipend rates varying by institution; confirm your specific university’s rate on its official scholarships page.
- Destination Australia Program funding status: confirmed via the Australian Government Department of Education’s own page, which states no further funding rounds from 1 July 2024, with existing recipients continuing to be supported.
- Endeavour Leadership Program discontinuation: confirmed via the Australian Government’s own Endeavour program page, which states the program ceased and Endeavour Online access ended after 30 June 2023.
- Subclass 500 visa financial requirement: multiple 2026-dated sources confirm the current figure of AUD 29,710 per year; confirm the live figure on the Department of Home Affairs site before applying.
Disclaimer: Scholarship names, eligibility criteria, and benefit amounts referenced in this guide are illustrative and reviewed periodically by the awarding bodies. This article is for general information only and is not immigration or financial advice. Verify current details directly on each scholarship’s official page before applying.
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