Scholarships That Make Studying in Australia Even Cheaper: A Comprehensive Guide for International Students (2026)

Australia is a globally popular destination for international students because of its high-quality education system, vibrant multicultural cities, and strong research institutions. Yet the cost of tuition and living can be a major concern for students from abroad. Thankfully, Australia offers a rich ecosystem of scholarships, grants, and financial incentives that dramatically lower the cost of study for eligible students. These financial supports come from the Australian Government, universities themselves, and external organizations, and they range from fully funded awards that cover tuition, living expenses, travel, and insurance to partial scholarships that offset a portion of costs. When leveraged effectively, these scholarships can make studying in Australia far cheaper — in some cases, even nearly free.

One of the first places prospective students should explore is official government-sponsored scholarships. Australia’s federal government funds several large programs designed to attract talent, support development across the Indo-Pacific region, and build research capacity in priority areas like STEM, health, and sustainability. These programs are highly competitive but are often fully funded, meaning they include tuition fee waivers, generous allowances for living costs, health insurance coverage, and even travel grants.

Beyond national awards, Australian universities themselves offer a wide range of scholarships based on academic merit, leadership potential, research excellence, or specific study fields. Some of these are institution-wide and open to students across multiple faculties, while others are faculty specific and tied to particular degrees — from undergraduate coursework to research-intensive master’s and doctoral programs.

There are also regional and city-focused incentives that aim to boost student populations in less populated parts of Australia. These scholarship schemes not only reduce tuition costs but, in some cases, offer flat annual allowances over several years to help students pay accommodation, transport, and study materials — all while contributing to local economies and cultural enrichment.

In this deep-dive article, we’ll explore five major categories of scholarships that make studying in Australia cheaper: (1) Government-funded scholarship programs, (2) University-offered merit and research scholarships, (3) Regional and specialised scholarship initiatives, (4) Research-specific funding paths — especially for postgraduate study, and (5) Additional external awards that complement institutional support. Each category includes richly detailed paragraphs with real examples and authoritative links you can reference.

1. Government-Funded Scholarship Programs — Opening the Door to Affordable Study

Australia’s federal government funds some of the most generous scholarships available to international students worldwide — and these programs are designed not just to attract talent but to build international partnerships, support sustainable development goals, and strengthen research capacities. The centerpiece in this category is the Australia Awards Scholarships (AAS), a prestigious and highly competitive funding stream aimed at students from developing countries who demonstrate leadership and a commitment to returning home to make a positive impact. These awards are intended to cover full tuition fees, return air travel, establishing allowances, ongoing living stipends, and Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) — making them among the most comprehensive scholarship packages globally. Eligibility and benefits vary by country of origin, but the core principle is the same: to reduce the cost of study to practically zero for many recipients.

For students from ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste, there are Australia for ASEAN scholarships — government-sponsored opportunities that support master’s level study in strategic priority areas such as maritime security, connectivity, economic development, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. These awards are tailored to regional partnerships and help students not only by covering fees but also by embedding them in networks of regional development professionals. This multi-layered approach — combining tuition support with policy-relevant training — ensures that the cost of study is low while the return on investment in terms of career and leadership potential is high.

Another major government initiative is the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP). While not exclusively for international students, the RTP directly supports both domestic and international master’s and PhD candidates pursuing research-intensive degrees. Universities apply these funds to offer tuition fee offsets, generous living stipends (often above AUD $29,000 per year), thesis allowances, relocation grants, and health insurance coverage — effectively making high-level research study in Australia affordable even for students with little personal funding.

The government also extends targeted scholarship support to students in regional and smaller cities through initiatives like the Destination Australia Scholarships. These awards, backed by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment, provide annual cash awards (e.g., AUD $15,000 per year) for international students studying in regional campuses across the country, helping cover living expenses and reducing the financial burden of relocating to areas with lower living costs. These scholarships aim to decentralise education benefits and promote equity in educational access, all while significantly lowering student expenditure.

Taken together, these government-funded scholarships are designed not as small rebates on fees but as transformational funding packages that address tuition, living costs, travel, and health cover — making study in Australia substantially cheaper for those who successfully secure them.

2. University Scholarships — Merit, Excellence, and Capacity Building

Australian universities offer an extensive array of scholarships that can significantly reduce the cost of study for high-achieving international students. These range from partial merit-based awards that cut tuition fees by a percentage to fully funded research scholarships that include both fee waivers and generous stipends. One of the strongest examples of institutional support is the Melbourne Research Scholarship (MRS) at the University of Melbourne, which provides eligible master’s and doctoral candidates with full tuition fee remission, an annual living allowance (often above AUD $31,000), health insurance, relocation grants, and research support. This scholarship, awarded on academic merit, underscores how institutional funding can turn a high-cost study opportunity into a fully supported academic experience.

Similarly, Deakin University Scholarships offer robust funding for international postgraduate students, including a living stipend (e.g., around AUD $28,600 per year), relocation allowances, and health insurance coverage — benefits that make advanced study far more financially viable than self-funded alternatives. Many Australian universities provide a suite of merit-based scholarships at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, rewarding academic excellence and leadership potential, and significantly reducing net tuition costs for the duration of the degree program.

The University of Sydney International Scholarships, as reported by multiple sources, are another example of institution-level funding aimed at offsetting the cost of study. These awards, particularly for research-oriented programs, cover full tuition fees and often come with living allowances (sometimes around AUD $40,000 per year) and additional support like health insurance. Such institutional backing can be especially important for international students pursuing research degrees, where university ties and academic mentorship are as crucial as financial support.

There are also undergraduate and postgraduate excellence-based scholarships like Monash University International Scholarships for Excellence and Macquarie Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarships that provide partial to significant tuition reductions for high-performing students. These awards help students from across the globe to offset tuition costs early, making the upfront investment in a degree more affordable and often reducing the reliance on loans or personal savings.

What makes university-level scholarships particularly impactful is that they generally stack with government awards or external funding — meaning a student could be supported by both institutional merit funding and a government research scholarship, deeper lowering the overall cost of study. This multi-layered scholarship ecosystem is a powerful financial strategy that makes Australia more accessible to talented students around the world.

3. Regional and Specialised Scholarship Initiatives — Targeted Funding With Tangible Benefits

While many scholarships focus on major metropolitan campuses, Australia also promotes regional education pathways through targeted scholarship initiatives designed to attract students to less populated or emerging academic hubs. The Destination Australia Program is a government-backed initiative that provides significant annual financial support — often in the realm of AUD $15,000 per year — for international students who choose to study in regional universities and campuses rather than in big cities. These awards help cover living expenses, accommodation, and incidental costs, effectively reducing the overall out-of-pocket burden for students who might otherwise struggle with urban living costs.

Many individual universities located in smaller cities or regional areas offer their own regional bursaries and international student support packages. For example, scholarships specific to places like Northern Territory institutions, Canberra, Adelaide, and Tasmania often combine tuition discounts with cash allowances tailored to location-based living costs — acknowledging that while regional study might be less expensive overall, students still need financial support to undertake it successfully.

These regional scholarships not only reduce study costs but can also be strategic career boosters, offering students opportunities to engage closely with local communities, industry partners, and regional development projects. This local engagement often enhances professional networks and can lead to unique job placements after graduation, further lowering the financial risk of studying abroad.

Specialised scholarships can also be found for specific demographic groups or nationalities, such as scholarships tailored for UK or U.S. students, including the Northcote Postgraduate Scholarship or government-partner schemes that link Australian institutions with international award systems. These initiatives often allow students to bring existing financial aid or combine it with Australian offers, expanding the range of funding and making costs even lower.

Whether it’s regional incentives aimed at spreading educational benefits across all of Australia or specialised funding for students from particular regions, these targeted scholarships play a crucial role in making study abroad genuinely affordable and strategically beneficial for international students.

4. Research-Level Funding — Making Advanced Study Cheap Through Structured Awards

For students pursuing master’s research degrees, doctorates, or postdoctoral training, Australia offers some of the most competitive research-specific scholarship programs in the world. The Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship — a flagship initiative of the Australian Government — is structured to support both domestic and international students undertaking research-intensive degrees, including PhDs and research master’s programs. RTP scholarships provide full tuition fee remission, generous living stipends (often around AUD $29,000–AUD $31,000 per year), relocation allowances, and sometimes additional items like thesis and conference support. These comprehensive benefits ensure that research students can focus fully on their doctoral or master’s study without financial strain.

Major research universities — such as Monash University, the University of Queensland, and the University of Melbourne — actively leverage RTP funding to support large cohorts of international researchers. For example, Monash’s RTP scholarships are designed to cover tuition and living costs while also offering additional research support, making them some of the most attractive awards for international graduate students considering Australia.

At the University of Melbourne, the Melbourne Research Scholarship includes not only a living allowance but also relocation support and comprehensive health insurance — benefits that significantly lower the cost of pursuing graduate research in a high-cost environment like Melbourne.

Research funding for postgraduate students isn’t limited to PhDs; in many cases, master’s by research candidates receive similar packages, encouraging a pipeline of high-quality scholars to engage with Australian research ecosystems. These scholarships can be particularly valuable because they often exceed tuition plus cost-of-living coverage, providing allowances that make day-to-day life sustainable while focusing on research.

In comparison with many other countries, where graduate funding is separate from tuition and often requires external grants or part-time work, Australia’s structured research scholarship pathways — especially through government-linked programs — provide a clear and financially viable route into advanced academic study, significantly reducing barriers for international researchers.

5. External and Complementary Scholarships — Filling Gaps and Boosting Affordability

In addition to government and university awards, international students can access a wide range of external scholarships from private organisations, professional associations, and international foundations. While some of these may not cover full tuition, they can complement existing awards and reduce overall costs significantly by subsidizing living expenses, books, travel, or specific study fields.

Examples include industry ties or subject-specific competitive awards offered by professional bodies or not-for-profit organisations linked to priority sectors like STEM, health sciences, or environmental research. These awards often provide top-up funding that augments primary scholarships, making study more sustainable.

Many universities also partner with external sponsors to create named scholarships for cohorts of students in specific disciplines or with defined leadership goals. These partnerships often include additional perks like mentorship, networking opportunities, and sometimes internships that can offset the cost of living or contribute to post-study career building.

For students from Commonwealth countries or regions with bilateral ties to Australia, there are often government exchange scholarships, mobility grants, or partnerships that decrease the cost of study — including coverage for short-term programs or semester abroad opportunities that might otherwise be prohibitively expensive.

It’s also worth noting that in some cases, students can combine external funding with institutional and government scholarships, creating layered support structures that reduce overall financial burden and make it easier to pursue studies in a competitive, English-speaking research environment like Australia’s.

Comparison Tables (Featured Snippet-Ready)

Overview of Major Scholarships That Make Study in Australia Cheaper

Typical Benefits of Australian Scholarships

Conclusion: Strategic Scholarship Planning Makes Australia Affordable

Australia’s education landscape offers an extraordinary range of scholarships that make studying there far cheaper than sticker price might suggest. From fully funded government programs like the Australia Awards and RTP, to institutional merit and research scholarships at top universities, to regional incentives and external support, the options are rich and varied — and student finances can be transformed with early planning and strong applications.

International students considering Australia should begin searching for awards before applying to universities, consult official scholarship portals, contact universities’ international offices, and align their academic profiles with scholarship criteria to enhance chances of funding. With thoughtful preparation, what might seem like a high-cost education can become affordable, supported, and transformative.