International research scholarships
Victoria University welcomes international students to apply for a research scholarship.
The international postgraduate research scholarships provide financial assistance to students with excellent academic qualifications who are participating in postgraduate research programs in Australia. These scholarships support high-quality research and are awarded on the basis of academic merit and research potential.
You're considered an 'international' student if you don't have Australian or New Zealand citizenship or Australian Permanent Residency.
Applications for Research Period 1 2026 will open in July 2025.
We are not accepting applications for scholarship for Research Period 2 2025.
About the scholarships
Eligibility
To be eligible for one of these scholarships, you must:
- be a citizen of any country other than Australia or New Zealand
- meet the University’s academic entrance requirements for enrolment into a research degree
Applicants for a RTP Stipend International Scholarship must also:
- have achieved an average grade of H1 (above 80% VU Standard) in the Honours or final year
- meet the University’s English language proficiency requirements for enrolment in a research degree
- be commencing a research doctoral degree
- enrol as a full-time student
You are not eligible for an RTP Stipend Scholarship – International if you are currently studying, or have recently studied, on an AIDAB or AUSAID scholarship and are applying for an IPRS immediately following the AIDAB/AUSAID funded studies.
Priority will be given to applicants who:
- have not already obtained a PhD degree or equivalent if they are proposing to undertake another one
- have not previously held an IPRS, VUIPRS or OPRS (unless it was for a masters by research degree, and you are applying for an IPRS to undertake PhD studies).
How to apply
Applications for Research Period 1 2026 will open in July 2025.
You can submit your application earlier however it will not be assessed for scholarship until October 2025.
Notification of outcomes
Scholarship rounds are competitive and we estimate that applicants will require the equivalent of 80 to 85 on the VU grading scale for a PhD stipend scholarship.
The number of stipend scholarships awarded is determined by the University funds available in any given year. We receive a large number of high-quality applications and are not able to provide all eligible applicants with a scholarship. Due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide individual feedback on applications or advise on what scores applicants received against each of the criteria.
Successful applicants will normally be notified of outcomes within two months of the application closing date.
