The Australian Government is inviting applications for the Adelaide University RTP Scholarships to pursue postgraduate degrees. The University of Adelaide RTP Scholarships are offered in terms of full tuition fees as well as an annual stipend of $36,500, and health insurance, for successful master’s or doctoral candidates.
Eligibility:
Adelaide University Scholarship Requirements:
To be considered for the University of Adelaide RTP Scholarship, you must:
- Meet the requirements of the conditions of the award
- Have a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline
- Apply for a Masters or PhD program at the university
- Meet the English Language requirements
Value:
The Adelaide University RTP Scholarships cover;
- a stipend (living allowance) for the duration of the scholarship,
- a 100% tuition fee waiver for the duration of the award,
- additional allowances for relocation and (if applicable, Overseas Student Health Cover).
Type: Postgraduate
Eligible Country: International Countries
Deadline: February 28, 2026
Host Country: Australia
Transform your future with a research scholarship
At Adelaide University, we’re committed to expanding access to education for all which is why we provide a range of competitive and assistance scholarships designed to help support graduate research students with living expenses, tuition fees, industry experience, and research-related travel.
Adelaide University Research Scholarships (AURS) and Research Training Program Scholarships (RTPS)
Available in every discipline area to support outstanding candidates pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy or Master of Philosophy degree, the Adelaide University Research Scholarships (AURS) and Research Training Program Scholarships (RTPS) include:
- a stipend (living allowance) for the duration of the scholarship,
- a 100% tuition fee waiver for the duration of the award,
- additional allowances for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,
- additional allowances for relocation and (if applicable, Overseas Student Health Cover).
Further information is available in the Conditions of Award.
Scholarship rounds
Adelaide University offers three types of scholarship rounds for Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Philosophy applicants:
Merit rounds
Merit-based scholarships are available to undertake a Doctor of Philosophy or Master of Philosophy in every discipline area and are awarded competitively, based on the applicant’s academic merit, research experience and research alignment with the University’s strategic goals. You can propose your own projects, or they can be chosen from the Find a research project webpage, or you can develop a new project with your proposed supervisor.
Project rounds
Scholarships advertised in the project round are available to Doctor of Philosophy or Master of Philosophy students to undertake a specified research project aligned to one of four Signature Research Themes:
- Creative & Cultural
- Food, Agriculture & Wine
- Personal & Societal Health
- Sustainable Green Transition.
Available scholarships will be advertised on the Find a research project webpage from 7 October 2025, and these projects will be clearly marked for consideration as a “Project Round project”.
Applicants must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for the project they are interested in, and the principal supervisor of that project will contact applicants they wish to interview. Following the interview process, the preferred applicant will need to apply via the Apply for a research degree webpage.
Cohort rounds
A cohort round has several scholarships available to graduate research students to undertake projects in a research area of strategic importance. In 2025, the cohort round will focus on Defence and National Security. Students may start around the same time to foster collaboration and accelerate learning. The cohort round is open to PhD, MPhil and MRes students.
View the Defence and National Security scholarship cohort round
China Scholarship Council – Adelaide University Partnership Scholarship Program
The China Scholarship Council – Adelaide University Partnership Scholarship Programopens in a new tab provides successful candidates from the People’s Republic of China with a fully funded research scholarship to undertake a PhD program at Adelaide University. Applications for this scholarship program occur in two stages.
Stage 1 – Apply to Adelaide University
Applicants must first apply to study at Adelaide University, following the steps on the Apply for a research degree webpage. When completing the online application, applicants must select ‘Seeking sponsorship from China Scholarship Council’ under the ‘Financial Support’ section of the form. Adelaide University applications will be open from 1 October 2025 to 1 February 2026. This application period is for candidates who will commence their PhD program between July 2026 and June 2027. To be eligible for an Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship, applicants must:
- Meet the entry requirements for a PhD program at Adelaide University, including meeting the English language requirements, by the application closing date.
- Hold an unconditional Offer of Admission to Adelaide University, which is subject to the applicant also being successful in applying for a China Scholarship Council award.
Successful applicants will receive an Offer of Admission and an offer for an Adelaide University China Fee Scholarship. These documents are required before applying to the China Scholarship Council.
Adelaide University nominates successful applicants to the China Scholarship Council.
The Adelaide University contribution to the scholarship is only available to applicants that the University nominates to the China Scholarship Council for this scholarship program. If an applicant successfully applies to the China Scholarship Council without being nominated by Adelaide University, they will be permitted to hold the funding provided by the China Scholarship Council but will be personally responsible for any other costs, including covering 100% of their tuition fees.
Stage 2 – Apply to the China Scholarship Council
Applicants must also apply to the China Scholarship Council. Information about eligibility criteria and how to apply to the China Scholarship Council is available via the China Scholarship Council websiteopens in a new tab.
Contact
If you have questions about the China Scholarship Council – Adelaide University Partnership Scholarship Program, please contact research.scholarships@adelaideuni.edu.au.
Upcoming scholarship application timeframes
| Scholarship Rounds 2025 | Open | Close | Outcomes released | Commencement |
| Merit round (international applicants) | February 2025 | 8 June 2025 | Late August 2025 | January – June 2026 |
| Merit round (domestic applications)Includes international applicants currently completing undergraduate/coursework studies or have completed their program within the last 4 semesters at The University of Adelaide or The University of South Australia | 1 August 2025 | 31 October 2025 | Mid-Dec 2025 | Jan-Jun 2026 |
| Project round (international and domestic applicants)Projects with centrally funded scholarships open for applicants to submit expression of interest | 7 October 2025 | 3 November 2025 | February 2026 | Feb – Nov 2026 |
| Cohort round (Defence and National Security)Only available to domestic and international students from allied partner nations (US, UK, Canada) | 1 September 2025 | 21 September 2025 | February 2026 | Feb – Nov 2026 |
| Scholarship Rounds 2026 | Open | Close | Outcomes released | Commencement |
| Merit round (international applicants) | 9 June 2025 | Feb 2026 | May 2026 | Jul–Dec 2026 |
Out-of-round scholarships
In addition to the scholarships available during scholarship rounds, Adelaide University offers:
- externally-funded major awards
- top-up scholarships
- research internship scholarships
- travel scholarships
- Master of Research Assistance Scholarships (designed to support domestic students who would qualify for Austudy or Youth Allowance payments if they were not enrolled in a Master of Research program).
How to apply
The application process isn’t the same for all scholarships. The majority of scholarships are offered during the Merit or Project scholarship rounds, whilst those available ‘out of round’ will usually have their own application process and closing dates.
- Merit round, submit your application by the closing date, following the steps at how to Apply for a research degree. Applications are centrally assessed, and you will be offered both admission and scholarship(s) if your application is competitive.
- Project round is a multi-stage process:
- Identify a project scholarship you wish to apply for on the Find a Research Project webpage (October 2025),
- Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the project supervisor (3 November 2025),
- If you are the preferred candidate, apply for admission via the Apply for a research degree webpage by 12 December 2025 and include the name of the project you were assessed for.
- Cohort round
Cohort rounds are offered via an expression of interest process. - Master of Research Assistance scholarships
More information to come. - Out of round scholarships, including external awards will have their own processes and closing dates. Opportunities will be advertised on the website, social media or in the graduate research newsletter.
Find scholarships
Available scholarship opportunities connected to a project (internally and externally funded) will be listed throughout the year on the Find a research project webpage. Scholarships without a dedicated project (e.g. philanthropic) will also be promoted throughout the year, please refer to the Research scholarships webpage.
Boost your scholarship competitiveness
Your competitiveness for scholarship(s) will be based on a combination of academic merit, research experience and alignment with the University’s strategic research goals.
Strengthen your application by using the Adelaide University’s structured CV template to highlight your:
- qualifications & grades,
- research outputs (e.g. publications, blogs, creative work),
- relevant research and professional experience, and
- achievements.
Scholarships are awarded to the highest ranked eligible applicants. Whether you are awarded a scholarship will be determined by the quality of your application relative to the other applications received.
