Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend Scholarship

Benefits & funding

• Stipend of A$40,475 per year, the full-time base RTP rate for 2027, paid fortnightly
• Payments run 3.5 years for a full-time PhD and 1.5 years for a full-time MPhil, with a six-month extension possible; part-time durations are 7 years and 3 years
• Full-time stipend payments are not taxable income in Australia; part-time payments are taxable
• Travel and removal allowances for candidates relocating to Canberra
• Thesis allowance
• Dependant child allowance for international recipients
• Paid medical, maternity and parental leave, plus scholarship suspension in defined circumstances
• Indigenous and First Nations candidates receive the maximum RTP stipend rate set by the Australian Government
• Tuition is covered by a companion award decided in the same round. Domestic recipients receive the RTP Fee Offset. International recipients receive either the RTP International Fee Offset, which pays fees for three years plus Overseas Student Health Cover for the student and immediate family, or the ANU HDR Fee Merit Scholarship, which pays international fees and health cover for four years for a PhD and two years for an MPhil.

Eligibility

• Open to domestic and international candidates; no nationality or residency requirement
• Enrolment in, or an admission application for, an accredited ANU higher degree by research (PhD or Master of Philosophy)
• Selection is on academic merit; entry normally requires a first-class honours degree or the equivalent, or a masters or graduate diploma at an equivalent standard
• PhD admission normally requires an Australian bachelor degree with at least second-class honours or the international equivalent; MPhil admission requires a bachelor degree or higher at an overall grade of distinction or above
• A confirmed supervisor, with space and resources available, in a research area aligned with the ANU research strategy
• Currently enrolled ANU research candidates who hold no stipend may ask to be considered
• Time already spent on an incomplete PhD, MPhil or professional doctorate at any institution in the three years before commencement is deducted from the scholarship duration
• Other allowances, awards, grants or bursaries held for the same research degree may not together exceed 75 per cent of the annual stipend value
• Every field of research is eligible, and no age or work experience threshold applies

Application process

1. 1
   Find a prospective ANU supervisor and discuss the research topic. Approval from a college and a supervisor is needed before an application can be assessed.
2. 2
   Prepare academic transcripts, graduation certificates, a draft research proposal, and at least two referee reports; referees send their reports directly to the University.
3. 3
   Apply for admission to the ANU research degree through the application portal and tick the scholarship consideration boxes. There is no separate scholarship form.
4. 4
   Submit two to three weeks before the round deadline. Referee reports must reach ANU before the deadline for the application to count as complete.
5. 5
   Currently enrolled ANU candidates instead submit the Request for a Current ANU Student to be Considered for a HDR Scholarship form to their academic college.
6. 6
   College committees rank all eligible candidates, and offers go to the top of the ranking. ANU emails the outcome of an admission application six to eight weeks after assessment.

Program timeline

1. 31 August 2026

   Round 1 closes for international candidates, for commencement by 31 March 2027

2. 31 October 2026

   Round 1 closes for domestic candidates, for commencement by 31 March 2027

3. 15 April 2027

   Round 2 closes for international and domestic candidates, for commencement by 31 August 2027

4. Six to eight weeks after assessment

   admission outcome emailed

5. From commencement

   stipend paid fortnightly for 3.5 years for a full-time PhD