Research scholarships FAQs

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Will my marks in my undergraduate degree or my honours year have an impact on my chance of gaining a scholarship?

Postgraduate research scholarships are awarded on merit, so your marks are important.

You will be ranked in the round based on your undergraduate degree grade point average, your honours (or honours equivalence) score, and the score that your faculty assigns your application based on the relevance of your topic to their areas of research strength.

What happens if I am currently studying and grades/outcomes will not be available by the time I apply?

It you are currently completing studies and the outcomes are relevant to your application, such as an Honours or Masters degree or a PhD confirmation milestone, you should submit a reference from someone who can provide us with a predictive outcome or result.

The reference should include your predicted grade for your Honours or the recommendation that you will successfully complete your Masters or pass your PhD confirmation.

Based on the referee's prediction, you will receive a provisional score and rank, which may allow QUT to make you a conditional scholarship offer.

If you have been made a conditional offer, you should advise the Research Students Centre of your actual outcome or result as soon as possible.

• If the outcome/result confirms the predicted score then your score, rank, and offer will be confirmed.
• If your score is below or above the predicted score then you score and rank will be adjusted and your eligibility for an offer will either be confirmed or revised.

Is my scholarship taxable?

Normally, no. The Australian Taxation Office provides an online checklist where you can self-assess the taxable status of your scholarship.

Do I need to declare my scholarship at tax time?

If your scholarship is tax exempt, you do not need to declare your scholarship to the Australian Taxation Office.

If I hold a scholarship, will this affect my Centrelink payments?

If you receive payments from Centrelink you will need to declare all scholarship income to Centrelink. It may affect some of your payments. QUT recommends you discuss your circumstances with Centrelink.

What is a "top-up" scholarship?

A "top-up" scholarship is a financial scholarship which serves to "top up" your living allowance.