PhD and research degree financial support

Tuition

Australian and New Zealand students

If you're an Australian citizen or permanent visa holder, or a New Zealand citizen, you won't need to pay tuition fees for your research degree, as long as you complete your degree within:

• 4 years full-time (or equivalent) for doctoral students (PhD and professional doctorate)
• 2 years full-time (or equivalent) for masters students.

Within this period, your fees are automatically covered by the Australian government's Research Training Scheme (RTS) or the QUT HDR Tuition scheme. Both schemes cover tuition fees only; you must pay any other study-related costs.

Check to see if you're eligible for a scholarship

Find a scholarship for research degree students

If you take longer than the specified time to complete your degree, you will be charged tuition fees for the rest of your study. You may be able to apply to QUT for an extension of your Research Training Scheme funding.

I'm transferring after starting my degree at another university

If you're transferring from another university, you carry over the balance of your Research Training Scheme funding entitlement if you enrol within 3 years. So if you've already studied for one year, you may only be entitled to a further three years full-time equivalent funding if you're a doctoral student, or one year full-time equivalent if you're a masters student.

When you apply to QUT you must attach an official letter from your previous institution regarding your milestone dates and your Research Training Scheme entitlements.

International students

Outstanding international students may apply for an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS), which covers:

• your tuition fees
• health-cover costs for you and your dependants.

International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (IPRS)

You may be able to apply for other scholarships that cover tuition fees for all or part of your course.

Find scholarships for international research students

If you don't receive a scholarship that covers your tuition fees, you must pay the full fees directly to QUT. You must pay your first semester's fees when you accept your offer and then you'll be invoiced before the start of each semester.

Check your tuition fees

To get an idea of how much your course will cost, check the costs and scholarships tab in your course information.

We review fees annually.

Extra study-related costs

Other study-related costs you may need to pay include:

• professional registration (this is an entry requirement for some degrees)
• thesis proofreading and editing, printing, and binding.

International students will need to pay additional costs, including costs related to your:

• visa
• travel
• arrival in Australia
• health cover
• accommodation.

More information for international students coming to study at QUT

Living expenses and scholarships

The workload of your research degree may make it difficult for you to earn enough money to support yourself.

You may be able to apply for scholarships to help you with living costs. 

If you're an international student, you should check your visa for details on how much you can work while you're studying in Australia.

Centrelink payments

If you're an Australian citizen or permanent visa holder and intend to apply for Centrelink payments while you study, it is important to check your eligibility first, as this will depend on your individual circumstances.

More information on Centrelink eligibility

You must declare any scholarship income you receive to Centrelink as it may affect your payments.

Centrelink information for people who are studying or training

Scholarships for living expenses

Scholarships are usually not taxable if you're studying full-time.

Who can apply for scholarships?

We offer scholarships to many different types of students, for example, students who:

• have performed well academically
• are women
• are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
• are struggling financially.

There are also scholarships available to students studying certain courses or in particular faculties.

Find scholarships for research degree students

You can also search the Joint Academic Scholarship Online Network.

Top-up scholarships

Many scholarships have rules about how much you can earn to supplement your scholarship income, and from which sources.

We offer top-up scholarships to outstanding research applicants, which supplement your living allowance and allow you to focus on your studies.

How to apply for scholarships

Check the scholarships you're interested in for details on eligibility and how to apply.

You can apply for scholarships at the same time as you apply for your degree by completing the 'Scholarship application' section of your research degree application form.

You can apply for specific scholarships or ask to be considered for all the scholarships you're eligible for.

If you're selecting specific scholarships, make sure you:

• check the conditions of each scholarship to make sure you're eligible
• consider any special requirements for the scholarships, and how to include proof that you meet these requirements in your application and supporting documents
• include any required supporting documents with your application.

Supporting documents

If you're applying for scholarships at the same time as applying for your degree, you'll need to submit:

• any required documents listed in the details of specific scholarships you're applying for
• other documents you think would support your application by demonstrating proof of you research ability
• two referee reports, using the referee report form (PDF file, 74.03 KB).

Your referees should normally be academics who've been closely associated with you academic achievements in tertiary education. Other people who are familiar with your research skills may also be appropriate referees.

They referees can send their reports to us themselves, or you can submit them with your application.

I'm currently studying and don't have my final grades yet

If you're 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 this prediction, we'll give you a provisional score and rank, and may make you a conditional scholarship offer.

If you receive 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 your score and rank will be adjusted and your eligibility for an offer will either be confirmed or revised.

When to apply for scholarships

Most of our scholarships are offered as part of our annual scholarship round. Applications for this round open in August for students starting their degrees early the following year.

We offer a smaller number of scholarships for students who apply for their degrees between 1 January and 30 September each year. You may need to be nominated by your proposed faculty when applying for scholarships outside the annual scholarship round, including all top-up scholarships.

Some scholarships have specific application deadlines. Check the details of the scholarships you're interested in.

How we award scholarships

When we assess your application, we look at:

• your undergraduate grade point average (GPA), if you completed your undergraduate degree in the last 10 years
• your honours grade (or expected grade, if you're still completing your honours degree), or equivalent
• your other previous study, or recent research experience, if you haven't completed an honours degree
• how your proposed research fits in with the research strengths of the faculty you want to study in.