Scholarships and Grants
Grants for Travel and Fieldwork
Grants are available from numerous sources on and off campus to help postgraduates meet the costs associated with their research. The most common grants are listed below, but other 'one-off' grants become available from time to time. Stay in touch through the School's and the Graduate Centre's email lists for the latest information on upcoming grant offers, and check with the Melbourne Scholarships Office for other potential sources of funding from organisations outside the University.
School Fieldwork Fund
This is the School's own fund for supporting research-only higher degree students who wish to travel within Australia or overseas to access key source material not available locally, conduct surveys or other research projects, or participate in conferences.
Conditions of the Grant
- Grants must be spent within 12 months of approval;
- Applicants are expected to obtain discount airfares wherever possible;
- Applicants for travel assistance are required, if they are eligible, to also apply for matching funding from the Arts Faculty’s Travel for Research in Postgraduate Study (TRIPS) scheme or PhD Fieldwork Scheme.
Note: Matching funding can be obtained from the Melbourne Scholarships Office through the MATS & PORES schemes. Information about these schemes is available through the Faculty of Arts website.
Eligibility
- Students must be currently enrolled in a PhD or Masters Degree by Research in the School.
- PhD students must have their candidature confirmed
- Students are eligible for one full grant from the School Fieldwork Fund scheme throughout the duration of their candidature.
Value of Grants
- Grants will be awarded of up to $1,000 per candidature.
- Applicants who are not applying for TRIPS can only be awarded up to $750
Permission to Study Away From the University
- PhD candidates studying overseas must obtain (via the School of Graduate Research) the written approval of the PhD Committee;
- Masters candidates studying overseas must obtain approval through the Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Office.
Important note: all students undertaking research-related work off campus are required to undertake a risk assessment. Risk assessment is now required for grant applications.
Download a risk assessment application form (international students) / Download a risk assessment application form (domestic students)(Rich text format, 90 kB).
Applications
- The completed application must have the endorsement of the student's supervisor.
- Applicants should clearly identify the relationship between the activities to be carried out under this grant and their thesis.
- Applicants must demonstrate that they have reached a stage where overseas fieldwork or other travel can be used to best advantage.
- Applicants should state precisely what they intend to do in each of these places, and make it clear that their research project will be substantially improved by access to the resources detailed in their application.
- An application to attend a research workshop will be considered if the student is delivering a paper.
- Applicants must give an itemised estimate of their travelling expenses.
- Completed applications should be typed or filled out on a word processor.
- Applications should be submitted to the School Research Officer.
- Download the Application Form
Other Sources of Funding
Faculty of Arts TRIPS Scheme
The scheme offers assistance with the following accommodation and/or travel costs of PhD students, or MA students presenting conference papers, in the Faculty of Arts.
Melbourne Abroad Travelling Scholarships
For PhD students travelling overseas.
Postgraduate Overseas Research Scholarships
For PhD students to gain international experience.
Other travel scholarships and grants can be found through the Faculty of Arts and the Melbourne Scholarships Office.
Scholarships for Paying Stipends
Local Students
The Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) and Melbourne Research Scholarship (MRS) are the most common stipend paying scholarships available to research postgraduates at the University, and are applied for on a joint form. Applications close on 31 October each year, for commencement the following year.
Postgraduate Equity Scholarships (PES) are available to provide support for students of Indigeous Australian descent, disabilities, whose academic career has been adversely affected and those studying in the field of human rights.
International students
International students can apply for scholarships on their admission application form. This includes the Melbourne International Research Scholarship (MIRS) which pays a living stipend, and the Melbourne International Fee Remission Scholarship (MIFRS) which meets the full cost of tuition fees.
Full details and applications about these and other scholarships can be found at the Melbourne Scholarships Office
Funding for Tuition Fees
Local students
All PhD and research Masters students who are Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens or Australian permanent residents have their study funded through the Research Training Scheme.
Some HECS places may be available for coursework postgraduates, but most will be offered admission on a fee-paying basis. The Faculty of Arts expects to provide a part-fee remission to all newly enrolling Australian students. Coursework students can apply for a loan to fund their study, through the PELS scheme. For more information about fees and PELS please refer to Faculty of Arts Fees and Scholarships.
International Students
All international applications are automatically assessed for tuition scholarships. For more information about fees and PELS please refer to the Faculty of Arts.
Additional Sources
These sites provide useful information and the latest news about sources of funding as they come to hand.
The Melbourne Scholarships Office is the main source for scholarships and grants at the University.
JASON is a search engine for a database of scholarships for Australian students wishing to study at home or abroad, and for international students wishing to study in Australia.
The Faculty of Arts provides various additional grants and bursaries for postgraduates.