Updated : 16 August 2026 by StudyTribune Infirmation Desk
Quick answer: The University of Melbourne scholarships — Australia’s #1 ranked university — offers 600 Graduate Research Scholarships each year worth up to AUD $135,000, including a living allowance of $39,500 per year (2026 rate) and full tuition fee offset, with no separate application required. Undergraduate international students can also access the Melbourne International Undergraduate Scholarship, currently a 25% fee sponsorship — though this is changing from 2027, covered below.
A note on accuracy: earlier versions of scholarship roundups (including older versions of this page) circulated a “14,625 scholarships” figure. That number does not appear anywhere on the University of Melbourne’s official scholarship pages and could not be verified — it has been removed here. The verified figures below come directly from unimelb.edu.au.
Graduate Research Scholarships: The Core Funding Program
The Melbourne Research Scholarship (MRS) and the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship are grouped together under the university’s Graduate Research Scholarships — this is the primary funding pathway for Master’s by Research and PhD students, and it’s officially confirmed at 600 scholarships per year.
Benefits
| Benefit | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total scholarship value | 100% fee remission plus up to $135,000 |
| Living allowance (stipend) | $39,500 per year, pro rata (2026 full-time rate) |
| Stipend duration | Up to 2 years (Master’s by Research) or 3.5 years (doctoral) |
| Fee offset duration | Up to 2 years (Master’s by Research) or 4 years (doctoral) |
| Relocation grant | $2,000 (moving from another Australian state/territory) or $3,000 (moving from outside Australia) |
| Health cover | Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) Single Membership for international students requiring a student visa |
The stipend is indexed annually, so the $39,500 figure applies specifically to 2026 — expect it to adjust slightly each year. It also includes limited paid sick, maternity, and parenting leave, which is worth knowing since most competitor scholarship listings don’t mention that the stipend functions with real leave provisions, not just a flat payment.
Who’s Eligible
- Domestic and international students
- All study areas: Agricultural and veterinary sciences, Architecture/building/planning/design, Arts/humanities/social sciences, Business and economics, Education, Engineering, Environment, Health, IT and computer science, Law, Music/visual/performing arts, and Science
You must either have applied for and meet the entry requirements for a graduate research degree at Melbourne, or already be enrolled in one.
Selection Criteria — What’s Actually Assessed
Eligible applicants are scored and ranked on:
- Academic achievement in their most recently completed degree
- Research potential in their field of study
Beyond that, the university explicitly states it may also weigh: completion of a prior degree at the same level as the one being applied for, relevant professional experience, refereed publications, specialist medical qualifications — and, notably, composition of original music. That last one is a genuinely distinctive detail most scholarship roundups miss entirely, and it signals that Melbourne’s assessment isn’t purely GPA-driven, particularly for research proposals in creative or applied fields.
How to Apply — and the Deadline Most Articles Get Wrong
This is where a lot of scholarship content (including, again, older versions of pages like this one) creates real confusion. There is not one single application deadline for this scholarship — it depends on your situation:
- If you’re a new applicant: you’re automatically considered for the Graduate Research Scholarships when you apply for your graduate research course, by that course’s own application closing date. No separate scholarship form. You’ll get notified within 10 business days of submitting your course application.
- If you already hold an offer and deferred your start, or you’re currently enrolled and reapplying for a scholarship: you must submit a separate online application form by 31 October to be considered for the following year.
In other words, “31 October” is a real deadline — but only for a specific subset of applicants, not for everyone. If you’re applying fresh, your actual deadline is your course’s own closing date, which varies by program and intake.
Melbourne International Undergraduate Scholarship
For undergraduate applicants, the main scholarship is the Melbourne International Undergraduate Scholarship, aimed at high-achieving students from countries where financial disadvantage limits access to international education.
Current Benefits and an Important Upcoming Change
- Scholarships awarded before 2027: 25% fee sponsorship for the duration of the course
- From 2027 onward: the sponsorship rate changes to 20% fee sponsorship, but the number of scholarships awarded increases to 225 (up from roughly 110 previously)
This is a genuinely useful thing to flag for prospective applicants: if you’re applying for a place starting before 2027, the per-student benefit is currently richer (25% vs. 20%), even though fewer scholarships are awarded overall. If your timeline is flexible, this trade-off between award size and award volume is worth factoring into your planning.
Eligibility
- Citizen of a country with a GDP per capita of US$10,000 or less (based on World Bank data — check the official eligible countries list, as this changes)
- Applying for an Overseas Fee place in a bachelor’s degree
- Completed secondary school outside Australia, or a foundation program within Australia
- Not have previously undertaken tertiary study (extension studies completed as part of a Year 12 program are excluded from this rule)
How to Apply
No separate application is required. All eligible students who receive an unconditional offer of admission to an undergraduate degree are automatically considered.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many scholarships does the University of Melbourne actually offer? For graduate research specifically, it’s officially confirmed at 600 per year. University-wide, Melbourne references different broader figures on different pages (700+ on one, 1,200+ scholarships and prizes on another) depending on what’s being counted — but no official page supports a figure anywhere near “14,625,” which appears to have been an error or fabrication in older third-party content.
Do I need to submit a separate scholarship application? For most applicants, no — both the Graduate Research Scholarships and the Melbourne International Undergraduate Scholarship are automatic upon your course application or offer. The exception is deferred or currently-enrolled graduate research students, who must submit a separate form by 31 October.
What’s the difference between the Melbourne Research Scholarship and the RTP Scholarship? They’re grouped together under “Graduate Research Scholarships” and offer the same benefit structure. The RTP Scholarship is specifically funded through the Australian Government’s Research Training Program, while the Melbourne Research Scholarship is administered by the university itself. Domestic students automatically receive an RTP Fee Offset as part of their course offer.
Is the undergraduate scholarship changing? Yes — from 2027, the fee sponsorship rate drops from 25% to 20%, but the number of scholarships awarded increases from around 110 to 225.
Can international students get full funding at the University of Melbourne? Yes, at the graduate research level — the Graduate Research Scholarships combine full fee remission with a living stipend, covering both tuition and living costs. Full funding is more limited at the undergraduate and coursework master’s level, where scholarships typically offer partial fee sponsorship rather than complete funding.
Information verified directly against the University of Melbourne’s official scholarship pages (scholarships.unimelb.edu.au), current as of early 2026. Scholarship amounts, quantities, and terms are described by the university as “indicative” and subject to change without notice — always confirm current details on the official site before applying.