The University of Melbourne's Graduate Research Scholarships are the headline act of Australian postgraduate funding: around 600 fully funded awards each year for master's-by-research and PhD students, combining a full tuition fee offset with a living allowance worth AUD 41,100 a year at the 2027 rate. Best of all? There is no separate scholarship application — apply for your research degree and you are automatically considered.
A quick note so you don't get confused: this article covers the Graduate Research Scholarships scheme as a whole, which is the university's flagship listing combining the Melbourne Research Scholarship (MRS) and Research Training Program (RTP) awards. If you are after a deep dive on the RTP specifically, we cover that separately — this is the complete guide to the combined 600-scholarship scheme.
In short: The University of Melbourne offers about 600 Graduate Research Scholarships for 2027 — full fee offset plus a AUD 41,100/year stipend for master's-by-research and PhD students, domestic and international. You are automatically considered when you apply for a graduate research degree by your course's closing date; remaining 2027 faculty rounds close around October 2026.
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Quick Overview
- Host Country: Australia
- Host Institution: University of Melbourne
- Degree Level: Master's by Research, PhD (graduate research degrees)
- Program Duration: Master's — up to 2 years fee offset / 2 years stipend; PhD — up to 4 years fee offset / 3.5 years stipend
- Funding Type: Fully funded (100% fee remission + living allowance + relocation + health cover)
- Deadline: No separate scholarship deadline — automatic consideration with your course application; remaining 2027 faculty rounds close around October 2026 (dates vary by faculty)
Benefits of the Melbourne Graduate Research Scholarships
The scheme offers two tiers. The big one — stipend plus fee offset — is what most people mean when they say "fully funded Melbourne scholarship."
- Full tuition fee offset — 100% of your tuition covered for up to two years on a master's by research, or up to four years on a PhD.
- Living allowance of AUD 41,100 per year — paid fortnightly at the 2027 full-time rate, for up to two years (master's) or 3.5 years (PhD). It can be indexed annually and includes limited paid sick, maternity, and parenting leave.
- Relocation grant — AUD 2,000 if you are moving from another Australian state or territory, or AUD 3,000 if you are coming from outside Australia.
- Health cover for international students — single Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) membership for international students who need a student visa.
- Fee-offset-only tier — full tuition fee offset on the same terms, without the living stipend. Still a huge saving on international fees.
The combined value of a stipend-plus-fee-offset scholarship runs to roughly AUD 135,000 — one of the most generous standard packages any Australian university offers. And because the selection panels rank candidates on academic results and research potential, your grades and research background do the talking.
Eligibility Criteria for the Melbourne Graduate Research Scholarships
The bar is high, but the rules are refreshingly simple.
- You must have applied for a graduate research degree — master's by research or PhD at the University of Melbourne — and meet its entry requirements, or already be enrolled in one.
- Open to everyone — both domestic and international students are eligible.
- New and current students welcome — the scheme considers future students and currently enrolled graduate researchers (reconsideration rules for current students vary by faculty).
- Domestic students get an automatic fee offset — all domestic students offered admission to a master's by research or PhD automatically receive an RTP fee-offset scholarship with their course offer.
- Stipend scholarships are competitive — the stipend-plus-fee-offset awards go to the candidates ranked highest by selection panels, based on prior academic results and research potential.
- All fields of study — agriculture and veterinary sciences, architecture, arts and humanities, business and economics, education, engineering, environment, health, IT and computer science, law, music and performing arts, and science.
- Study areas matter for fit — having a supervisor's support and a strong research profile noticeably strengthens your case; successful applicants are typically near the top of their graduating class.
How to Apply for the Melbourne Graduate Research Scholarships
Here is the part applicants love: there is no scholarship form to fill in at first. The process is automatic.
1. Choose your research degree and supervisor — explore graduate research courses at the University of Melbourne and contact a potential supervisor in your field. Supervisor support matters enormously for competitive scholarships. 2. Apply for the course by its closing date — submit your application for a master's by research or PhD through the university's admissions system. This application IS your scholarship application. 3. Get automatically added — you will receive a notification that a scholarship application has been added to your record within ten business days of submitting your course application. 4. Wait for the outcome — fee-offset offers for domestic students arrive with the course offer; stipend-plus-fee-offset offers are made separately but around the same time as course offers. 5. Deferred or current students — if you deferred your commencement or are already enrolled and want to be reconsidered, the process varies by enrolling faculty. Check your faculty's Graduate Research Scholarship Applications page for its own form and closing date.
Because everything hinges on the course application closing date, the real "deadline" is your faculty's round closing date — which is why checking your specific faculty matters so much.
Required Documents
There is no separate scholarship document list — but your course application needs to be complete and competitive:
- Academic transcripts — all prior study; these drive your scholarship ranking score.
- CV — including any publications, professional experience, and research output.
- Research proposal or statement — as required by your course and faculty.
- Proof of English proficiency — if required for admission.
- Supervisor correspondence — evidence of supervisor support where your faculty asks for it.
Incomplete applications received after the closing date will not be considered for a scholarship — so don't leave documents to the last minute.
Melbourne Graduate Research Scholarships 2027 Deadline
There is no separate scholarship deadline — you are automatically considered when you apply for a graduate research degree by that course's application closing date.
The university runs several scholarship rounds per year, and dates vary by faculty. For 2027 entry, as a guide: the Engineering and IT faculty's Round 1 closed 19 July 2026, and its Round 2 closes 11 October 2026, with later rounds for mid-2027 commencement still to be announced. The widely reported general round closing date for 2027 consideration is 31 October 2026 — check your faculty's page to confirm your exact date.
The honest takeaway: apply for your course as early as you can. Early rounds have more scholarships available, and a late course application means a late scholarship consideration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this really fully funded?
Yes — for stipend-plus-fee-offset recipients. You get 100% of tuition covered, AUD 41,100 a year to live on, a relocation grant, and health cover as an international student. The fee-offset-only tier covers tuition but not living costs, so it is "fully funded" in the tuition sense only.
How is this different from the Melbourne Research Scholarship (RTP)?
The Graduate Research Scholarships listing is the umbrella scheme — about 600 awards combining the Melbourne Research Scholarship (MRS) and the Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship. The RTP is the Australian Government-funded component within it. We have a separate guide that goes deep on the RTP; the facts here cover the combined scheme.
Do I need a separate application?
No, not at first. New applicants are automatically considered when they apply for a graduate research degree by the course closing date. Only deferred or currently enrolled students seeking reconsideration may need a separate faculty-specific form.
What grades do I need?
Selection panels rank candidates on academic results and research potential. Successful international applicants are typically near the top of their graduating class — think the equivalent of 85%+ on the Melbourne scale — plus evidence of research potential such as a thesis, publications, or research experience.
Does the scholarship cover my family's costs?
No. The package covers you: tuition, your living allowance, your relocation, and your OSHC. Partner or family costs, and family health cover, are not included.
Can currently enrolled PhD students apply?
Yes. The scheme is open to current graduate research students as well as future students, though the reconsideration process and closing dates vary by faculty — check your faculty's scholarship applications page.
How long does the funding last?
Fee offset: up to 2 years for master's by research, up to 4 years for PhD. Stipend: up to 2 years for master's, up to 3.5 years for PhD. These are maximums tied to your degree duration.
Is the stipend taxable?
In Australia, full-time research scholarships for students are generally exempt from income tax, but tax rules can change and individual circumstances vary — confirm with the university or a tax adviser if it matters to your planning.
What happens if my course application is late?
Late or incomplete course applications will not be considered for a scholarship in that round. You would roll to the next faculty round, but scholarship availability shrinks in later rounds — apply early.
Can I defer the scholarship if I defer my course?
Deferral rules exist but the reconsideration process varies by faculty. If you defer commencement, check with your faculty whether your scholarship consideration carries over or whether you need to be reconsidered in a later round.
Final Words
The Melbourne Graduate Research Scholarships are the cleanest shot at a fully funded research degree in Australia: one application, automatic consideration, and a package — AUD 41,100 a year plus full tuition — that genuinely covers a real life in Melbourne. The competition is fierce, with around 600 awards across the whole university, so your grades, research record, and supervisor support need to be strong. But the process itself could not be simpler: apply for the degree, and let the scholarship consideration follow.
