Funding opportunities for your research degree

Macquarie University provides a range of generous scholarships to support exceptional graduate researchers. All scholarships are considered and awarded through a competitive process.

Scholarships are available for study in the following courses:

  • Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil) (for domestic students)
  • Master of Research (MRes) second year (for domestic and international students)
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) courses (for domestic and international students)
  • bundle offers of Master of Research second year and PhD (MRes Y2 + PhD) (for domestic students).

Scholarships may include one or more of the following:

  • tuition fee offset
  • living allowance (stipend)
  • top up living allowance (additional funding on top of base stipend)
  • fixed sum or one-off payment
  • Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) and/or visa application costs for international students.

From 1 January 2024, the standard rate for stipend scholarships awarded to graduate researchers at Macquarie University will be raised by nine per cent to $35,000 per annum (full-time rate).

The Bachelor of Philosophy scholarship is valued at $5000 per session and is paid as a lump sum.

Important details

Major scholarship round dates for Session 2 2024.

Scholarship nameApplications openApplications close
International Research Scholarship RoundMonday 15 January 2024Friday 1 March 2024
International Road to Research ScholarshipMonday 15 January 2024Tuesday 30 April 2024
Domestic Research Scholarship RoundMonday 4 March 2024Tuesday 30 April 2024
Domestic Road to Research ScholarshipMonday 4 March 2024Tuesday 30 April 2024

New applicants to Macquarie University must:

  • complete the combined course and scholarship application via the Online Application System
  • arrange for two academic referee reports to be submitted to the Graduate Research Academy
  • indicate the scholarship reference number under the scholarship details question.

Applicants who are already enrolled (commenced the Macquarie HDR program in session 1 2024 only) or have received a valid Macquarie University letter of offer for a higher degree research program within the last six months, must:

Macquarie University will advise the successful applicant of entitlements at the time of scholarship offer.

Applicants for graduate research scholarships at Macquarie University must meet the minimum entry criteria to the relevant course of study and should review the available courses listed for each scholarship on the scholarship search tool when considering their application.

Macquarie University assesses and ranks applicants based primarily on academic merit and research experience. Alignment of the proposed research topic with the University’s research priorities and the strength of the supervisory team may also be considered.

Learn more about the scholarship rating criteria.

Specific eligibility criteria apply to research pathway scholarships, which support Macquarie University students as they progress through the research pathway.

Learn more about submitting an application.

  • Commonwealth funded Research Training Program (RTP) for domestic students and International Research Training Program (iRTP) for international students
  • Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship (MQRES) for domestic students and International Macquarie University Research Excellence (iMQRES) for international students
  • Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarships (MQRES) for Indigenous Australians
  • Project-specific scholarships advertised for a specific project with a specific supervisor
  • Externally funded or co-funded scholarships

Use the scholarship search tool to search for all Macquarie University scholarships. You can also search our external scholarship opportunities that are funded or co-funded by external partners.

Note: Official Macquarie University research scholarships are only listed on the Macquarie University web pages.

Bachelor of Philosophy scholarship

The Bachelor of Philosophy scholarship, valued at $5000 per session, is awarded to high-performing domestic students who meet the eligibility criteria below.

Commencing session

The eligible student:

  • enters the program with a Macquarie University WAM ≥ 80 (or equivalent GPA of ≥ 6/7)
  • is enrolled full-time as at the census date in their commencing session.
Subsequent session

The eligible student:

  • receives a minimum overall WAM ≥ 80 in their commencing session
  • is enrolled full-time at the census date in their subsequent session.

Note: Eligibility for the scholarship in each session is confirmed 1–2 weeks after the session census date. Successful students are notified by the Graduate Research Academy via email.

BPhil/ MRes Year 1 progressing to Year 2

Eligible domestic and international candidates progressing from the Bachelor of Philosophy/Master of Research Year 1 to the Master of Research Year 2 will be considered for tuition fee offset and stipend scholarship to the value of $35,000 per annum.

Eligibility

Candidates are:

  • assessed and awarded on academic merit
  • competitively ranked based on the overall WAM of their BPhil/MRes Year 1 units
  • the top ranked candidates (with the highest WAMs).

Note:

  • exempt units will not be counted for calculation of the WAM
  • the total number of scholarships awarded each year is dependent upon the scholarship budget approved by the University.
MRes Year 2 candidates progressing to a PhD

The MRes Year 2 to PhD scholarships will be awarded through a competitive ranking process.

The three-year scholarship includes:

  • a tuition fee offset
  • a stipend valued at $35,000 per annum fixed rate.

See more information about MRes Year 2 progression to PhD.

Indigenous Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship provides support to Indigenous Australians to enrol in a postgraduate degree including Bachelor of Philosophy/Master of Research, Master of Philosophy, or Doctor of Philosophy, in any field of research. Learn more about the Indigenous research excellence scholarship.

The Research Training Program (RTP) fees offset scholarship is funded by the Australian Government. Theses scholarships are awarded in the form of a fee waiver for the maximum period allowed for you to complete your research program, rather than as a lump sum in your bank account. For details of the RTP, please visit the Department of Education.

If you’re unable to start your research degree in the session your scholarship has been offered, you may be able to defer your scholarship funding to the following session, subject to your scholarship Conditions of Award. Requests for deferral beyond one year are not normally approved. To request a deferral, please contact the Graduate Research Academy.