Applications Open for Australia Awards Scholarships

Deadline: 31-Mar-23

Do you want to be a leader in your field and join an inspiring network of changemakers? The Australia Awards are committed to inclusion and diversity. Applications from women and from people with disabilities and other marginalized groups are encouraged.

Australia Awards Scholarships are prestigious international awards offered by the Australian Government to the next generation of global leaders for development. Through study and research, recipients develop the skills and knowledge to drive change and help build enduring people-to-people links with Australia and the Pacific region.

Aims

Australia Awards aim to:
- develop capacity and leadership skills so that individuals can contribute to development in their home country; and
- build people-to-people links at the individual, institutional and country level.

Benefits

Australia Awards scholarships are offered for the minimum period necessary for the individual to complete the academic program specified by the Australian education institution, including any preparatory training.
Scholarship recipients will receive the following:
- return air travel
- a one-off establishment allowance on arrival
- full tuition fees
- contribution to living expenses
- introductory academic program
- overseas student health cover for the duration of the scholarship
- supplementary academic support
- fieldwork allowance for research students and masters by coursework which has a compulsory fieldwork component.
In addition, some awardees may be entitled to the following benefits, depending on their courses of study and other circumstances:
- supplementary academic support to assist with academic success or enhance the academic experience
- reunion airfare
- disability support
- one return economy class airfare to Vanuatu or within Australia to undertake fieldwork for eligible research.

What Can You Study?

Australia Awards Scholarships provide citizens of Vanuatu with opportunities to obtain a tertiary qualification in Australia at a tertiary institution, or in Fiji, at the University of the South Pacific or Fiji National University. Australia Awards Scholarships are offered at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Applications are invited in areas of study that align with the Vanuatu National Sustainable Development Plans and the skills gaps identified in Vanuatu’s National Human Resource Development Plan (NHRDP).
The Governments of Vanuatu and Australia have agreed on the following priority fields of study and areas of specialisation:
- For Bachelor and Postgraduate study levels:
  - health
  - climate change
  - education including the teaching of STEM – Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
  - veterinary and animal sciences
- For Technical and Vocational Education (Diploma or Certificate IV) study levels:
  - training and assessment
  - construction
  - health
  - mechanics
  - information technology
  - hospitality management
Applicants must research Australian universities and regional institutions to find courses that best fit their academic background, career and leadership ambitions, which will enable them to contribute meaningfully to Vanuatu’s development.
They recommend you consider the university location as well. Different cities have varying transport systems, climate, cost of living and availability of accommodation.

Eligibility Criteria

All Applicants should be prepared to undertake study in English, live in Australia or Fiji (with a culture which may be very different to the Awardees expectations) and under stringent academic conditions.
Before considering applying for a scholarship, please check that you meet all the eligibility requirements listed:
- be a minimum of 18 years of age on 1 February of the year of commencing the scholarship;
- be a citizen of a participating country and be residing in and applying for the scholarship from their country of citizenship;
- not be a citizen of Australia, hold permanent residency in Australia or be applying for a visa to live in Australia permanently;
- not be married to, engaged to, or a de facto of a person who holds, or is eligible to hold, Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency, at any time during the application, selection and mobilisation phases (note: residents of Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau with New Zealand citizenship are eligible but must apply for a Student visa)
- ot have previously received a long-term Australia Award unless they have resided outside of Australia for twice the length of the total time that they were in Australia (for example, a previous awardee who has been on an Australia Awards Scholarship in Australia for four years will not be eligible to apply for another Australia Awards Scholarship until they have resided outside Australia for eight years);
- not hold convictions of criminal activities (including in their home country) including those relating to Child Protection and PSEAH;
- have satisfied any specific criteria established by the Program Area or the government of the applicant’s country of citizenship (e.g. having worked a certain number of years in an appropriate sector);
- be able to satisfy the admission requirements of the institution at which the award is to be undertaken (this may mean that Program Areas will need to withdraw an award offer if the recipient cannot satisfy the institution’s admission requirements. This may not be known until Program Areas request a placement at selected institutions);
Vanuatu Country specific academic conditions:
- In addition to the eligibility requirements, candidates from Vanuatu must also meet the following conditions:
  - Bachelor level
    - Senior Secondary (Anglophone): Form 7 grades of A+, A or B for the top four subjects, including English, or (if still to complete Form 7) Form 6 grades of 1 or 2 for the top four subjects, including English.
    - Senior secondary (Francophone): Grades of 12+ (out of 20) for all subjects in most recent year of study.
  - Masters level
    - Minimum GPA of 3.0 across university transcript or equivalent (e.g.12 out of 20, Francophone). A lower GPA may be considered in exceptional circumstances.
  - Certificate VI and above at TVET level
    - All institution course pre-requisites including strong English language skills