For Students:

Applications for an IPRS need to be made directly to participating universities. Contact details for participating universities and general information about courses offered in Australia may be obtained from the Study in Australia website. Frequently asked questions have been provided to assist with your enquiry.

• attract top quality international postgraduate students to areas of research strength in Australian higher education providers (HEP) ; and
• support Australia’s research effort.

IPRS enables international students to undertake a postgraduate research qualification in Australia and gain experience with leading Australian researchers.

Scholarships are open to international students of all countries (except New Zealand) and are available for a period of two years for a research masters degree or three years for a research doctorate degree. The scholarship covers tuition fees and health cover costs for scholarship holders, and health cover costs for their dependants. From 2011, commencing IPRS recipients will be able to apply for an Australian Postgraduate Award.

A total of 330 IPRS places are awarded to HEPs each year at a cost of around $20m per annum. Section 46 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and the Commonwealth Scholarships Guidelines (Research) 2012 provide the legislative basis for the provision of funding to this scheme. The department is currently consulting with the sector and stakeholders on changes to the guidelines.

The allocation of IPRS funding to participating universities is based on a formula that is reflective of their overall research performance.

Important note: Applications for an IPRS need to be made directly to participating universities.

Universities are responsible for the management of IPRS applications, the selection process and offers. International students and researchers need to approach their chosen university for direction about how to apply for an IPRS. Contact details for participating universities and general information about courses offered in Australia may be obtained from the Study in Australia website.

Guidelines, conditions and process for determining IPRS grant amounts

The requirements for the IPRS are in Chapter 3 of the Commonwealth Scholarships Guidelines (Research) 2012 which can be downloaded from the Australian Government’s Federal Register of Legislative Instruments at:

•  Legislative Instrument Compilation – F2012L02535

Evaluation: The department has finalised the evaluation of the IPRS scheme as part of its 2009-2010 work program.

Contact

For more information, please email RBGrants@innovation.gov.au with « IPRS » as the subject line.