Australia scholarship round-ups online are full of outdated information — the Endeavour Scholarship, which shows up on almost every list, was shut down back in the 2019–20 federal budget and has never reopened. Before you spend a weekend on an application, here’s what’s actually fully funded, what’s only partial, and what’s simply gone.
1. Australia Awards Scholarships (AAS)
Status: 🟢 ACTIVE for the 2027 intake — confirm the exact closing date on the official page
The Australian Government’s flagship scholarship for students from developing countries, including Nigeria and much of Sub-Saharan Africa. This is genuinely fully funded, not a fee waiver.
Who can apply
- Citizens of an eligible developing country (check the current country list for your region)
- Minimum age 25 for most African-region applicants, generally with several years of relevant work experience
- English proficiency, typically IELTS 6.5 or equivalent
- Intend to return home after your studies — AAS is explicitly a development program, not a migration pathway
What it covers
- Full tuition fees
- Return economy airfare
- A living stipend and Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
Closing dates are set by DFAT and vary by country/region each cycle — don’t rely on a date from a third-party blog. Check the official Australia Awards page directly for your country’s current deadline.
🔗 Apply: dfat.gov.au – Australia Awards Scholarships
2. Research Training Program (RTP)
Status: 🟢 ACTIVE | No fixed deadline — tied to your course admission round
This is Australia’s main funding mechanism for PhD and research Master’s students, offered by nearly every Australian university — Melbourne, Queensland, Sydney, Flinders, QUT, and many more each run their own RTP allocation. It is fully funded, but there’s no single national application.
Who can apply
- Domestic and international students admitted to a research doctorate or research Master’s
- No separate scholarship form in most cases — you’re automatically considered when your university offers you a place in a research program
What it covers (varies by university, but typically)
- Full tuition fee offset
- An annual living stipend (around A$41,100 per year at the University of Melbourne’s 2027 rate)
- Overseas Student Health Cover
How to apply: Apply directly to your target university’s research degree program — RTP funding decisions are made as part of that same admissions process, at each university’s own pace.
🔗 Example (University of Melbourne): scholarships.unimelb.edu.au
3. Destination Australia — Partial Funding, Not Full-Ride
Status: 🟢 ACTIVE at participating regional campuses | Deadlines set per institution
Destination Australia shows up in a lot of “fully funded” round-ups, but it isn’t one: it’s a A$15,000-per-year contribution toward tuition or living costs at eligible regional (non-metropolitan) campuses, open to domestic and international students alike. It’s genuinely useful for cutting your costs — just don’t expect it to cover everything.
🔗 Details: internationaleducation.gov.au – Destination Australia
4. ANU Chancellor’s International Scholarship — Partial Funding
Status: 🟢 ACTIVE | Automatic, tied to your course application round
A 25% or 50% tuition waiver (not a full ride) at the Australian National University, plus guaranteed first-year accommodation for around 200 students a year across nine regional categories. There’s no separate form — you’re automatically considered when you apply for your course, and it’s a genuinely useful way to cut costs even though it isn’t fully funded.
🔗 Details: anu.edu.au – Chancellor’s International Scholarship
Gone: Endeavour Scholarships & Leadership Program
If you’ve seen “Endeavour Scholarship” on a scholarship list, that list is out of date. The Australian Government discontinued new rounds of Endeavour following the 2019–20 Budget, and only cohorts who were already awarded before that point are still being supported. There is currently no path to apply for a new Endeavour award.
Check Before You Apply: Adelaide Scholarships International (ASI)
Following the 2026 merger of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia into the new “Adelaide University,” the international scholarships previously branded ASI appear to have been replaced with partial-tuition awards (ranging roughly 10–50% off tuition) rather than a fully funded program under the ASI name. If you’re specifically chasing full funding, verify the current offering directly on Adelaide University’s scholarships page before assuming ASI still exists in its old form.
The Strategy: Sorting Signal from Noise
- Separate “fully funded” from “discount.” Only AAS and RTP-based awards are genuinely full-ride. Destination Australia and ANU Chancellor’s are real, useful, and worth stacking — but they’re discounts, not full funding.
- For PhD study, apply to the program, not a scholarship. RTP funding isn’t a separate competition — get admitted to the right research degree and the funding conversation happens inside that same process.
- Verify before you invest a weekend. Australia’s scholarship landscape has shifted a lot in the last few years (Endeavour gone, Adelaide restructured) — a program that was real in 2022 may not exist today.
- Stack discounts with cost-of-living planning. If you can’t land AAS or RTP funding, combining Destination Australia or a Chancellor’s-type waiver with a lower-cost regional campus is a realistic way to make an Australian degree affordable.
Find Your Perfect Scholarship
Australia’s scholarship landscape changes often, so always confirm current status and deadlines on the official .gov.au or university page before applying. 🔗 Search scholarships on Zejimo →
Found an Australian scholarship that’s still fully funded and active? Tell us in the comments so we can verify and add it.