The Scholarships Office provide administration support for University and faculty scholarships for undergraduate, postgraduate coursework and postgraduate research students.
Roles and responsibilities for scholarships are shared with DVC (E&S), Faculty and School staff, Sydney Future Students and Marketing and Communications as per the scholarship processes included here:
The below process details the steps required from the establishment of a scholarship to advising applicants if they are successful or not in their scholarship application.
If you have a pool of applicants to consider for a scholarship (i.e. all UG, PGC or HDR applicants) and you can identify the criteria used to award the scholarship from the admissions application i.e. academic merit and residency, a separate scholarships application is not required. All other scholarships require an application.
| Action | Responsibility | Time |
|---|---|---|
|
Details required: Approval of Responsibility Code (RC) and Project Code (PC) of account to fund the scholarship Scholarship name Background Eligibility Selection criteria Duration Value Open and close dates Note: Scholarships Office add other standard terms and conditions |
Faculty/School Administration
|
N/A |
| Scholarship terms and conditions drafted and sent to Faculty/School Administration to review. | Scholarship Office |
3 - 10 working days |
Draft terms and conditions shared with relevant academics for review |
University/Faculty/ School Administration |
1 - 10 working days |
Endorsement of terms and conditions provided by academics |
Academics |
1 - 20 working days |
T&Cs including the comments from academics are sent back to Scholarships office |
University/Faculty/ School Administration |
1 working day |
Scholarship Office review and update the T&Cs accordingly |
Scholarship Office |
1 - 3 working days |
| Terms and conditions PDF created for final delegate approval and sent to Faculty/School Administration | Scholarship Office |
1 working day |
Final terms and conditions and budget sent to DVCE (University-wide)/ Dean (over $100K)/ HOS (up to $100k) for final approval. Note: If the RC is a Faculty RC, the terms and conditions and budget are sent directly to the Dean for approval regardless of the value of the Scholarship |
University/Faculty/ School Administration
|
1 working day |
Review and approval of PDF terms and conditions by HOS / Dean/ DVCE |
HOS/Dean/DVCE |
1 – 10 working days |
Approved PDF sent to Scholarships Office |
University/Faculty/School Administration | On approval of T&Cs |
Scholarship open and close dates confirmed with Scholarship Office |
University/Faculty/School Administration | On approval of T&Cs |
| Website page draft created and submitted to Marketing team | Scholarship Office |
1 - 3 working days |
Scholarship uploaded to scholarships website |
Faculty and Student Marketing Team |
10 working days |
Optional: Contact Sydney Future Student at [email protected] to confirm promotional opportunities for the new scholarship. This is only required for commencing coursework scholarships that are specifically for recruitment |
University Administration: University marketing team Faculty/School Administration: Faculty marketing team |
Prior to establishing scholarship |
Optional: Contact your relevant MarComms team to discuss marketing opportunities for your scholarship. Note: This step is only required if you require assistance from marketing. |
University Administration: University marketing team Faculty/School Administration: Faculty marketing team |
Prior to establishing scholarship |
| Direct link to the Scholarship page sent to University/Faculty/School Administration | Scholarship Office |
1 working day |
| Communication to students of available scholarship (via email, face to face /classes, digital billboard, newsletters, WOM etc.) Refer to Scholarship Communication Plan for all channels | University/Faculty/Marketing/School Comms Officers | 3 – 10 working days |
The below process details the steps required to amend an existing scholarship. This process must be completed for any change to a scholarship or prize.
| Action | Responsibility | Time |
|---|---|---|
Sydney Future Students (SFS) to be notified for any changes to commencing student scholarships |
University/Faculty/School Administration |
Prior to amending scholarship |
|
Details required:
Note: For fields in the form where there is no change write “same as previous”. |
University/Faculty/School Administration | N/A |
Scholarship terms and conditions are updated and sent to University/Faculty/School Administration to review |
Scholarship Office |
3 - 10 working days |
Updated terms and conditions shared with relevant academics for review |
University/Faculty/School Administration | 1 - 10 working days |
Endorsement of terms and conditions provided by academics |
Academics |
1 - 10 working days |
T&Cs including the comments from academics are sent back to Scholarships Office |
University/Faculty/School Administration |
1 working day |
| Scholarship office review and update the T&Cs accordingly | Scholarship Office |
1 working day |
Terms and conditions PDF created for final approval and sent to University/Faculty/School Administration |
Scholarship Office |
1 – 2 working days |
Updated terms and conditions and budget sent to HOS (budget up to $100K) or Dean (over $100K) for approval. Note: If the RC is a Faculty RC, the terms and conditions and budget are sent directly to the Dean for approval regardless of the value of the Scholarship. |
University/Faculty/School Administration |
1 working day |
Review and approval of PDF terms and conditions by HOS / Dean/ DVCE |
HOS/Dean/DVCE |
1 – 10 working days |
Approved PDF terms and conditions sent to Scholarships Office |
University/Faculty/School Administration |
On approval of PDF |
Scholarship open and close dates confirmed with the Scholarship Office |
University/Faculty/School Administration |
On approval of PDF |
Website page updated and submitted to the Marketing team and SFS |
Scholarship Office |
1 -3 working days |
Scholarship uploaded to the scholarship website |
Marketing |
1 - 10 working days |
Direct links to the Scholarship advertisement(s) sent to Faculty/ School Administration |
Scholarship Office |
1 working day |
| Communication to students of available scholarship (via email, face-to-face/classes, digital billboard, newsletters, WOM etc.) Refer to Scholarship Communication Plan for all channels. | University/Faculty/Marketing/School Comms Officers | 3 – 10 working days |
Opening and closing scholarships at the right time is critical to ensuring the following:
Below is a table with recommended open and close time across scholarship types:
Scholarships Type |
Open date 1 |
Close date 1 |
Notes |
Open date 2 |
Close date 2 |
Notes |
Commencing students |
|
|
|
|
|
|
International UG and PG Coursework |
1 Apr |
30 Oct |
|
N/A |
N/A |
|
Domestic UG and PG Coursework (High Achieving and including rural/ regional scholarships) |
1 Apr |
30 Oct |
HSC early Oct to end Nov |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Note for Rural Regional Scholarships: it is important to award these early on and use conditional offer letters so that the student have sufficient time to make up their mind if they want to re locate to Sydney. |
||||||
HDR domestic (stipend) |
Consideration to be given to most HDR intakes in RP2 and RP3. i.e. for commencement in RP2 it is suggested the scholarship is opened in RP3 in the prior year and closed in RP4 to then be awarded in the following RP1 to commence RP2 |
|||||
HDR international (stipend) |
Consideration to be given to most HDR intakes in RP2 and RP3 and relocation time for international students, i.e. for commencement in RP3 it is suggested the scholarship is opened in RP3 in the prior year and close in RP4 to then be awarded in the following RP1 to commence RP3 |
|||||
Current students |
Open date 1 |
Close date 1 |
|
Open date 2 |
Close date 2 |
|
Exchange and short-term mobility (3 open and close dates) |
15 Nov |
30 Mar |
Semester 2 exchange |
15 Apr |
15 June |
Winter Break Mobility Programs |
|
Open date 3 |
Close date 3 |
|
|
|
|
|
15 Sep |
30 Oct |
Semester 1 exchange |
|
|
|
Equity Scholarships (Annual payment) |
See considerations below |
|||||
Equity Scholarships (Lump sum) |
Anytime |
|||||
PG Research Fieldwork/ Travel |
Anytime |
|||||
Placement scholarships |
Aligns with the student placement agreement |
|||||
Honours Scholarship |
It is important to open this before the exam period starts and close in Jan when Honours results are available. It will be also good to open these before the Honours evening event so that Faculties can refer the student to these scholarships. |
|||||
If a scholarship is awarded after the first census date, an immediate payment can be requested as the first payment and the second payment will be made 31 August.
It is important that multiple channels are utilised when promoting scholarships.
The below information includes opportunities for promotion both internal (within University/Faculties/Schools) and external (outside University/Faculties/Schools).
For best results it’s important to have a minimum 2 month application window for promotion.
Before commencing any promotion, it is a requirement of the Scholarships and Student Recognition and Awards Policy that all scholarships are advertised on the University Scholarships website.
The Scholarship Office and your Faculty Marketing Team will action this on your behalf when you follow the steps to establish a new scholarship.
The contacts you have in your professional networks are generally a good place to start when it comes to promoting a scholarship, especially for those that are very niche.
Ideas for promoting to people within your professional networks:
Refer to your faculty intranet site or contact your Faculty Marketing and Communications representative for information on available internal channels such as local staff, student and HDR news channels.
Be aware, submissions are considered in consultation with the channel owners, taking into account audience and editorial priorities.
Refer to your faculty intranet site or contact your Faculty Marketing and Communications representative for information on available external channels such as alumni and industry publications, social media channels and the University website.
Be aware, submissions are considered in consultation with the channel owners, taking into account audience and editorial priorities.
FindAPhD is an external scholarship website that advertises PhD scholarship opportunities to prospective HDR students. It is available for PhD scholarship opportunities that have a minimum 2-month application window.
Please read the process and costs for utilising this option before proceeding.
Face-to-face discussions with students to provide overview of available scholarships and information to find more details. These activations are for tier 1 scholarships only.
Contact your Sydney Future Student Liaison for support and more information.
Selecting the successful applicant(s) is done by either the Delegated Authority or a Selection Committee. Which option is required is always specified under “selection criteria” in the terms and conditions of the scholarship. All terms and conditions can be found on each scholarship page on the scholarship website
| Action | Responsibility | Time |
|---|---|---|
Selection Committee meeting date and time set up It is recommended that this meeting be set up when the scholarship opens. That way the time can be booked in committee members diaries well in advance. It is also recommended that the date of the selection committee meeting is approximately 7 - 10 days after the closing date of the scholarship. That gives committee members time to review the applications and then meet to make the decision. Note: A face-to-face meeting does not need to occur however it is recommended. Who should be included in the selection committee is usually included in the “selection criteria”. If membership of the selection committee is not specified in the terms and conditions, the selection committee should consist of the Head of Department of the relevant area, or their nominee and at least two other academics from the relevant area. If the scholarship terms and conditions state that the decision is to be made by a Delegated Authority (not a selection committee) then the Delegated Authority makes the decision on their own. This is usually the case when the decision is based solely on academic merit. |
University: Centrally funded and administered scholarships Faculty/School Administration: Faculty funded and administered scholarships
|
Meeting set prior or at the same time as the scholarship open date |
At the scholarship close date, all scholarship applications are assessed for eligibility, collated and sent to University/Faculty/School Administration. |
Scholarships Office |
1 - 5 working days after close date |
Scholarship applications sent to the Delegated Authority or all members of the selection committee. |
University/Faculty/School Administration |
Within 24 hours of receiving details from SO |
Delegated Authority or Selection Committee select successful and unsuccessful applicants and sends Ranking Memorandum back to University/Faculty/School Administration Criteria for determining successful applicants are included in the terms and conditions under “selection criteria” Delegated Authority or Selection Committee decisions are to be made no longer than four weeks after the scholarship close date in order to provide a response to the student in a timely manner. |
Delegated Authority or Selection Committee |
1 – 20 working days after close date |
Ranking Memorandum sent to Scholarship Office with successful applicants ranked in order of offer. |
Faculty/ School Administration |
1 working day |
Scholarships Office conducts random audit to ensure selection is consistent with relevant terms. Should discrepancy be found, the Scholarships Office will contact the chair of the committee to raise concerns.
|
Scholarship Office |
N/A |
| Scholarship offer letter sent to the successful applicant; applicants on the waitlist, ineligible applicants, and unsuccessful applicants | Scholarship Office |
1-3 working days |
Scholarship Office receive signed offer letters Note: If the top ranked applicant declines the scholarship, the offer is made to the next ranked applicant. |
Successful applicants |
1-7 working days |
Acceptance processed and saved to TRIM and payment made (if applicable). Note: One-off payments are made ASAP within the payment schedule as per the terms once acceptance letters are received. Annual scholarships payments for UG and PG CW are made within four weeks after each census date; PG Research stipend payments are made fortnightly via the payroll system by HDRAC. The Scholarship Office processes relevant payments for coursework students at agreed times (as per the terms and conditions). Payment is made using the RC and PC codes provided by University/Faculty/School Administration. Scholarship details are added to recipient’s transcript in Sydney Student |
Scholarship Office |
1-3 working days |
Waitlist applicants not awarded due to ranking status notified |
Scholarships Office |
1-7 days working days after signed letters of offer/s received |
Selecting the successful applicant(s) is based on defined information that is available from the admissions application i.e. academic merit. The Delegated Authority is responsible for making the final decision and a Selection Committee is not required.
| Action | Responsibility | Time |
|---|---|---|
At the scholarship close date, a list of all eligible students is collated based on admissions at that time and sent as a ranked list based on academic merit i.e. Reports available in Sydney Student, GPA to University/Faculty/School Administration. |
Scholarships Office, Sydney Future Student or Faculty Administration |
1 – 5 working days after close date |
The ranked list is shortlisted based on budget (number of scholarships to award) and a Ranking Memorandum is sent to the Delegated Authority to review/ approve Note: it is suggested to include two to three “next ranked” eligible students in the case that some students don’t accept the offer. |
University/Faculty/School Administration |
1-3 working days |
| Delegated Authority sends Ranking Memorandum back to University/Faculty/School Administration. | Delegated Authority |
1 –5 working days after close date |
Ranking Memorandum sent to Scholarships Office. |
University/Faculty/School Administration |
1 working day |
| Scholarships Office conducts random audit to ensure selection is consistent with relevant terms. Should discrepancy be found, the Scholarships Office will contact the chair of the committee to raise concerns. | Scholarship Office |
N/A |
Scholarship offer letter sent to the successful student |
Scholarship Office |
1-3 working days |
Scholarship Office receives signed offer letters Note: If the top ranked applicant declines the scholarship, the offer is made to the next ranked applicant. |
Successful applicants |
1-7 working days |
Acceptance processed and saved to TRIM and payment made (if applicable) Note: One off payments are made ASAP within the payment schedule as per the terms once acceptance letters are received. Annual scholarships payments for UG and PG CW are made within 4 weeks after each census date; PG Research stipend payments are made fortnightly via the payroll system by HDRAC. Scholarship Office processes relevant payments for coursework students at agreed times (as per the terms and conditions). Payment is made using the RC and PC codes provided by University/Facuty/School Administration. Scholarship details are added to recipient’s transcripts via Sydney Student. |
Scholarship Office |
1-3 working days |
FindAPhD is an external scholarship website that advertises PhD scholarship opportunities to prospective HDR students.
It is available for PhD scholarship opportunities that have a minimum 2 month application window.
Researchers interested in advertising with FindAPhD must complete this template (pdf, 33KB). Please provide as much information related to the scholarship opportunity as possible (i.e. scholarship name, affiliated-Faculty, supervisor details, eligibility, value, close date and URL linking directly to the scholarship).
Completed templates need to be submitted by email to [email protected]. Researchers will be contacted if further information related to your advertisement is required.
Please expect 5-8 working days from submission of template to advertisement going live on FindAPhD if no further information is required.
Each advertisement costs approximately $90 and lives on the FindAPhD website for an entire calendar year (or until opportunity has been filled, or close date reached).
Bulk purchasing of advertisements are also available at a reduced rate (but must be purchased as a single transaction). Please populate 1 template per scholarship opportunity and submit together.
A quote for total costings will be provided by FindAPhD for academics to confirm before any advertisement goes live.
Researchers will be emailed an invoice from FindAPhD once their advertisement has gone live. Invoices can be paid for through UniBuy.
The Scholarships Office manages University and faculty/University school prize administration. In accordance with the Student Recognition Awards Policy 2016, prizes are based on past performance and do not have any ongoing eligibility criteria.
Prizes are determined on an annual basis, with the process commencing in November and finishing with payment in April. The Scholarships Office performs eligibility checks and initial ranking, where possible.
Faculties and University schools will receive a prize nomination spreadsheet in order to make the final decision about who should receive a prize.
Note that any faculty or school prizes that require an application form should follow the scholarship processes.
The University provides approximately 500 domestic and international higher degree by research scholarships. The Scholarships are awarded by the Higher Degree by Research Scholarship Subcommittee (HDRSSC).
The scholarships offered comprise:
Applicants must submit a separate application for the scholarships through this form.
Applicants must have applied for admission or be currently enrolled to be considered. Where a successful applicant has yet to receive an admission offer, a scholarship offer would only be issued subject to HDRSSC’s approval.
The applications are initially ranked by the Scholarships Office, reviewed by faculties and then submitted to the HDRSSC for consideration.
Once a scholarship has been accepted, stipend payments are managed by the HDRAC.
Find out more about RTP Scholarships and related frequently asked questions.
Marketing and Communications manage the Scholarships website that includes details on all scholarships and prizes available. It also provides information on currently open scholarships.
Any requests for changes to the scholarships website must be made to the Scholarships Office who then request Marketing to make the change.
Faculties, University schools and the Development Office manage all relationships with donors and industry bodies.
Forms for faculties and University schools
Scholarship website
Danny Sun, Head of Scholarships
[email protected]
Paulina Garcia
[email protected]
Richard Prekodravac
Team Leader
[email protected]
💬Connect with us on MS Teams
Forms for faculties and University schools
Scholarship website
Danny Sun, Head of Scholarships
[email protected]
Paulina Garcia
[email protected]
Richard Prekodravac
Team Leader
[email protected]
💬Connect with us on MS Teams