Adelaide University Research Scholarship 2027: AUD 36,500

The Adelaide University Research Scholarship 2027 is the funding route for a fully funded PhD or Master of Philosophy in Australia. Adelaide University’s two research awards, the Adelaide University Research Scholarships (AURS) and the Research Training Program Scholarships (RTPS), pay a living stipend of AUD 36,500 a year plus a 100% tuition fee waiver for international graduate researchers, and they are open to Indian students.

The first date to note is close: the Expression of Interest window of the university’s Signature Research Theme scholarship round closes on 30 September 2026. The next window on the calendar is the Graduate Research Talent Scheme Round 1, which runs from 5 October to 2 November 2026.

Adelaide University Research Scholarship 2027 in Australia - AUD 36,500 stipend and full tuition fee waiver for PhD and MPhil students

Table of Contents

Adelaide University Research Scholarship 2027 (Australia)

Quick facts2026-27

Scholarship from	Adelaide University, Australia. The awards are the Adelaide University Research Scholarships (AURS) and the Research Training Program Scholarships (RTPS), listed on the research scholarships page of the Adelaide University Graduate Research School.
Study level	Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) research degrees. A Master of Research (MRes) is also offered at the university.
Who can apply	Domestic and international applicants. Indian students are eligible – the Conditions of Award define an eligible applicant as a domestic student or an overseas student eligible to enrol in an MPhil or PhD at Adelaide University.
What is covered	A living stipend of AUD 36,500 per annum (2026 rate, tax exempt for full-time students), a 100% tuition fee waiver for international graduate researchers, a relocation allowance of up to AUD 1,500 for international students and Overseas Student Health Cover for the duration of support.
Last date to apply	30 September 2026 – the closing date for Expressions of Interest in the Signature Research Theme (SRT) scholarship round, which is open to international applicants. The Graduate Research Talent Scheme Round 1 closes on 2 November 2026 at 5:00pm.
Official website	https://www.adelaide.edu.au/graduate-research/scholarships

Go to official website

What the Adelaide University Research Scholarship pays

The amounts below are from the official AURS & RTPS Conditions of Award 2026 document published by Adelaide University. The stipend is the same for domestic and international students; what changes is how the tuition fees are handled.

Benefit	Amount and duration
Living stipend	AUD 36,500 per annum, tax exempt, for a full-time graduate research student in 2026. A half-time student receives AUD 18,250 per annum, which is taxable.
Tuition fees	International graduate researchers with a major scholarship administered by the Graduate Research School receive a 100% tuition fee waiver – up to 4 years for a PhD, up to 2 years for an MPhil and up to 1.5 years for a Master of Research. Australian students receive the RTP Fees Offset instead, which removes their tuition fee liability.
Relocation allowance	Up to AUD 1,500 for an international graduate research student and up to AUD 1,000 for a domestic student, to contribute towards incoming travel and removal expenses.
Overseas Student Health Cover	A comprehensive single-policy OSHC for international graduate research students: up to 54 months for a PhD and up to 30 months for an MPhil. The cover starts two weeks before arrival.
Duration of support	MPhil: stipend and fee waiver up to 2 years. PhD: stipend up to 3 years and 6 months and fee waiver up to 4 years. PhD with an eligible research internship: stipend up to 3 years and 9 months.
Early submission allowance	A scholarship holder who submits the thesis before the stipend expiry date may receive an early submission allowance, capped at up to two months of stipend.

Adelaide University Research Scholarship 2027 rounds and dates

Adelaide University runs separate scholarship rounds, so a single application does not cover all of them. These are the dates published on the research scholarships page and the research projects page:

Round	Dates published by Adelaide University
Signature Research Theme (SRT) Scholarship Round	Expressions of Interest opened on 31 August 2026 and close on 30 September 2026. The round is for PhD and MPhil entry and is open to domestic and international applicants, with exceptions for some projects. Each project has its own Expression of Interest form.
Graduate Research Talent Scheme – Round 1	Open Monday 5 October to Monday 2 November 2026 at 5:00pm. It is for outstanding domestic applicants and international applicants who have completed a relevant Australian or New Zealand qualification.
Graduate Research Talent Scheme – Round 2	Mid-February 2027 through late March 2027.
Graduate Research Talent Scheme – Round 3	Mid-July 2027 through mid-August 2027.
Research degree applications	Adelaide University states that applications to study a research degree are open and can be submitted at any time of the year. Funded projects in the project round are listed only while the round is open, which the university says is October.

Who is eligible for the Adelaide University Research Scholarship

Citizenship: the Conditions of Award state that the applicant must be a domestic student or an overseas student eligible to enrol in an MPhil or PhD programme at Adelaide University. There is no nationality quota for the AURS and RTPS awards.
Course: you need an offer of admission, or be eligible for admission, to a Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy research degree at Adelaide University.
Other awards: an applicant must not be receiving an equivalent award or scholarship from the Commonwealth Government designed to offset higher degree by research fees.
Qualification completion for the SRT round: an international applicant located outside Australia must have completed the qualifying degree by 28 February 2027; an applicant located in Australia has until 31 March 2027.
English language: research degree applicants must meet the university’s English requirements. Adelaide University lists an overall IELTS (Academic) band score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in listening, reading, writing and speaking for most programmes (7.0 overall with 6.5 minimums for language rich disciplines).
Supervision: the application requires confirmation of supervision from your proposed supervisor, so the research fit matters as much as the grades.

How to apply for the Adelaide University Research Scholarship

The route depends on the round. For the project-based Signature Research Theme round the process is in two stages – an Expression of Interest first, then a formal application for admission and scholarship consideration.

Open the university’s Find a research project page and shortlist the funded projects listed in the current round. The advertised projects cover the five Signature Research Themes: Creative and Cultural; Defence and National Security; Food, Agriculture & Wine; Personal and Societal Health; and Sustainable Green Transition.
Prepare an enquiry pack for the project supervisor: academic transcripts, a structured CV using the university’s structured CV template, and English test results where they apply.
Submit one Expression of Interest per project through the form attached to that project page. The university states that the EOI form must be submitted by 30 September 2026 for the current round.
If your Expression of Interest is successful, you are invited to submit a formal application for admission and scholarship consideration.
Upload the supporting documents with the formal application: official academic transcripts and parchments (including the grading scheme), evidence of meeting the English language requirement where relevant, and confirmation of supervision from your proposed supervisor.
For the Graduate Research Talent Scheme round, apply directly through the research degree application between 5 October and 2 November 2026 (5:00pm) – there is no separate Expression of Interest stage for that round.

Applications to study a research degree are accepted at any time of the year, so a missed round is not the end of the process – but only applications submitted inside a round are assessed for a scholarship.

Documents needed for the Adelaide University application

Official academic transcripts and degree parchments from every institution attended, including the grading scheme.
A curriculum vitae built on the university’s structured CV template, which is the format supervisors use to assess project enquiries.
English language test results where they apply – IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT for Australia (the 0-120 format) or Cambridge C1 Advanced. The university accepts results from a registered test centre and states that scores are generally valid for two years.
Confirmation of supervision from your proposed supervisor for your research area.
A research proposal or project statement – for project rounds this is the Expression of Interest form attached to the advertised project.
Passport and visa documents, once an offer of admission is made.

Adelaide University Research Scholarship: frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions Indian applicants ask most often about this scholarship:

What is the last date to apply for the Adelaide University Research Scholarship?

For the current project round, the Expression of Interest form must be submitted by 30 September 2026. The Graduate Research Talent Scheme Round 1 closes on 2 November 2026 at 5:00pm, and Rounds 2 and 3 fall in February-March 2027 and July-August 2027. Research degree applications themselves are accepted all year, but a scholarship is only assessed inside a round.

How much is the Adelaide University Research Scholarship stipend?

AUD 36,500 per annum, tax exempt, for a full-time graduate research student, using the 2026 rate published in the AURS and RTPS Conditions of Award. A half-time student receives AUD 18,250 per annum, which is taxable.

Does the scholarship pay the tuition fees?

Yes. International graduate researchers holding a major scholarship administered by the Adelaide University Graduate Research School receive a 100% tuition fee waiver – up to 4 years for a PhD, 2 years for an MPhil and 1.5 years for a Master of Research. Australian students receive the RTP Fees Offset instead.

Can Indian students apply for the Adelaide University Research Scholarship?

Yes. The awards are open to domestic and international applicants, and the Conditions of Award define an eligible applicant as a domestic student or an overseas student eligible to enrol in an MPhil or PhD at Adelaide University. Some projects in the current round carry their own citizenship restrictions, so read the project description before you submit an Expression of Interest.

How long does the scholarship run?

MPhil: stipend and fee waiver up to 2 years. PhD: a stipend of up to 3 years and 6 months and a fee waiver of up to 4 years. A PhD with an eligible research internship gets a stipend of up to 3 years and 9 months. International PhD holders also get OSHC of up to 54 months and a relocation allowance of up to AUD 1,500.

What are the English language requirements for the Adelaide University scholarship?

Adelaide University lists an overall IELTS (Academic) band score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in listening, reading, writing and speaking for most programmes. Language rich disciplines such as Education, Language and Literature, and Communication and Media Studies require 7.0 overall with 6.5 minimums. Test results are generally valid for two years and must come from a registered test centre.

Do I need a supervisor before applying?

Yes. The application checklist includes confirmation of supervision from your proposed supervisor. In the project-based round the supervisor is named on the advertised project, which is why the university asks for a structured CV and transcripts before the Expression of Interest.

Official links

If you are comparing research funding abroad, see study abroad scholarships, international scholarships, post graduation scholarships and fellowships.

Adelaide University Research Scholarship 2027: AUD 36,500 Stipend, Full Fee Waiver for PhD and MPhil