Australia is currently the third most popular country for international students to study. The country is becoming more popular day by day as a study destination due to safe cities, relatively low costs, and quality education. In this article, you are going to learn about a renowned government scholarship of Australia and feasible 10 tips to win.
According to the 2019 statistics, approximately 720,150 international students are studying in the country. Expert teachers and qualified scholars from all over the world come to work here. Therefore, many Australian universities have high-quality research opportunities in various branches of science and humanities. In order to improve this standard of research, the Australian government and universities provide a large number of scholarships for higher education.
The opportunity to study with scholarships in Australia is the greater extent to Masters and Ph.D. level. These scholarships are likely to be available if you have a good research proposal and previous research experience. The website of each university contains details and conditions for these scholarships. However, university tuition fee waivers are available through scholarships, which may decrease a huge expense for global students.
Some of these scholarships include the Australian Government Scholarship, which allows students to study at the university of their choice. Notable among the Australian Government Scholarships are the Australia Awards Scholarships, Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship, New Colombo Plan Scholarship Program, John Allwright Fellowships in Australia, and the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS).
Apart from these government scholarships, many universities also offer scholarships directly to global students. For instance, University of Sydney International Research Scholarship, Macquarie University International Scholarship, University of Melbourne Graduate Research Scholarship, Adelaide Scholarship International, Flinders International Postgraduate Scholarship, etc.
About the Award
Among the above-mentioned government scholarships, Australia Award Scholarship is the most popular around the world. The Australian government in 1980 introduced the Australia Award Scholarship to cater for graduates across different classification. For example, those who have strength in other areas likewise study. Moreover, the scholarship does not pay much emphasis on CGPA. Leadership skill is one of the vital eligibilities to win this award.
Host Institution
This scholarship administered through the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Department of Education and Training, and Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
Target Countries
Any developing country.
Aim of the scholarship
To contribute to the long-term development needs of Australia’s partner countries. Talented people from these countries come to Australia, get exposure to high-quality education, and get some valuable experience then go back to their own country. Consequently, contribute to the development of their country.
Level of Study
Under this scholarship, there is an opportunity to study not only at the Masters or Ph.D. level but also at the undergraduate level. Through this scholarship students get the opportunity to study at designated universities or government TAFE (Technical and Further Education) institutes of Australia.
Amenities
The value of the scholarship is about 30,000 AUD per year for living expenses. Among the government scholarships offered to foreign students, the Australian Awards Scholarship offers the most facilities. Firstly, It is a fully-funded scholarship. In addition to tuition fee waivers, students receive round-trip air tickets, supplementary support every 6 months, health insurance, and one-time start-up costs.
Check your eligibility and know the entire application process from here.
Tips to Win
Get a job after graduation
Though the Australia Award Scholarship may not require the highest CGPA, certainly requires you have an impressive CV. Start early and build your portfolio. Part of the requirement for the scholarship is that you be employed in a relevant field you wish to study at the time of applying for the scholarship. Expected to have a minimum of two years experience in that profession. after graduating get a job in a field you would like to further your studies in. This way you can meet one of the primary requirements ticked off your list.
Follow the guidelines set for your country
There are different guidelines laid down for applicants from different countries. For instance, there are courses available to citizens of a country while unavailable for citizens of another. Go through the scholarship website and find out specific guidelines for your country and follow those to apply. Likewise, apply for courses that are unique to the development of your homeland. That will be an added advantage.
Choose institutions that are recognized by the scholarship
Keep in mind however that not all the institutions in Australia are participants in the Australia Award Scholarship. Take your time and go through the available universities on offer and apply to one of them. Applicants applying for this award, should apply as their first master’s degree. The scholarships are awarded for a two-year Master’s degree research programme. Therefore, candidates would have already known what course to apply for as well as how to get admitted in their dream Masters degree course.
Choose the category available to your country
Australia Award Scholarship has two categories; Australian Awards Scholarships for Masters to undertake higher degree studies in Australia at Masters level and Australia Awards Scholarships for short courses, to undertake short-term, targeted professional training courses in Australia or in your home country, in a range of development-focused sectors. Not all African countries are eligible for both. For example, citizens of Ethiopia can apply only for the short courses. So, choose the category accordingly that you are eligible for and apply.
Submit online
Applicants may submit either an online application or via hard copy. It is best to submit online. Besides, the countless things that could go wrong while your application is in the mail, by submitting online, you immediately get confirmation on whether or not your application was received or not. By mail, some of your documents could get missing or your application may even reach the destination after the deadline has passed.
Your work experience could be key
In your application, it is important that you elaborate on your professional life and work experience. They matter a lot. In addition, being currently employed in a relevant field, applicants for the scholarship who also possess relevant post-graduate work experience stand a better chance of getting the award. This probably is because the award administrators believe those with relevant work experience would be able to assimilate better and come up with tangible research work that will add value to their chosen profession. As much as possible talk about the jobs you have worked on and your current job and how the experience you have gathered would be invaluable to your education going forward.
Use legitimate documents
The Australian Government takes a zero-tolerance approach to fraud. Education qualifications of short-listed candidates will be verified with the issuing authority. Documents deemed to be fraudulent will make the application ineligible for further consideration and the applicant will be barred from applying for this scholarship in future rounds. If supporting documentation not provided, your application will be incomplete. However, certified documents may require while the interview.
Demonstrate that you have a vision
It is perhaps most important that candidates applying for this scholarship should demonstrate a clear vision of how the knowledge gained through the scholarship will be utilized to improve policy, practice, or reform in their own country. This is done within the applicant’s personal statement. Your personal statement is one of the most significant parts of your application. Write something appealing and inspirational vision so that you can win the scholarship.
Highlight personal skills
Expose your leadership qualities. For example, describe where you have solved a problem or implement a change in your workplace or community. You can also highlight in detail relevant work experience and show how your career has progressed. Uphold the key points on how you have contributed to your workplace. Although your IELTS would be a better judge of how good you are at English that you also can include it in your application.
Your application should be concise and error-free
Your application can be rich in information and still be short. Do not write pages after pages of essays and letters that may not be required. Keep it simple and concise. Take your time and go through the application multiple times and weed out typographical errors that may have escaped your eyes the first time. Once you have done all your steps with your application, submit it before the deadline and hope for the best.
Do you have experience applying for the Australia Award Scholarship? Please share any of your valuable opinions if I have missed mentioning them. If you want to know more scholarship information about Australia or other countries, now it is high time to check out those from here. Your success matters. Best of luck!
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