Scholarships for Indian Students to Study in Australia

Australia has plenty to offer its international students. Stunning landscapes, vibrant communities, a multicultural environment, and, crucially, world-class universities and flexible post-study opportunities are just a few of these perks. As Australia springs back from travel restrictions post-pandemic and steadily welcomes back international students, Indian students are ahead of the pack. 2022 estimates show that Indians make up the largest proportion of Australia’s international student population! Between November 2021 and March 2022, over 15,000 Australian student visas got the greenlight. And more than 25,000 flew over to the Land of Oz to kick off their study abroad adventures! If you’d put your dreams of studying in Australia on hold, now is the time to get them back on track. Here are some excellent scholarships for Indian students to study in Australia to get you going!

Australian Scholarships for Indian Students

Usually, the hardest part of starting a scholarship search is just that - getting started. You’ll likely have seen the names of the most popular and sought-after scholarships on offer for international students. There’s a reason they’re popular - they likely offer massive benefits to awardees, like full tuition coverage and living cost stipends. But remember, these aren’t the only scholarships you should be looking at. The more popular the award, the more competitive the application process for it. On the other hand, Australian universities and other organisations offer dozens of other scholarships you might have a better chance of securing! And several of these can make all the difference to the award recipient’s study abroad opportunities!

You can narrow your scholarship search down by filtering through the following categories:

• Scholarships by Australian universities for international students
• Program-specific scholarships by Australian universities
• Scholarships by study level at Australian universities
• Country-specific scholarships from Australian universities
• Scholarships from external organisations

Australian University Scholarships for International Students

A big reason Australia is such a popular destination for people aiming to study abroad is how welcoming its universities are! Diversity is an important consideration for most of Australia’s universities. Plenty have large fractions of their student populations composed of students from other countries! And one way they encourage this diversity is through attractive scholarships set aside specifically for international students.

Take a look at the variety of scholarships Australian universities reserve for international students:

This list is nowhere near the only scholarships available for international students in Australia. Consider the list a sample of the types of options available! Generally, universities have several options for their incoming international students. You may have to prepare separate applications for specific scholarships. For others, universities may consider you for the award automatically when you apply to the university as a prospective student. Some may consider every applicant for scholarships, while others set aside scholarships for students from eligible countries and courses, as we’ll see in a bit.

If you’re a strong academic performer, look into merit-based scholarships rewarding academic excellence! If you have plenty of leadership experience, search for awards that universities offer for the promising leaders of tomorrow. Looking into the terms and conditions of scholarships can help you narrow down the right options for you!

Scholarships by Subject at Australian Universities

Among the variety of scholarships Australian universities offer, you’ll typically find options aiming for most if not all international students for the majority of programs and study levels. If you check off every item of the eligibility requirements, these are excellent scholarship opportunities to try out!

We do have to disclaim that since they’re broad scholarships for all international students, they’re likely to be more competitive. It’s a good idea to look into the more specific scholarships Australian universities offer too! One way of securing an ideal scholarship is to consider the options available specific to your area of study.

Below, you’ll find a range of subject-specific scholarships offered by Australian universities!

Again, this is by no means a complete list - which is great news in our opinion. Consider this a small glimpse into the range of subject-specific scholarships you can find at your dream Australian university! Look into the scholarship options offered by your faculty and for your course - you might strike gold.

Scholarships by Study Level

Another dimension of your scholarship search can include awards by study level! Some universities offer international student scholarships that cover both undergraduate and postgraduate study. Others have distinct options available by study level. For example, you might find different scholarship options depending on whether you’re doing a Master’s by Research program, compared to a Master’s by Coursework option!

Along with general scholarships by study level, universities sometimes offer more specific options too. You may qualify for a scholarship at graduate level for your specific area of study, for example. You might even find a scholarship at your chosen study level catered to your country of citizenship. It’s important to remember the various categories we break scholarships down into often overlap! So look out for the ones that overlap to check off your particular requirements. We have a few examples below!

Country-Specific Scholarships

The numbers speak for themselves - with Indian students making up the largest proportion of international students in Australia, it goes without saying the Land of Oz is a welcome destination for Indian students. It’s also not surprising, then, that several Australian universities offer scholarships specifically for Indian students!

Here are a few examples:

These are great opportunities for Indian students to secure their dream Australian university degree. After all, these opportunities are there specifically to welcome you into these universities’ communities!

External Scholarships

If you’re pleasantly surprised by the slew of scholarship options universities offer, here’s something to make that even better. Universities aren’t your only source of scholarships! External organisations, including the Australian government, your home country’s government, private organisations, NGOs, and may also be your answer to scholarships for Indian students to study in Australia. Below we’re outlining two major scholarships offered by the Australian government for international students:

Consider the opportunities your local institutions offer for Indian students planning to study abroad! You can connect with a UniSearch counsellor to run through funding options available in your region.

When Applying for Australian University Scholarships

This goes for scholarship applications in general, but alongside finding the best scholarship, you can boost your chances of success by sticking to some scholarship best practices.

Read the Fine Print

For each scholarship you consider, read the terms and conditions carefully. How many scholarships are on offer every year? Do they require a separate application, or are you automatically considered as soon as you apply to the university? Is there a deadline for the scholarship application? And this is an important one - are you eligible for the scholarship? For example, some scholarships, like the International Student Award by the University of Western Australia, are for eligible students from specific countries. What are these specific countries and is your country among them?

Reading the fine print helps you:

• Focus your search on scholarships you have the highest chances of securing
• Avoid spending time on scholarships you have zero or lower chances of securing
• Know about and prepare everything you need for a strong scholarship application

Start Early

Plenty of scholarships roll out on a first-come-first-serve basis. And this means that even if your application is excellent, someone else may already have nabbed the award you were hoping for because yours came in a little too late.

Just as applying for your dream program takes some time and planning, so do your scholarships. Begin up to a year in advance looking into funding options to help you stay ahead! This also gives you more time to prepare a really great application for those scholarships that do need separate applications.

Higher academic achievements, rich history in extracurricular activities, relevant work opportunities, and fantastic English proficiency test scores - these are great for both your university application as well as your scholarship application. Remember, plenty of universities automatically consider you for a scholarship as soon as you apply to that institution. Strong academic and/or extracurricular performance can greatly boost your chances for a merit scholarship! And having that extra time lets you work on strengthening parts of your application package. For example, an early start means more time to practice for English proficiency tests and secure a better score!

For scholarships that require separate applications, this also gives you time to carefully fulfil the eligibility requirements for each award. Keep an eye on the deadlines too - don’t leave your application waiting until the last minute.

Don’t Dismiss the Smaller Awards

It’s natural to want the biggest and the best scholarships out there for yourself. The catch here is that all your other fellow applicants are doing the same. The race is stiff (though not impossible). Nonetheless, we recommend not putting all your eggs in the same basket. As you can see in our lists of scholarships above, Australian universities have plenty of variety in their award schemes. Even reductions of 25% in your tuition fees can be a great help in managing the financial cost of studying abroad.

So, keep your options open when considering scholarships for Indian students to study in Australia. Look into whether the scholarships you’re targeting let you apply for other award opportunities too. You might be able to add up the coverage you get from more than one scholarship to make things easier on your bank account.

Plus, lots of universities offer opportunities for students to qualify for scholarships as current students. This means that you can still continue to seek and apply for funding after getting an acceptance into your chosen university. By meeting the right conditions - for example, keeping up a high GPA - you can aim for funding options available specifically for continuing students. So, don’t worry if you’re not able to secure a fantastic scholarship right off the bat. There will be other opportunities to consider once you get admission too!

Create a Complete Application

Now, this may sound repetitive, but we’re only repeating ourselves because this is an important point. Universities receive hundreds of scholarship applications every year. To boost your own chances of receiving one, you need to stand out from the slew of incoming applications. And the most fool-proof way of doing this is crafting yourself an excellent application.

Make sure your documentation, statements of intent, portfolios, and so on are flawless. Reach out to your best teachers and professors, the ones who recognise your abilities and potential and feel invested in your academic success, for your letters of reference. Work on perfecting any written pieces you need to submit as part of your application, with the help of a teacher, counsellor, and/or friends and family. Even ensuring that the formatting and structuring of your resume are immaculate can help you create a better impression on admissions officers. Your university should be able to look at your application and think that you’d be a wonderful addition to their community.

Now this may sound like a lot of work - and well, if you want to pin that scholarship down, it is. But at the end of the day, when you are studying for your dream degree at a fraction of the full price, it’ll all be worth it.

Frequently Asked Questions? (FAQs)

How can Indian students get a scholarship to study in Australia?

Australian universities set aside multiple scholarships specifically for international students, and unless otherwise stated, this includes Indian students! Some universities offer specific awards exclusively for Indian students too. Below are just a couple of such scholarships:

• Deakin India Merit Scholarship 25% (Deakin University)
• India Future of Change Scholarship (University of New South Wales)
• India Global Leaders Scholarship (University of Queensland)
• Sydney International Student Award - India (University of Sydney)
• ANU-Study Canberra India Scholarship (Australian National University)

How can I study in Australia for free as an Indian student?

Realistically, studying in Australia completely for free isn’t always a feasible plan of action. This doesn’t mean there aren’t fully-funded scholarships available, though! Depending on your scholarship provider (and your program and study level) you may be able to fully fund your studies with the help of an award. Since these scholarship packages are so attractive, however, they are also the most competitive. This means that you’ll be in the race with several other strong contenders vying for a limited number of scholarships.

But we’re not saying this to scare you off or discourage you. The key takeaway we want you to have from this is simple - fully-funded scholarships aren’t the only options you have! Universities often offer generous partial scholarships too. Reductions of 15, 25, or even 50% can make a huge difference to how affordable your overseas degree is.

So while you may not be able to study in Australia completely for free, there are plenty of scholarships that offer you the next best thing!

Concluding Thoughts

Travel restrictions may not have been the only barrier stopping you from studying in Australia. After all, the price tag of studying abroad isn’t something to laugh at. But hopefully, our breakdown of the dozens of scholarships for Indian students to study in Australia has convinced you that your study abroad dreams are still within your reach. Being thorough and researching as much as you can may take time and effort, but it pays off when you secure a study abroad opportunity at a much more manageable cost.