Scholarships
Conditions & Regulations
Forms & Guidelines
Contacts
Scholarships Committee
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I apply?All applicants (current UWA students and prospective students) need to apply through the online iATHENA scholarship system, accessed through links from this page and from the UWA Postgraduate Scholarships website. We do not use hard-copy application forms - all applications are online. FAXED OR EMAILED APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED Orignal or certified/notarised true copies of supporting documents should be scanned and submitted with the online application through the iAthena sytem, and certified true copies or originals of the documentation sent by mail to: Graduate Research and Scholarships Office FAXED OR EMAILED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Do not send your documentation to any other address. Do not send your documentation to your School or to the UWA International Centre if you wish it to be included in the assessment of your scholarship application. 2. Am I eligible to apply for the IPRS/SIRF or International Research Fee Scholarships for China (IRFSCs - China SIRF Scholarships) or India SIRF Scholarships?Anyone who is eligible to enrol in a full-time postgraduate research degree on-campus at The University of Western Australia is eligible to apply for the Scholarships providing they satisfy all other criteria. To apply for a International Research Fee Scholarships for China you must be currently residing in the People’s Republic of China. To apply for an India SIRF Scholarship you must be an Indian citizen. 3. I am currently studying as a full-fee International student at UWA. Can I apply for these Scholarships?Current full-fee paying International, honours or postgraduate coursework students are able to apply for an IPRS, SIRF and India SIRF scholarships but not the International Research Fee Scholarships for China. You can apply for the IPRS if you have already commenced the degree for which you are seeking an award if you can establish that you were unable to apply for an award in the previous calendar year or in the previous round of applications. Students who have already enrolled are eligible for the SIRF awards. If you are already enrolled at UWA you are not eligible to apply for a International Research Fee Scholarships for China. You must be a current resident of China to apply for International Research Fee Scholarships for China. Therefore any Chinese citizens currently enrolled and studying on campus at UWA are NOT eligible to apply for a China Scholarship. 4. Can I apply for an IPRS/SIRF/China or other international postgraduate research scholarship to study a postgraduate coursework degree at UWA?No. The IPRS/SIRF and International Research Fee Scholarships for China and and India SIRF Scholarships are not available for degrees other than Research degrees. Do not use this form if you wish to apply for another type of degree. You can download the application form for coursework degrees from http://www.international.uwa.edu.au/postgraduate/apply. 5. What is the Closing Date for online applications?Online applications close on the date specified on the International Scholarships webpage. 6. What citizenship do I require to apply for an IPRS or SIRF Scholarship?You are eligible to apply for an IPRS or SIRF Scholarship if you are a citizen of an overseas country, excluding New Zealand. You must not be a holder of a Permanent Residency Visa for Australia. 7. What citizenship do I require to apply for an International Research Fee Scholarships for China?You are eligible to apply for a International Research Fee Scholarships for China if you are a citizen of the People’s Republic of China. 8. I do not have a passport. Is this a problem?You need to be eligible to have a passport, and you will need a passport to apply for a student visa. It is not essential that you have a passport at the time of submitting your application for a scholarship in iAthena. 9. When do I have to show English Proficiency?English Proficiency tests must be completed by the closing date for the submision of supporting documentation for the applicable scholarship and the required standards met or exceeded. Closing dates can be found on the International Scholarships webpage. 10. What are the English Proficiency standards for IPRS/SIRF/China/India Scholarship applicants?
* Please note that if you do not meet the required English proficiency standards as set out in the above table by the scholarship application closing date, YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR A SCHOLARSHIP AND YOUR APPLICATION WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO CLAIM YOU HAVE UNDERTAKEN ALL OR PART OF YOUR STUDY IN ENGLISH - YOU MUST PROVIDE QUANTITATIVE EVIDENCE. *Please note also that any English proficiency test results must be less than 2 years old. 11. What are the English Proficiency standards for International Research Fee Scholarships for China applicants and the India SIRF Scholarships?Applicants for the China Scholarship and for the India Scholarship must have completed a recognised English language proficiency test as per the table of minimum results in question 10. above. 12. What if I am unable to complete an English Proficiency test by the scholarship closing date?There will usually be more than one round for IPRS/SIRF and International Research Fee Scholarships for China each year. It is recommended that you apply for the Scholarships in the next round. You will not be eligible for this round of the IPRS/SIRF or China Scholarships or the India SIRF Scholarships if you have not met the English Proficiency standards by the scholarship supplementary documentation submission deadline. 13. Where is the closest English Proficiency test office to me?Help can be found on the following web sites for this information 14. How recent does my English Proficiency test have to be?Your English Proficiency score must have been obtained within the two years prior to the scholarship closing date. 15. My last English test was more than two years ago. Do I have to sit another test?YES. English Language test results must have been obtained within the last two years. 16. What if I went to school in Australia, United Kingdom, USA, Canada or Ireland? Do I still need to provide proof of English Proficiency?At UWA we ask for proof of English competency for British, American, Canadian or Irish citizens in the same way that we ask for proof of English competency from all Australian citizens when they enter UWA as undergraduates - or as postgraduates (if they have not done their undergraduate study at UWA or a recognised Australian University). An Australian citizen, British, American, Canadian or Irish citizen could come from a non-English speaking background (or an English-speaking background but still not be competent) hence the need to check competency. A British, American, Canadian or Irish citizen, like an Australian citizen does not have to complete IELTS or TOEFL - rather if they have attended a recognised University in Britain, the USA, Canada or Ireland, they can use the proof of English competency that they used to get into the University. This is usually their Year 12/ TEE/ final year of high school equivalent passing grades in English. 17. What academic qualifications would make me ineligible to apply for an IPRS/SIRF/China/India Scholarship?To apply for a scholarship for PhD study you must not hold a Doctorate by research degree deemed the equivalent of an Australian Doctorate by research degree. To apply for a scholarship for Masters by Research degree study you must not hold an equivalent Masters degree or Doctorate by research degree. 18. What academic qualifications do I need to apply for an IPRS/SIRF/China/India Scholarship?You must hold a degree from a recognised University, normally of at least First Class Honours standard or its equivalent. You will not be eligible for this round of the IPRS/SIRF or China Scholarship if you have not completed your studies and received your results by the scholarship closing date. 19. What if I don’t know who will supervise my research?It is essential that you contact the School and the prospective supervisor at The University of Western Australia regarding your proposed research. You need to confirm that the School at UWA can provide appropriate facilities and resources for your proposed research. Additionally you must confirm that the prospective supervisor is willing to provide supervision for your proposed research. If you do not have confirmation of the above, your application may be deemed ineligible. 20. Who should my referees be?You should select two referees. Referees must not be family members. In general, a referee should be someone who has the qualifications and expertise to provide informed personal and professional comment on your research potential and academic ability. You need to tell your referees that you are applying for this scholarship and brief them so that they understand what is required of them. You need to supply only one current email address for each referee. Before you enter this email address you must check that it is working. We do not follow-up when referees do not provide a report - this is the applicant's responsibility. 21. What are referees asked to do?As soon as you submit your application your referees will be contacted by email by the Graduate Research and Scholarships Office. They will be asked to complete and submit an electronic referee report online on your behalf. If they are unable to submit an online reference, please contact our office at internationalscholarships@uwa.edu.au for assistance. 22. Do I have to do anything other than nominating my two referees?YES. After you have submitted your application you must check back with your two referees to see if they have submitted their reports. If they have not submitted their reports you need to encourage them to submit their report as soon as possible. If they do not receive an email from our office within 48 hours of submission of your application, please advise our office. The University of Western Australia will not contact referees to remind them to submit their report if they do not submit one. Your application will be assessed without referee reports if these are not submitted. Referees reports are considered when awarding scholarships and an applicant who does not have any referee reports or only one report will be disadvantaged in the selection process. 23. What do I do with my supporting documents?You should scan the certified/notarised true copies of your documents into your online application. Online applications with the attached scanned documents must be submitted online by the scholarship closing date. You should then send the certified/notarised true copies or originals of your documents to the following address: We will accept the certified/notarised copies of your documents through the mail up to two weeks after the scholarship closing date (unless specified otherwise on the individual scholarship information pages). Do not send your documents to any address other than the above. Do not send them to your School or to the UWA International Centre. Do not forget to include a signed copy of your Application Confirmation form that is generated in iAthena when you submit your application - if you do not submit a signed and dated original Application Confirmation form, your application will not be assessed.. FAXED OR EMAILED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. 24. What if I don’t have a scanner?If you do not have access to a scanner, please note this on your Application Confirmation page and attach certified/notarised copies or originals of all documents. The Graduate Research and Scholarships Office will scan your documents on your behalf and upload them into your application. 25. What if I am unable to supply all supporting documents by the given date? Can I submit them after this date?NO. All required documentation must be received within two weeks after the scholarship closing date. No documentation will be accepted after this date. Incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered by the selection panel. 26. If I was awarded a scholarship when would I have to commence study?Applicants awarded an IPRS or SIRF scholarship are expected to commence within approximately 6 months of being awarded their scholarship. That is, they should commence during the following semester at UWA. China Scholarship recipients must commence study within 12 months of being awarded their scholarship. All scholarship holders must study full-time, on-campus. 27. Can I defer my award?NO. The Scholarship and candidature must be taken up in the year for which it is awarded. 28. What are my chances of receiving an award?IPRS/SIRF and China and India Scholarship awards are merit-based and very competitive. You need to ensure you meet all the eligibility requirements, complete the online application form correctly and submit it by the scholarship closing date. ALL required supporting documentation must be forwarded to the Graduate Research and Scholarships office within two weeks after the scholarship closing date. 29. Will I be notified of the outcome of my application?All applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application within three months after the scholarship closing date. The notification will be by email. 30. I have submitted my application and I want to change it or add some new information. How do I do this?You cannot change your application once it has been submitted. You need to contact the Graduate Research and Scholarships Office for help. Email internationalscholarships@uwa.edu.au |
