Graduate Research Scholarships Procedure

1. Purpose

1.1 The Graduate Research Scholarships Procedure (the procedure) is designed to ensure that UTS-administered graduate research scholarships, including Research Training Program (RTP) scholarships, are managed in compliance with the Higher Education Support (Commonwealth Scholarships) Guidelines 2025, including all conditions relating to eligibility, duration, use of funds and administration.

1.2 This procedure must be read in conjunction with the Scholarships and Prizes Policy, any applicable Commonwealth legislation and/or external funding rules. Where there is any inconsistency, Commonwealth requirements prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to:

1. all graduate research scholarships administered by UTS, including Australian Government RTP scholarships
2. domestic and international graduate research students (doctoral degree or masters degree (research)) who receive UTS-administered graduate research scholarships, including tuition fee support, a living stipend and associated allowances, and
3. staff and affiliates involved in the supervision, training, management and administration of students who receive UTS-administered graduate research scholarships.

2.2 Higher doctorate students are not eligible for scholarship funding.

3. Principles

3.1 The principles outlined in the Scholarships and Prizes Policy apply for this procedure. 

3.2 UTS-administered graduate research scholarships are administered in a manner that ensures compliance with all applicable external funding requirements, including the Higher Education Support (Commonwealth Scholarships) Guidelines 2025, and supports transparency, equity and accountability in scholarship allocation.

3.3 UTS will ensure that graduate research students in receipt of UTS‑administered scholarships, including RTP scholarships, are provided with appropriate supervision, facilities and research infrastructure consistent with university policies and relevant external requirements.
 

4. Procedure statements

Scholarship administration

4.1 UTS administers graduate research scholarships to support research training, research excellence, student success and equity objectives. UTS has the following graduate research scholarships.

1. Australian Government RTP scholarships, including tuition fee offsets, stipends and allowances.
2. UTS-funded central scholarships, including domestic and international stipend scholarships and tuition fee scholarships.
3. Faculty, school, institute and centre scholarships where UTS administers the award.
4. Strategic, equity, industry-partnered or donor-funded scholarships where UTS administers the conditions, payments or candidature-related processes.

4.2 The Graduate Research School is responsible for administering university-wide graduate research scholarship processes, including publication of scholarship application rounds, confirmation of eligibility, issue of scholarship offers, maintenance of scholarship terms and conditions, payments administration and advice to students and staff. Faculties, schools, institutes and centres may manage discipline-specific or restricted scholarship selection processes, but must do so in line with this procedure and any scholarship terms and conditions.

4.3 The scholarship terms and conditions operate with this procedure and relevant UTS rules, policies and procedures.

4.4 UTS will publish information about graduate research scholarships, including RTP scholarships, in accordance with Commonwealth requirements. This includes information on scholarship availability, selection processes and applicable conditions.

Application and selection

4.5 Scholarship application processes will be published by UTS. Students may apply for graduate research scholarships in conjunction with candidature application or, where permitted by the scholarship conditions, while already enrolled. Only complete applications received by the published scholarship deadline will be considered.

4.6 UTS-administered graduate research scholarships are awarded through a merit-based and competitive process, having regard to academic achievement, research potential, alignment to scholarship purpose, available funding and, where relevant, equity or strategic criteria published for the scholarship. Selection processes for UTS-administered graduate research scholarships, including RTP scholarships, will:

1. be based on clearly defined and documented criteria
2. include a transparent and auditable ranking process, and
3. be approved through appropriate governance mechanisms in accordance with the Delegations.

4.7 The selection for graduate research scholarships will be done at the Graduate Research Scholarship Central Ranking Meeting unless otherwise delegated.

4.8 Successful applicants will receive a written confirmation of scholarship and details of the scholarship terms and conditions.

Scholarship benefits and duration

4.9 UTS-administered graduate research scholarships may provide one or more of the following benefits, depending on the scholarship type and published terms and conditions:

1. tuition fee scholarship or tuition fee offsets
2. living allowance stipends
3. allowances for relocation, thesis production, overseas student health cover or other approved ancillary costs
4. other benefits or conditions specified in the scholarship offer or published terms and conditions.

4.10 For RTP scholarships, the types of support provided (tuition fee offsets, stipends and allowances) must align with Commonwealth requirements. These funds may only be used for the purposes permitted under the Higher Education Support (Commonwealth Scholarships) Guidelines 2025.

4.11 Scholarship value, duration, payment arrangements and detailed eligibility conditions are determined by the applicable scholarship scheme, available funding and the student's written offer. Unless otherwise specified in the scholarship terms and conditions, standard scholarship duration, subject to ongoing eligibility, will be:

1. 3 years and 6 months for doctoral study (full-time equivalent), or
2. 2 years for masters degree (research) study (full-time equivalent).

4.12 Current scholarship rates, standard inclusions and scholarship-specific conditions may be published by the Graduate Research School or specified in the scholarship offer. Where there is inconsistency between general information and the student's formal offer, the formal offer and any applicable external funding rules will prevail.

Transfers

4.13 A student transferring to UTS from another higher education provider may be considered for a UTS-administered graduate research scholarship, including an RTP scholarship where permitted, subject to eligibility and available funding. Where the student has previously held an RTP scholarship, prior periods of RTP support will be counted towards the maximum RTP period of support.

4.14 A student transferring from UTS to another higher education provider ceases to hold a UTS-administered scholarship on withdrawal from the UTS graduate research course.

4.15 Where a student changes between HDR award levels, or otherwise varies candidature, the scholarship may be continued, varied, reduced or ended in accordance with the applicable scholarship conditions, the revised candidature status and any relevant external funding rules.

Leave and variations

4.16 Scholarship holders may access leave and apply for changes to study load, commencement, suspension or other candidature variations in accordance with UTS rules, policies, procedures and the applicable scholarship terms and conditions.

4.17 Approved leave or suspension may affect scholarship payments, scholarship duration or both. Scholarships will not ordinarily be extended beyond their maximum duration except where extension is expressly permitted under the scholarship terms and conditions or required by applicable law or external funding rules.

4.18 Detailed leave entitlements, including any paid leave available under particular stipend scholarships, are set out in the relevant scholarship terms and conditions and must be read together with applicable UTS candidature requirements.

Continuation, suspension and termination

4.19 Continuation of a UTS-administered graduate research scholarship is subject to the student remaining enrolled, meeting scholarship-specific eligibility requirements, complying with applicable UTS rules, policies and procedures, and maintaining satisfactory progress.

4.20 A scholarship may be suspended where candidature is suspended, where the student is on an approved period of leave without scholarship benefits, or where suspension is otherwise required under the scholarship terms and conditions, external funding rules or university processes.

4.21 A scholarship may be terminated if the student ceases to be eligible, withdraws, is discontinued, exhausts the maximum scholarship duration, fails to satisfy scholarship conditions, provides materially inaccurate information, or otherwise triggers a termination ground in the scholarship terms and conditions or applicable external funding rules.

4.22 Participation in internships, placements or outside work may affect scholarship eligibility or payment arrangements where this is provided for in the scholarship terms and conditions or external funding rules. Students are responsible for obtaining approval where required and for ensuring compliance with any visa conditions.

Acknowledgements

4.23 The Higher Education Support (Commonwealth Scholarships) Guidelines 2025 require that the Commonwealth's contribution be acknowledged by RTP scholarship supported students, their supervisors or any other parties that produce or publish materials (including their thesis, books, articles, newsletters or other literary or artistic works) related to or generated through the graduate research project.

4.24 RTP scholarship supported students (including those receiving only the domestic RTP tuition offset) must include the Department of Education’s digital object identifier (DOI) in their acknowledgment of RTP funding for any material produced through their RTP supported study, including their thesis, by including the following words: ‘This research was supported by the Commonwealth through an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship [DOI: https://doi.org/10.82133/C42F-K220].’

4.25 RTP scholarship supported students that have an Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) profile are also required to include the DOI in their profile. There is no requirement for RTP scholarship supported students who do not already have an ORCID profile to create one. Refer to Department of Education: Research Training Program for guidance on acknowledgement of RTP funding.

4.26 Students who receive other UTS-administered graduate research scholarships must acknowledge the relevant funder or scholarship support where this is required by the scholarship terms and conditions or funding agreement.

Records management

4.27 UTS will maintain appropriate records of all scholarship processes to demonstrate compliance with Commonwealth requirements.

5. Roles and responsibilities

5.1 Procedure owner: The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Higher Degree by Research) is responsible for procedure enforcement and compliance, ensuring that its principles and statements are observed. 

5.2 Procedure contact: The Director, Graduate Research School is responsible for the currency and accuracy of this procedure and for overseeing its implementation, acting as a primary point of contact for advice on implementing its provisions. 

5.3 Implementation and governance roles: 

The Graduate Research School is responsible for ensuring that scholarship administration practices, including allocation, management and reporting, comply with all applicable Commonwealth and other external requirements.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Higher Degree by Research) and the Graduate Research School have further responsibilities as outlined in the Scholarships and Prizes Policy and Scholarships and Prizes Procedure.

6. Definitions

The definitions outlined in the Scholarships and Prizes Policy and Schedule 1, Student Rules apply for this procedure. The following definitions also apply for this procedure.

Research Training Program (RTP) is the Australian Government funded program established under the Higher Education Support (Commonwealth Scholarships) Guidelines 2025 to support domestic and international students undertaking doctoral degrees and masters degrees (research).

Research Training Program scholarships is the collective term for the RTP tuition fee offset scholarship, RTP allowance and RTP stipend provided to a graduate research student via the Australian Government’s Research Training Program (RTP). RTP scholarships form one category of UTS-administered graduate research scholarships covered by this procedure.

Terms and conditions means the standardised scholarship terms and conditions that apply to all UTS-administered graduate research scholarships.

UTS-administered graduate research scholarship means scholarships for graduate research students where UTS administers the award, scholarship payments, candidature-related conditions or associated processes. These may include Australian Government RTP scholarships, UTS-funded scholarships, and faculty, school, institute, centre, donor-funded, industry-partnered or other scholarship schemes administered by UTS.