Sir Gerard Brennan Scholarship

The scholarship provides an Indigenous Australian with a stipend and research support to undertake full-time PhD studies at UTS. This scholarship was established in 2004 to honour the work of the former Chancellor, Sir Gerard Brennan, AC KBE, who was also former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia. Throughout his career, Sir Gerard demonstrated his commitment to people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.

To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must:

• be an Australian Aboriginal Person and/or Torres Strait Islander*; and
• be undertaking a higher degree by research (HDR) within the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology Sydney in the year of the RTP Stipend (RTP Stipends are not available to applicants whose enrolment into a postgraduate research program has not been accepted by the University); and
• be enrolled as a full-time student, unless the University has approved a part-time RTP Stipend for a domestic student under paragraph 5.2 of these Conditions; and
• not be receiving an equivalent award, stipend or salary providing a benefit greater than 75% of the RTP Scholarship stipend rate to undertake the HDR.Income earned from sources unrelated to the course of study is not subject to the 75% rule.

Applicants should ensure that they submit their completed application, including all required supporting documentation, by the relevant application deadline. Incomplete and late applications will not be considered.

Candidates who identify seeking scholarship will be assessed on a competitive basis against the University selection criteria.

To be considered for a Sir Gerard Brennan Postgraduate Research Scholarship, please apply by the following application deadlines:

30 September 2025 for Research Session 1 2026 (January) applications

There is no separate Application Form for Sir Gerard Brennan scholarships for prospective students.Completing one form will mean that you are considered for all associated scholarships.

Potential Sir Gerard Brennan applicants must first complete the faculty's mandatory pre-assessment process to determine eligibility for the PhD program. Please see the Faculty of Law's pre-assessment information here.

Please note that after successfully completing the faculty's mandatory pre-assessment process, a formal application to the Graduate Research School must be submitted by the appropriate deadline for their application to be valid.

New Research Students:If you wish to be considered for an Sir Gerard Brennan Scholarship and all associated scholarships, tick the YES box in the SCHOLARSHIP/SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION section of your course application.

Please refer to How to Apply and Sir Gerard Brennan Scholarships in the Research Scholarships section of the UTS Research Degrees website for more information.

Applicants must submit their completed application by the relevant application deadline.Incomplete application will not be considered.

Faculty Research Officer

Faculty of Law
Ph: +61 2 9514 3793
Email: law.research@uts.edu.au