ELIGIBILITY:

To be eligible for an Australian Government RTP Stipend Scholarship, an applicant must:

be commencing or enrolled in a HDR program (for which RTP support is available) at Griffith University.

not be receiving income from another source to support the candidate’s general living costs that provides a benefit greater than 75% of the GUPRS stipend rate to undertake the proposed program. Income unrelated to the candidate’s HDR program, or income received for the candidate’s HDR program but not for the purposes of supporting general living costs, is not to be taken into account.

To be considered for an Australian Government RTP Stipend Scholarship, an applicant must:

hold a Bachelor Degree (AQF 8) with First Class Honours (Class I) or be regarded by Griffith University as having an equivalent level of attainment, as specified on the Equivalent qualifications for HDR program admission webpage.

have not completed a degree at the same or higher level as the HDR program to which the applicant is commencing or enrolled in.

if seeking recognition for prior candidature in the HDR program, have not completed more than 12 months (equivalent full-time) of candidature at Griffith University or another Australian or overseas institution.

have not previously held the same or an equivalent scholarship for which they are applying unless it was terminated within six months of the scholarship’s payments commencing; it was held for a degree at a lower level to which the applicant is applying; or the applicant is applying to transfer the scholarship (refer to Section 3.6 of the HDR Scholarship Procedure).

have not held a Commonwealth Government Australia Award scholarship in the two years prior to the point of commencing the award, unless approval for this course of action has been granted by the appropriate branch of the Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

BENEFIT:

Stipend: A full-time RTP Stipend Scholarship carries an annual stipend of $33,480 (2024 rate). The stipend rate for any particular year may be the same as that for the preceding year, indexed annually.

Income derived by way of a Scholarship by a candidate receiving full-time education at a University may be tax exempt. It is the responsibility of the scholarship holder to assess the tax liability of their scholarship.

The stipend will be paid into an account in a bank, building society or credit union, on a fortnightly basis, as per the University’s payment schedule. Payment will be calculated from the date of commencement of study, except where an awardee is already enrolled in the program, in which case payment may commence from the date of advice of the grant of the award (or from 1 January for offers made in November of the preceding year).

Relocation allowance: An awardee who is required to relocate, either within Australia or from overseas, specifically to undertake the program and take up the award is entitled to receive a maximum of $515 for each eligible adult and $255 for each eligible child to an absolute maximum of $1,485 for the following on provision of receipts to the GGRS, verifying the costs of this travel:

travel expenses equivalent to the economy/student airfare for the candidate, spouse and dependents to Brisbane or the Gold Coast via the most direct route. Where a candidate elects to travel by car, a per kilometre allowance up to the equivalent airfare for the candidate will be calculated. Candidates cannot claim for accommodation or meal costs if they elect to travel by car; and removal expenses.

Any relocation allowance must be claimed within 6 months of commencement of the award. Relocation allowances are not payable for travel undertaken after the completion of studies, or termination of the award.

Leave entitlements: The table below describes the leave that awardees are entitled to within the tenure of the award.

International candidates seeking leave will need to meet the conditions of their visa to be entitled to the leave provisions described below and are advised to check with Griffith International.

Leave is not permitted within the first 6 months of candidature, unless in exceptional circumstances. Such applications will require approval of the Dean, Research.