Postgraduate Scholarships: accepting and managing
Types of scholarship
The Melbourne Scholarships Office administers scholarships as part of the Melbourne Scholarships Program. Many scholarships, including Australian Postgraduate Awards and Melbourne Research Scholarships, are not part of grant schemes and the Melbourne Research Office (MRO) is not involved in their administration.
Some grant applications, including ARC Discovery Projects and NHMRC Project Grants, allow researchers to request stipend funding in their budget. If approved by the sponsor, the MRO will organise acceptance of the grant. Once this is done, the Department can set up a studentship by completing the appropriate Melbourne Scholarships Office forms.
A number of sponsors also advertise separate scholarship schemes. Schemes advertised and administered by the Melbourne Research Office (MRO) include: NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarships, National Heart Foundation, Kidney Health Australia, Dairy Australia, Grains Research and Development Corporation.
Accepting the scholarship
Please forward a copy of the letter of offer, conditions of award or funding agreement to the MRO. MRO will ensure the conditions of scholarship are acceptable and send you an internal Research Grant Acceptance Form (RGAF). Please sign and arrange for the signature of your supervisor and Head of Department. Some sponsors (eg: NHMRC, Heart Foundation) require proof of ethics approval prior to payment. Letters confirming ethics approval should be forwarded to MRO.
To commence payment, complete the Melbourne Scholarships Office Banking Details form (MSO10) and the Special Postgraduate Studentship Form MSO2 (MSO1 in the case of Linkage Projects APAI).
Stipends and allowances
The Melbourne Scholarships Office (MSO) pays scholarships on a fortnightly basis into your designated bank account. This stipend is provided for each student?s living expenses.In addition to the stipend, many scholarships award an annual ?allowance? to assist with the cost of basic consumables and attendance at scientific conferences. Generally, these project costs will be placed in a project account and you can apply to access these funds through your Department Research Administrator/General Manager. Any allowances not spent over the duration of the Scholarship will be returned to the sponsor.
Some scholarships provide a specific thesis allowance that contributes to the cost of printing the thesis. To claim this allowance, please submit a Thesis Allowance form (MSO4) to the Melbourne Scholarships Office with original receipts. Further details can be found on the dedicated Melbourne Scholarships Office page.
Variations to the scholarship
Changes to scholarships, including deferred start dates, leave and extensions, may require approval from the sponsor. MRO will liaise with the funding body to obtain approval on your behalf. Varying your candidature is a separate process which is managed through the Melbourne School of Graduate Research.Where conditions of award allow the University to approve leave, refer to the Melbourne Scholarships Office website for University requirements on requesting Leave of Absence/Sick Leave/Maternity leave.
JASON is a database for postgraduate scholarships, helping Australian students who want to study at home or abroad. It advertises funding for full postgraduate qualifications and for research projects within current study. See our Funding Databases page
Scholarship Reporting
Check your conditions of award or funding agreement for details.
For NHMRC Scholarships, annual progress reports are due at the end of October. Reports must be completed on the NHMRC Scholarship Report Form and submitted to Melbourne Research