Study in Australia for Free: Scholarships Indian Students Can Get in 2026

Tuition for international postgraduate students in Australia ranges from Rs.18 lakh to Rs.30 lakh per year (AUD 27,000–46,000), before living costs, making these scholarships worth Rs.40–55 lakh over a two-year program.

There are several strong ways for Indian students in 2026–27 to study in Australia for free or at a very low cost. The five main pathways are shown below, along with some new bilateral funding options.

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This page has more information about Australia's fully and partially funded scholarships for international students, including smaller awards for specific universities that aren't listed here.

This award allows Indian citizens to study in Australia for free at the postgraduate level. It covers all tuition fees, airfare, and a living stipend. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is in charge of the Australia Awards Scholarships, and India has been confirmed as a country that will be taking part. You have until April 30, 2026, to apply to start school in 2027.

The scholarship pays for all of your school costs, one round-trip flight in economy class, a stipend to help with living costs every two weeks, Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for you, a one-time establishment allowance, and enrollment in a required Introductory Academic Program (IAP) before you start studying.

Most articles about this scholarship don't mention that winners must return to India for at least two years after finishing. DFAT can take back the full cost of the scholarship as a debt if you don't follow through. This isn't just a small matter. You have to follow through on the terms of the contract you sign before the award is given.

Most of the scholarships are given to people who are going to graduate school (Master’s and PhD). There are some undergraduate allocations, but they are limited and depend on India's country profile. Before you apply, check the DFAT website's India country profile to see which fields are the most important and if there are any eligibility requirements that are specific to India for this cycle.

The Online Australia Scholarships Information System (OASIS) is used to send in the application. You can start writing an application and make changes to it until the deadline. The application can't be changed after it has been sent in.

Counselor insight: The best-performing applications from Indian candidates connect a specific, named research or professional goal directly to a named problem in India's public sector, not generic 'contributing to India's growth' framing. Vague development impact statements rarely survive the shortlisting stage

Each university administers the Australian Government's Research Training Program (RTP), a block grant program. It helps PhD and Master's by Research students, both in the United States and other countries, by giving them a full scholarship to cover their tuition and a living stipend every two weeks.

The yearly stipend amounts for 2026 at the top universities that Indian students like are

• Fees for the University of Melbourne are Rs.25.89 lakh (AUD 39,500) per year.
• Rs.25.61 lakh (AUD 39,069) a year for Australian National University (ANU)
• It costs Rs.24.26 lakh (AUD 37,010) a year to go to Queensland University of Technology.
• AUD 35,656 a year for Griffith University, which is Rs. 23.35 lakh

As long as you work full-time, the RTP will pay for your PhD for up to 3.5–4 years and your Master's by Research for up to 2 years. It also comes with Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for international students at most universities and a moving grant of between AUD 2,000 and AUD 3,000, depending on whether you are moving from within Australia or from another country.

To get an RTP scholarship, you don't go through the Department of Education. You apply through the university's process for getting into graduate school for research. At most universities, all you have to do to get in is check the scholarship box on your application. You don't need to send an extra RTP form. The scholarship is then given out through a competitive process using the university's set pool of applicants.

Important: the international RTP scholarship rounds for the February intake at the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, and ANU usually end in July or August each year. Every year, deadlines change, so check the scholarship page for each school before you apply.

Counselor insight: Counselor insight: Having a confirmed supervisor before you apply is not optional; it directly raises your departmental ranking for RTP allocation. Most Indian students who receive RTP offers have been corresponding with their intended supervisor for three to six months before the round opens. Start those emails now, not in July.

The Centre for Australia-India Relations (CAIR) runs the Maitri Scholarships Program, which is only for Indian citizens who want to get a PhD in a STEM field at one of a few Australian universities. You don't apply for it directly as a scholarship. You can't apply to CAIR on your own; Australian universities nominate candidates through CAIR.

To get into a participating Australian university for a PhD, you need to do the following: If the university picks you as a finalist, they might be able to nominate you for the Maitri Scholarship through SmartyGrants. After that, the Centre looks over all the nominations and picks the scholars. The total amount of money available for the 2025–26 Maitri Scholarships cycle was up to AUD 4.462 million.

Coverage includes a large financial contribution toward tuition fees, a one-time payment for establishment costs (airfare, visa, student health cover, temporary accommodation), a monthly stipend for living expenses, and funding for professional development events.

The deadline for nominations for 2025–26 has passed (universities had until late November 2025 to submit their nominations).

If you're a student looking to apply for the next cycle, keep an eye on the Centre for Australia-India Relations website around September 2026. Clean energy, critical technology, and other STEM fields that fit with the Australia-India bilateral agenda are some of the top priorities.

You can't use Maitri right now if your HDR application hasn't gotten a university offer yet. First, make sure you get the university offer.

You can't get the RTP or Australia Awards if you are a Master's by coursework student in any field, whether it's IT, business, engineering, or something else. There is a partial tuition waiver from the university based on your academic performance, which is usually handled automatically when you apply to most schools.

International merit scholarships at Macquarie University usually cover 15–50% of tuition. For the higher levels, you need a distinction average, which in Indian grading is about 75% or more. There are postgraduate coursework awards at the University of Sydney that range from 20% of tuition to AUD 40,000 for some programs.

The truth is that you shouldn't plan your budget around full coverage but around a 20–30% reduction. The biggest mistake Indian students make before they come to Australia is thinking they will get a full scholarship for a coursework Master's.

Counselor insight: At most universities, you don't need to fill out a separate scholarship application for merit waivers. A positive academic record helps people judge you. Students often overlook the fact that universities distribute these waivers on a rolling basis. If you apply earlier in the admissions cycle, you have a better chance of getting one before the pool is full.

India's Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment runs the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS). It pays for all Indian students from SC/ST and other notified categories to go to QS top-500 universities abroad, including Australia, to get their Master's or PhD.

The scholarship covers full tuition, an annual maintenance fee of Rs.10.09 lakh (AUD 15,400), economy airfare, visa fees, and health insurance. Every year, about 125 scholarships are given out. Of these, 115 are for SC candidates, 6 are for Denotified/Nomadic/Semi-Nomadic Tribes, and 4 are for Landless Agricultural Laborers. 30% are set aside for women.

For core eligibility, you must be an Indian citizen from an eligible category, have at least a 60% in your qualifying degree, be younger than 35, have a family income of less than Rs. 6 lakh per year, have an unconditional offer from a QS top-500 university, and not have any other sources of funding. Before the possible deadline of March 31, 2026, you can apply at nosmsje.gov.in.

Counselor insight: The NOS sends money back to students through the Indian High Commission in Canberra; it does not send funds directly to students. As soon as you get to Australia, you need to register with the High Commission. If students skip this step, they will have to wait months to get their money.

Your main goal is to reach the RTP. Right now, you shouldn't be filling out a scholarship application. Instead, identify two or three potential supervisors at Australian universities whose research aligns with your thesis topic. In April or May 2026, after your final exams, send them an email with a short research proposal and information about yourself as a student. If a supervisor responds positively and agrees to be your supervisor, apply for a PhD, and make sure the RTP box is checked. Most universities hold their main international RTP round in July and August 2026, with start dates in February 2027. You can apply to an Australian university with a provisional certificate from your university that has the official seal and signature of the registrar, but your degree certificate won't be ready then.

You can't get a government scholarship that lets you study for free. You can't get the RTP because it only covers coursework, and the Australia Awards require a two-year stay in India after graduation, which most people can't do. In reality, you should apply to schools that automatically look at merit waivers. At this level, Macquarie University, QUT, and RMIT are all excellent choices. If you have an Indian degree with a distinction, you can get a 20–25% tuition discount. Separately plan for the last 75–80% of tuition and living expenses. Before you sign up for a program, find out how much it costs to study in Australia. This will help you understand your overall budget.

Counselor insight: For the remaining 75–80% of costs, an education loan is the most common route Indian students take. SBI's Global Ed-Vantage and HDFC Credila both cover Australian universities directly, and LeapScholar's finance desk can help you map out the numbers before you apply.

The National Overseas Scholarship is tailored specifically for you. You meet the core requirements if you get an unconditional offer from a QS Top 500 university in Australia and your 62% is higher than the minimum of 60%. Your family income is also well below the Rs.6 lakh ceiling. Before the possible deadline of March 31, 2026, you can apply online at nosmsje.gov.in. Keep in mind that each eligible country can only get 125 scholarships per cycle, so the competition is real. You should apply to the Australian university you want to attend when the NOS application portal opens, so that the admission offer is ready to upload.

To apply for these pathways and study in Australia for free, Indian students need the following standardized documents:

For the full list of documents required for the Australian student visa application itself, see the Australia study visa requirements and documents guide.

• Your score on the IELTS test is less than 6.5.

Do it again. For government scholarship programs, like Australia Awards and most RTP tests, you can't get around the requirement of a minimum score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0. If your score is close, a pre-sessional English program at the university will meet the requirements for admission, but it won't meet the IELTS requirement for the scholarship. The fastest way to get a 6.5 is to focus on improving your writing and speaking, which is where most Indian students lose points.

• Your grade report or degree certificate has not been sent to you yet.

Australian universities will accept an application with a provisional certificate that has the official seal and signature of your university's registrar. It is best to visit the registrar's office the week after your last exam, not during convocation. You need to write your name, the program you finished, the year you graduated, and your CGPA or percentage on the provisional certificate.

• Your application for the scholarship was turned down.

For RTP, most schools hold a second round in the middle of the year. Contact the graduate research office to inquire about the possibility of reviewing your application with new documents. A new publication or a stronger reference letter, for instance, might alter your ranking. You won't be penalized for failing the Australia Awards the first time if you try again the following year.

• Even though you had a scholarship offer, your student visa was turned down.

A scholarship letter makes your application stronger, but it doesn't mean you'll get the scholarship. Proof Level 3 people are looking closely at Indian students. Usually, a scholarship is turned down because the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) statement isn't strong enough, or the financial documents don't match the costs that were found. Deal with the specific reason for the rejection before you apply again

• You missed the due date for the NOS.

The NOS runs once a year. Write to your Australian university and ask for a delay. Most research universities will hold a PhD offer for one semester if you can explain that you are still applying for scholarships. Do not forget to ask about the offer before it ends.

• The university's departmental process primarily determines the RTP scholarship. A professor who has agreed to supervise you will work to improve your scholarship ranking. This week, write to two or three possible supervisors. The email doesn't have to be long, just introduce yourself, write a short paragraph about what you're interested in researching, and send it along with your CV and a half-page research idea.
• Make a budget for everything before you apply, like tuition, living expenses, your visa, and your flight. Start with how much it costs for Indian students to study in Australia, and then take away the realistic partial waiver. Universities like QUT, Macquarie, and RMIT automatically look at merit waivers when you apply, so you don't need to fill out a separate form. However, you should know how much you will still have to pay.
• SC/ST students who meet NOS eligibility have access to one of the most complete funding packages available to Indian students going to Australia: tuition, a stipend, and airfare, but the application window is short. If you qualify, treat it as your primary application, not a backup.

Verified by LeapScholar's Australia counselling team. Have questions? Book a free session with a LeapScholar counselor.