Scholarships explained

Make your UQ scholarship search easier with this quick guide.

Explore more at UQ

You might be surprised by how many UQ scholarships you can apply for throughout your studies.

We have one of the most generous offerings in the state, with scholarships that can help with financial support, tuition, accommodation, mentoring and industry experience.

Take some time to learn how it works and apply.

Check your eligibility

You might be eligible for more scholarships than you’d expect. Narrow down your search by selecting the eligibility criteria that match your background and circumstances.

Your eligibility is determined by your:

enrolment status (new or current student)
study area
citizenship (domestic or international)
level of study (undergraduate, honours, postgraduate coursework, postgraduate research HDR).

And whether you meet certain scholarship focus criteria.

Scholarship focus

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders – for students who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
academic excellence – for high-achieving students
accommodation – for students in need of support to cover some or all of their accommodation costs at select accommodation providers
creative excellence – for high-performing students in creative areas, such as music and the arts
diversity – for under-represented groups such people with disability, women in non-traditional study areas, people from non-English speaking backgrounds, and those who identify with the LGBTIQ+ community
experiences and employability – designed to support students wishing to undertake extra-curricular activities and experiences that boost their employability
financial hardship – for students who may be otherwise unable to meet their education-related expenses
regional and remote – for students who are relocating to study from regional or remote areas within Australia or have lived in a regional or remote area within Australia
sporting excellence – for students who are skilled sports people.

Funding types

If you're a postgraduate research (HDR) student, you may also be eligible for scholarships aligned to different research funding types, including:

living stipend – the major scholarships are living stipends, these offer ~$29K per year (tax free) in fortnightly payments to help cover your living costs
top-ups – if you're on a living stipend scholarship, you could be eligible for a top-up scholarship to boost your living stipend
financial award (grants and bursaries) – grants and bursaries are usually given as a one-off award. This could be a lump sum or funds to put towards extra-curricular activities
travel – if you're going on a trip as part of your studies, we have scholarships that provide travel allowance to cover your travel costs.

Find scholarships

When you’ve refined your criteria to suit your eligibility, browse and compare the scholarships you’re interested in.

If you find a scholarship you like but it’s not open yet, you can add a reminder to your calendar to make sure you don’t miss out when it opens.

Apply for scholarships

The application process isn’t the same for all scholarships. Some you don’t even need to apply for. This is explained in the ‘How to apply’ section of each scholarship, and will be one of the below:

UQ automatic assessment scholarships – you are automatically assessed for these scholarships when you apply, and awarded them if you meet certain criteria.
UQ scholarships by application – you need to apply for these scholarships by following the process outlined on the scholarship.
External scholarships by application – these are scholarships funded externally to UQ. You will be directed to apply directly to that company or group.

Give yourself plenty of time to put together an application that stands out from the crowd.

Depending on the scholarship, you might need to also allocate additional time to do things like prepare your resume or CV, write a statement or practise for an interview.

Read our application tips for coursework scholarships for help in adding that extra shine to your submission.

Scholarship rules and governance

Rules

If you're awarded a scholarship, there will be some conditions that you need to comply with to keep your scholarship. These could be things like maintaining a certain grade, or continuing as a full-time student.

It's a good idea to keep a copy of the rules, terms and conditions and policy documents associated with your scholarship so you can refer to them if need. Don't worry if you lose these, you can contact us to request a copy and we'll email them through to you.

Governance

Our scholarships are managed through a transparent governance model. If you'd like to know more about how scholarships are governed you can read our rules and schedules below.

Financial awards

Prizes

Prizes: Rules and schedule (PDF, 1.03 MB)

Endowed lectureships

Endowed lectureship rules (PDF, 170.28 KB)

Have questions?

We're here to answer all your scholarship questions.