Applications for research scholarships as part of the Continuous Scholarship Round at Griffith University are firstly processed within the Griffith Graduate Research School. It is at this point that applications are initially reviewed for eligibility for entry into Griffith research programs.

Following this initial review, applications are then forwarded to the appropriate schools, departments or research centres for academic staff to assess applications for both entry into Griffith research programs, and for consideration for a scholarship. All applications are then assessed by the Dean (Research) of the relevant Group and the Dean, Griffith Graduate Research School, to arrive at an outcome against the eligibility and selection criteria.

Applications that meet the criteria for scholarship consideration are then assessed and ranked in an order of merit, as outlined in Section 3.2.7 of the Higher Degree by Research Scholarship Procedure and takes into consideration:

• Academic merit, with emphasis on the results attained in the qualification with the substantial research component but also taking into account the grades of any other eligible qualification, or evidenced equivalence of research excellence capability as applicable
• The international standing of the institution at which the qualification with the substantial research component was completed
• Research background, including:
  • the quality of the eligible research outputs included as evidence in an application, as well as the applicant's contribution to these outputs
  • the level and duration of sustained research experience and evidence of how the research activity undertaken bears upon and enhances the applicant's research capacity, with regard to the proposed research
• The compatibility/fit between the applicant, research environment, and the supervision team.
• The compatibility/fit of the proposed research with university/academic group research priorities

The University's HDR Scholarship Committee considers applicants and awards scholarships based on the University-wide Order of Merit List.

3.1 Stipend

(1) A full-time RTP Stipend Scholarship carries an annual stipend of $34, 752 (2025 rate). The stipend rate for any particular year may be the same as that for the preceding year, indexed annually.

(2) 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.

(3) 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).

3.2 Leave entitlements

(1) The table below describes the leave that awardees are entitled to within the tenure of the award.

(2) 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.

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

(4) Parental leave: up to a maximum of 12 weeks paid parental leave, where the candidate is the primary carer of a new-born child or of a newly adopted child under 16 years of age, upon the provision of appropriate certification. Parental leave will not be approved within the first 12 months of award commencement. Candidates requiring paid parental leave within the first 12 months of award commencement are encouraged to contact the GGRS Scholarships team for advice.

Candidates enrolled on a part-time basis will be entitled to paid leave calculated on a pro rata basis. The paid parental leave is normally only available to the candidate (birth parent / non-birth parent / adoptive parent) who is taking on the primary care giver role within the first twelve months of the child coming into their care. Parental leave for pregnant candidates would normally commence no later than 3 weeks prior to the expected birth date unless medical evidence is provided to certify that the pregnant candidate is fit to continue normal study for a further period that extends to no later than the expected birth date.

4.1 Commencement of study

(1) Awardees must accept both a place in the HDR program (if not already commenced) as well as the RTP Stipend Scholarship by the date specified in the offer letter.  Scholarship awardees must commence their award by the commencement date specified in the letter of offer. Awardees may apply for a deferred commencement to a future date where a provision to defer the scholarship is provided in the letter of offer. Awardees are normally expected to commence within the year of award. Full details of the reasons for the request will be required.  If an awardee cannot commence by the approved date as outlined in the letter of offer, or where a deferral request is not approved, the award will be withdrawn.

4.2 Mode of attendance – Remote candidature

(1) Awardees are required to maintain an on-campus enrolment.

(2) In exceptional circumstances, an application to undertake the award predominantly away from the University may be considered for domestic candidates where they have a high likelihood of success as evidenced by qualifications and research experience. Requirements are detailed in Section 3.8 of the HDR Scholarship Procedure and section 3.3 of the HDR Admission Procedure.

(3) International candidates must maintain an on-campus enrolment.

4.3 Study load

(1) Awardees are required to maintain a full-time study load, unless approval for part-time study load and award is approved.

(2) A full-time study load commitment is at least the equivalent of the standard five day working week (e.g. 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, 48 weeks per year). The actual pattern of research and study is to be negotiated by the candidate and their supervisory team. Refer to Section 3.5.4 of the HDR Enrolment and Variations to Candidature Procedure.

4.4 Employment and other funding

(1) Awardees are permitted to undertake work, paid or otherwise, that is unrelated to their research project. However, it must not affect their ability to maintain their study load commitment, nor interfere with the timely progression and completion of their research project. Employment commitments will not be considered as a reason for an extension of the award. Requirements are detailed in Section 3.5.4 of the HDR Enrolment and Variations to Candidature Procedure.

(2) Awardees should consult with their principal supervisor in regards to the decision to undertake employment while in the HDR program.

(3) Awardees are permitted to:

1. obtain funds for fieldwork, equipment or other expenses not covered by the award; and
2. obtain funding for overseas travel costs from other Australian Government awards or other funding sources.

(4) Holders of a RTP Stipend Scholarship with dependent children may be eligible for the Family Payment paid by Centrelink. Enquires must be directed to Centrelink.

4.5 Part-time award

(1) Applications to undertake the award on a part-time basis may be considered where the applicant has significant caring responsibilities or a medical condition or disability limiting their capacity to undertake full-time enrolment. Part-time awards will not be considered based on employment limiting capacity to undertake full-time enrolment. Requirements are detailed in Section 3.7 of the HDR Scholarship Procedure.

(2) The award will be 50% of the full-time stipend rate, part-time scholarships are not tax exempt.

(3) The award duration will be calculated on a pro-rata basis based on periods of full-time/part-time enrolment.

(4) Holders of a part-time award may convert to full-time enrolment and scholarship award at any stage, subject to seeking approval for full-time enrolment. The University may also require part-time scholarship recipients to convert to full-time if the reasons for which the part-time award was granted no longer apply.

4.6 Tenure

(1) The tenure of a full-time RTP Stipend Scholarship is, from date of program commencement, up to two years (full-time equivalent) for a Masters (Research) candidate and up to three years (full-time equivalent) for a Doctoral candidate.

(2) Continuation of receipt of the RTP Stipend Scholarship during the tenure of the award is dependent upon evidence of the awardee’s satisfactory progress in the HDR program, through the timely completion of candidature milestones and satisfactory progress reports.

(3) The tenure of a RTP Stipend Scholarship will be reduced by any period of study undertaken:

1. towards the research project and/or degree prior to the commencement of the RTP Stipend Scholarship; or
2. towards the degree during suspension of the RTP Stipend Scholarship.

(4) A Doctoral candidate making satisfactory progress may apply for an extension to the RTP Stipend Scholarship tenure for up to a maximum of six months. An extension will only be approved where the grounds for the extension:

1. relate to the study and are beyond the control of the candidate, and could not have been reasonably anticipated at the commencement of the program; or
2. are on the basis of the candidate undertaking an industry placement, research internship or professional practice activity of more than 30 days duration, approved by the Dean Research as part of the HDR program, as per Section 4.8 of these Conditions of Award.

A request for an extension should be made within a reasonable period before (and at least one month) before the expiry date of the award. Awardees enrolled in a Masters (Research) program are not entitled to an extension of award.

4.7 Change to HDR program

(1) Applications to transfer candidature from one HDR program to another will be in accordance with Section 3.6.7 of the HDR Enrolment and Variations to Candidature Procedure. If an awardee is permitted to transfer from a Masters (Research) to a Doctoral program or from a Doctoral to a Masters (Research) program, the maximum duration of the award will be adjusted accordingly.

(2) The maximum tenure of a transferred award becomes that for the new HDR program minus the period of study undertaken towards the previous program prior to the conversion.

(3) A request for a major change to the thesis topic can be considered as per Section 3.6.4 of the HDR Enrolment and Variations to Candidature Procedure. If it is established through this approval process that the recorded field of research (FoR) and/or field of education (FoE) for the thesis topic have changed, the Griffith Graduate Research School will update these fields in the candidate’s record.

4.8 Industry placements, research internships and professional practice activities

(1) Recipients of a RTP Stipend Scholarship may undertake industry placements, research internships and professional practice activities that are approved by the Dean Research as part of their eligible HDR program.

(2) Ongoing receipt of a RTP Stipend Scholarship at the rate set out in Section 3.1 of these Conditions of Award may be available for the duration of an approved industry placement, research internship or professional practice activity if:

1. The RTP Stipend Scholarship awardee has not exceeded the maximum duration of their HDR program;
2. The awardee has sufficient RTP Stipend Scholarship tenure remaining;
3. The awardee has not submitted their thesis for examination; and
4. The industry placement, research internship or professional practice activity will run for at least 30 days and no more than six months duration.

(3) The undertaking of an approved industry placement, research internship or professional practice activity does not constitute grounds for extension to the RTP Stipend Scholarship tenure beyond the provision for extension set out in Section 4.6 (4) of these Conditions of Award.

4.9 Ethics

(1) Where necessary, awardees will abide by the National Health and Medical Research Council codes on animal and human experimentation, Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, and the University's safety practices.

4.10 Repayment of scholarship

(1) An awardee is required to repay any scholarship payment if:

1. the payment is made in error or overpaid (as determined by the University);
2. the awardee is no longer enrolled in the period the scholarship is paid;
3. the awardee does not meet the conditions of the scholarship; or
4. the awardee is ineligible for the scholarship including situations where:
   1. the awardee has provided false information; or
   2. the awardee has been made a scholarship offer in error.

4.11 Termination of award

(1) A RTP Stipend Scholarship will be terminated in any of the following circumstances:

1. at the end of the period of tenure provided for by the award or when the awardee lodges a thesis for examination, whichever is earlier;
2. if the University is satisfied that the program of study is not being carried out with competence and diligence or in accordance with the offer of award, and no suitable arrangements can be made for continuation of the degree;
3. when the candidate ceases full-time enrolment when approval has not been obtained to hold the RTP Stipend Scholarship on a part-time basis;
4. if the awardee commences a period of leave without formal approval, or fails to maintain an on campus enrolment without the approval for remote candidature status;
5. if the award holder does not resume study at the conclusion of a period of leave, or does not make arrangements to extend that period of leave;
6. if the candidate ceases to meet the eligibility criteria specified in Section 1 of these Conditions of Award, other than during a period in which leave has been approved;
7. if the University determines that a candidate is guilty of serious academic or student misconduct in accordance with the Academic Misconduct Policy – Higher Degree Research Candidates and the Student Academic Misconduct Policy; and/or
8. if the candidate fails to maintain satisfactory progress, as determined by the University in accordance with Section 3.9 of the HDR Academic Progress Procedure.

(2) If an award is terminated, it cannot be reactivated unless the termination occurred in error.

4.12 Transfer of Award between Institutions

(1) Awardees may request the transfer of their RTP Stipend Scholarship between Higher Education Providers. Awardees who transfer to another institution may continue to receive their RTP Stipend only if their new institution agrees to its continuation and subject to the new institution having sufficient RTP funding available. Transfers to Griffith University are managed in accordance with the scholarship selection process set out in Section 3.6 of the HDR Scholarship Procedure.

4.13 Acknowledgement Requirement

(1) The Commonwealth Government’s support via the provision of the Australian Government RTP Stipend Scholarship must be acknowledged when, at any time during or after completion of the HDR program, the awardee, their supervisor or any other party, publishes or produces scholarly material and/or artistic works which relate to the research project carried out by the awardee. This acknowledgement must take the form of a statement included in the published material mentioning the support received through an ‘Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship’.

4.14 Relevant External Documents

• Commonwealth Scholarship Guidelines (Research) 2017
• The Department of Education and Training’s Research Training Program (RTP) webpage
• The Department of Education and Training’s Research Training Program – Frequently Asked Questions for students

(1) A decision by the University made in respect of an application for scholarship is final and not reviewable, as per the University’s Student Review and Appeals Policy.

(2) A candidate who is dissatisfied with a decision to terminate the scholarship may request a review of the decision in accordance with the Student Review and Appeals Policy.

Australian and New Zealand citizens and Australian permanent residents should refer to the Australian Government RTP Domestic Fee Offset Guidelines (PDF, 789k.

International tuition fees vary depending on which school or research centre you will be enrolling in. Refer to the Australian Government RTP International Fee Offset Scholarship and the Griffith University International Postgraduate Research Scholarship for tuition fee scholarships.