Australia Awards bring together scholarships offered through AusAID and other Australian government departments. They are an Australian government initiative designed to promote knowledge, education links and enduring ties between Australia, its neighbours and the global community. Over time, Australia Awards aim to build a new generation of global leaders with strong links to Australia. The focus of AusAID’s Australia Awards is to develop human resource capacity and leadership skills. The aim is for individuals to contribute to development in their home countries and build people-to-people links at individual, institutional and country levels.
Change to Award Names
AusAID’s two main Awards have been renamed as follows
- Australian Development Scholarships are now Australia Awards Scholarships
- Australian Leadership Awards Scholarships are now the Australia Awards Leadership Program
The new names are part of an exciting new phase in the Australia Awards, but they do not in any way alter the conditions of the Awards, or our regard for current scholars and alumni, who are an important part of the Australia Awards.
In Bangladesh, AusAID manages the Australia Awards Scholarships on behalf of the Government of Australia. Australia Awards Scholarships are long term study and professional development opportunities available to qualified people from Bangladesh to study full-time in Australia. They equip scholars with skills and knowledge to drive change and influence development outcomes in Bangladesh. The selection process for this is based on merit, academic achievement and the relevance of proposed study programs to development priorities agreed between the governments of Australia and Bangladesh. These long-term scholarships were previously known as Australian Development Scholarships. Some outstanding awardees of Australia Awards Scholarships will be offered places in the Australia Awards Leadership Program. There is no separate selection exercise for this Program. This Program brings awardees together in Australia for leadership training, development discussions and opportunities to build valuable networks. Australia Awards in Bangladesh are available to study at Master’s degree level. Generally, courses are for no longer than two years.
Applications for Intake 2014 open on 1 February 2013 and
close on 30 April 2013
Applications received after 30 April 2013 will not be accepted. Applicants are encouraged to apply online as early as possible at https://oasis.ausaid.gov.au. For assistance contact the Bangladesh South Asia Scholarships Program (SASP) Office as detailed below.
To ensure equity and broad participation, AusAID encourages applications from women, people with disabilities and people from ethnic minority groups.
The following target groups are eligible to apply for Australia Awards Scholarships to study Masters by coursework or research, commencing in 2014: - employees of the Government of Bangladesh*
- employees of ICDDR,B
- employees of BRAC
- ethnic minority groups.
*Please note: Preference will be given to candidates from Departments aligned with Government of Bangladesh and AusAID agreed country priorities. Public university employees are not eligible. A select number of scholarships will be awarded to health sector professionals from the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) target group..
Priority Development Themes for these target groups are:
Commencing in 2014, suitably qualified applicants from Bangladesh working in Water Management and related areas can apply for targeted Australia Awards Scholarships in this field. These Awards are at Master’s level only and available to applicants in Bangladesh, Bhutan and India as well as Nepal, as part of AusAID’s regional strategy. Please contact SASP Office for detail information. As with all Australia Awards Scholarships, applicants must meet all general and country-specific criteria to be eligible for these Awards.
Applicants must meet all general eligibility criteria together with the criteria specific to Bangladesh. General criteria - not be married, engaged to, or a de facto of a person who holds, or is eligible to hold, Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency, at any of the application, selection or mobilisation phases;
- satisfy all requirements of the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for an AusAID Student Visa 576;
- not be current serving military personnel;
- not be applying for another long-term Australia Award unless they have resided outside of Australia for twice the length of the total time that they were in Australia (for example, a previous awardee who has been on an Australia Awards Scholarship in Australia for four years will not be eligible to apply for another Australia Awards Scholarship until they have been home for eight years);
- satisfy the admission requirements of the institution at which the award is to be undertaken (this may mean that award will be withdrawn if the recipient cannot satisfy the institution's admission requirements. )
Please note that these general criteria are also detailed in the Scholarship Policy Handbook. Bangladesh specific criteria - be a citizen of Bangladesh;
- have an overall International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic score of at least 6.5, with no individual band less than 6.0. IELTS examination scores are valid for two years and must be valid at 1 January 2014.
OR - the equivalent level of TOEFL as outlined below with the results no longer than two years prior to 1 January 2014:
- a TOEFL paper-based test score of at least 580, with a minimum of 4.5 in the test of written English, or
- a TOEFL Internet-based score of at least 92, with a minimum of 21 in all subtests.
- Please Note: Women, applicants with disabilities and applicants from ethnic minority groups with IELTS scores of 6.0 with no individual band less than 5.5 will be considered. If applicants from these groups submit applications with lower IELTS/TOEFL scores, they must meet the English language requirement described above and any special language requirements of their courses, if offered an Australia Award.
- be a current employee of the Government of Bangladesh, ICDDR,B, BRAC or member of an ethnic minority group;
- have at least two years’ work experience in a field relevant to their proposed course of study. Government of Bangladesh employees must have completed their 2 years of service tenure as BCS cadre officer at the time of application.
- have a university qualification at least equivalent in standard to an Australian Bachelor’s degree.
Study programs can be no longer than 2 years in duration.
Applicants for Masters by research must provide evidence of an offer of admission to an appropriate course at an eligible Australian university for full time studies commencing in 2014. Research applicants must also provide evidence from an academic supervisor who will supervise the research study.
Applicants are encouraged to consider course selections carefully before applying. Apart from exceptional circumstances, AusAID will not consider requests to change a selected course.
Awardees are required: - to sign a contract with the Commonwealth of Australia declaring they will comply with the conditions of the scholarship;
- to return to Bangladesh after completing their scholarships and live there for at least two years to contribute to economic and social development of the country. Failure to do so will incur a debt to the Commonwealth of Australia for the total value of the scholarship;
- to meet all requirements of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. The offer of a scholarship will be withdrawn if a candidate fails to satisfy visa requirements within the required timeframe.
Recipients of AusAID’s Australia Awards are accepted widely by most universities in Australia. A list of the participating universities for the intake commencing in 2014 is available at: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/publications/pages/australian-institutions.aspx
AusAID’s Australia Awards are offered for the minimum period necessary to complete the academic program specified by a university. The following benefits generally apply: - full tuition fees;
- return economy-class air travel by the most direct route;
- establishment allowance: a once only contribution towards initial expenses such as rental bonds, text books, additional medical insurance, excess baggage etc.;
- contribution to living expenses: a fortnightly contribution to basic living expenses;
- Introductory Academic Program a compulsory 4-6 week program on life and study in Australia prior to the commencement of formal studies;
- Overseas Student Health Cover: for the duration of the award (for award holder only). This covers basic hospital and medical costs, excluding pre-existing conditions;
- visa application expenses;
- Subject to requirements and eligibility, Australia Awards Scholarships may also cover:
- supplementary Academic Support (Tutorial Assistance): to improve a student's performance to ensure academic success, if required;
- for eligible research students only, contribution to fieldwork costs may be available for one return economy class airfare by the most direct route to Bangladesh or within Australia;
For more details on benefits and entitlements please read the Australia Awards Scholarships Policy Handbook, available at http://www.ausaid.gov.au/Publications/Pages/scholar-handbook.aspx
- Check that you are eligible to apply for an Australia Awards Scholarships. The general eligibility criteria are found in the Australia Awards Scholarships Policy Handbook and the eligibility criteria for Bangladesh are detailed in the Country Profile http://www.ausaid.gov.au/australia-awards/Documents/bangladesh.pdf.
- Download and read the Australia Awards Scholarships Policy Handbook (http://www.ausaid.gov.au/Publications/Pages/scholar-handbook.aspx).
- When selecting a course, check the participating universities listed at http://www.ausaid.gov.au/publications/pages/australian-institutions.aspx. Go to http://cricos.deewr.gov.au/ and individual university websites to research suitable courses.
Applicants must carefully check that: - a selected course aligns with one of the Priority Development Themes for Bangladesh for their target group
- a selected course does not exceed the course limit (generally two years)
- a selected course enables them to contribute to poverty alleviation and sustainable development in Bangladesh when they return
- they satisfy all university enrolment requirements, including English language proficiency.
All applicants must submit the following documents with their applications. Failure to do so may make an application ineligible. Note that some documents must be notarized.
| Eligibility Requirement |
OASIS Document type |
Notarized |
| Passport | Proof of citizenship | Yes |
| Tertiary degree certificates (bachelors and onwards only) |
Degree Certificate |
Yes |
| Academic grades (bachelors and onwards only) |
Academic Transcript |
Yes |
| IELTS or TOEFL certificates |
Proof of English Language Proficiency |
Yes |
| Certificate of special achievements or merit |
Prize or award |
Yes |
| Academic referee reports (1 for coursework, 2 for research) |
Referee Report (click here for template) |
No |
| Evidence of conditional/unconditional offer of admission (for research applicants) |
Letter of Offer |
No |
| Research proposal (for research applicants) |
Other Document |
No |
| Employment Referee Report (same template as academic referee) |
Other Document (click here for template) |
No |
| Development Impact Plan |
Other Document (click here for template) |
No |
| Curriculum Vitae (CV) |
Other Document (click here for template) |
No | *Please note: applicants shortlisted for interview in the selection process must provide certified academic transcripts. Applicants selected for Australia Awards will require valid police clearance certificate from their current workplace or permanent address location.
In addition: Applicants offered Australia Awards will need to submit, at a later stage, other information required by DIAC for visa processing. - The online application form is accessible at https://oasis.ausaid.gov.au. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications online. Those who need to submit a hard copy application must contact the Bangladesh SASP office well before applications close. If required, a copy of the application form can be forwarded to you.
- Applicants from the Government of Bangladesh must select one of the following themes from the list in the application form: Economic growth; Governance; Gender Equality or Regional Stability. Applicants from the GOB health sector professionals must select the following theme from the list in the application form: Health, HIV & AIDS, Pandemics.
- Applicants from ICDDR,B must select one of the following four themes from the list in the application form: Health, HIV&AIDS, Pandemic; Environment or Education.
- Applicants from BRAC must select the following theme from the list in the application form: Governance.
- Applicants from the ethnic minority groups may choose any theme listed in the application form.
- The Supporting Statement section of the application form is particularly important. Applicants must provide strong arguments to demonstrate their suitability for an Australia Award.
- Applicants who wish to pursue studies by research (Masters by research, or Masters by coursework with a research component) must complete the Research Proposal Details section.
- Applicants must complete the English Language Proficiency section in full, including their scores and, if possible, attach a copy of their IELTS or TOEFL certificates with their applications. If applicants cannot attach their IELTS result with their applications, they can submit test results within by no later than 12 May 2013 by emailing them to
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. IELTS or TOEFL results received after this date will not be considered.
- Notarized scanned copies of supporting documents, as outlined in the above table, must be uploaded with the online application form. For more information on AusAID’s Australia Awards, first read the FAQs and then contact the Bangladesh SASP office at
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.
- Hardcopy applications must be received by the SASP office at the following address no later than 5:00 pm 30 April 2013.
Australia Awards in South Asia
5th Floor, Plot # 4, Road # 12 Block-J, Baridhara Dhaka-1212 Bangladesh
The selection process for AusAID’s Australia Awards is open and transparent. The 9 key steps in the process are: - Intake opens - 1 February 2013
- Submit applications with necessary supporting documents
- Intake closes - 30 April 2013
- Compliance checks
- Ranking, short listing and interviews
- Notifying successful candidates
- Bangladesh SASP office seeks university placements
- Immigration/visa and health clearances
- Pre-departure briefing and mobilisation
Australia Awards in South Asia
5th Floor, Plot # 4, Road # 12 Block-J, Baridhara
Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh
Email:
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Website: www.southasiascholarships.org
Tel: 04478004423, 04478004424
Mobile: (880) 01730338495 Managed by Coffey International Development |
 Program overview
Australia Awards Scholarships
Australia Awards Leadership Program
Eligible target groups
Priority development themes Regional Awards for Water Management
Eligibility criteria
Participating Australian universities
Benefits and entitlements
How to prepare
Required documentation
How to apply
Scholarship management process
Useful links
Contact us
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