AUSTRALIA Awards Scholarship Programme 2020/2021

About the Australia Awards

The Australia Awards is an establishment that takes the importance of Australian higher education seriously. As a hubspot for some of the world’s leading universities, the Australia Awards sees this as an opportunity to develop not just national students of the country, but international students who wish to pursue their studies in Australia as well. Therefore, the Australia Awards has led several initiatives on the basis of education with the hopes that it could improve other sectors as well. In this instance, noticing the development needs in their partnering countries hailing from Africa, the Australia Awards is providing a chance for their nationals to partake in Australian national to gain research and fresh insight on how to solve their home countries problems. Taking note of Australia’s many research-led universities that has had a reputation for its outstanding expertise in the field of teaching and their abilities to conduct relevant professional training, the Australia Awards believes that its vision and mission can be achieved through the programmes they have initiated.

About the Australia Awards Scholarships

The Australia Awards Scholarship 2020/2021 is a programme that is currently being offered by the Australia Awards establishment. Oftentimes regarded as on of the most prestigious and highly-acclaimed scholarships in the world, many international students flock towards this programme for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pursue a Master’s degree in Australia. Selected candidates of the programme are expected partake in the pursuit of their respective studies, research, and professional development during the period of scholarship in Australia. Through the funding that is courtesy of the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australia Awards Scholarship 2020/2021 programme hopes that the opportunity they are offering is able to support future generation of worldwide leaders that display the potential to build international networks with people and organizations.

This scholarship programme caters to scholars who are planning to pursue their Master’s degree education. Professionals who have prior experience in civil society and private or public sectors are encouraged to give this scholarship a try. Upon completion of this scholarship programme, all grantees are expected to return back to their respecctive home countries and implement what they have learnt in Australia by contributing change to their local society. Hopefully, with Australia’s world-class expertise, candidates will have a fresher perspective and further insight on how they could inspire change in order to improve the welfare of their home countries, specifically in the Agricultural Productivity, Extractives, and Public Policy sector.

Program Value

The Australia Awards Scholarship 2020/2021 programme has is offering several generous benefits that will be extremely useful for all for all of their grantees. These awards are granted with the hopes that selected candidates will be able to put them to good use and they will be supported enough to further their studies in Australia, making sure that they do not have to spare a thought about any financial needs during the course of their degree. Recipients of the Australia Awards Scholarship will be entitled to a list of awards, such as:

• The once in a lifetime opportunity to pursue an academic degree in Australia.
• Financial coverage of the grantee’s tuition fees.
• Fully-sponsored airplane tickets to Australia an back to their home countries.
• Financial coverage of the candidate’s visa expenses.
• Overseas Student Health Cover (more commonly known as health insurance), which will include basic medical costs.
• Stipends for living costs.
• If necessary, adjustment support for women and people with disabilities.
• Supplementary academic support for students’ who require assistance in improving their studies.
• The change to building international networks with fellow Australians and other students coming from all parts of the globe.
• Induction into the scholarship’s programme’s prestigious alumni network.

Eligibility

Before you apply for the Australia Awards Scholarship 2020/2021 programme, you will need to check whether you are eligible enough for the program or not. As different African countries may have different circumstances and policies applied, there is also a possibility for each country to have its own set of eligibility criteria. To check for your country-specific sectors, you may access through this official link here. Besides that, there are a certain selected list of countries that are allowed to participate in the Australia Awards Scholarship 2020/2021 programme since this scholarship programme is mainly targeted towards individuals who originate from Africa and hold valid African nationality. Due to that, all candidates must please make sure that they are from any of these countries listed below. The eligible countries for the Australia Awards Scholarship 2020/2021 programme are as follows:

• Botswana
• Ghana
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Nigeria
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Zambia

Please be noted that all of your eligibility criteria must be fulfilled. Should you fail to meet any one of the criteria, your application might experience some disadvantages. This could result in having your entire application revoked. So to all candidates, kindly take note and pay attention to your respective country-based eligibility criteria.

Requirements

If you’re eligible for the Australia Awards Scholarship 2020/2021 programme, you’ll need to fulfill other several requirements as well. Just like the eligibility criteria, these requirements are important as well and should not be missed. Failure to meet all of these requirements might be a risky move. The requirements are as follows:

• Holds a valid African citizenship.
• Has earned a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• Currently employed in their respective fields.
• Has work experience in their proposed post-graduate field.
• Candidate must be from 25-52 years old by the time of application.
• Displays an ability to implement what they have learnt during the scholarship to improve the policies or welfare of their home countries.
• Proven fluency in both written and spoken English.
• Is able to attain an Australian student visa (subclass 500).

How to Apply

Are you now all set to for the Australia Awards Scholarship 2020/2021 programme applications? To start the procedure, you can simply click the “Apply Now” link on the official website, or you may access it through this link here. After clicking the link, you will be redirected to another page here you will be required to fill out and choose certain things, such as Country, Type of Award (choose Australia Awards Scholarship). The purpose of this is to re-check whether you are eligible for the programme or not as there might be a possibility of different countries having extra criteria. After re-checking, you may begin your online application on the website.

The selection process will be conducted between January and June on a yearly basis. If you have been shortlisted for the programme, you will be required to participate in a face-to-face interview, which may be held in May and June. If you are originating from a nation where there are English Language Proficiency tests implemented, please kindly check the English language requirements beforehand as shortlisted candidates from certain nations will be asked to participate in an English language testing.

There are several key notes that you will need to remember should you be shortlisted for an interview. The Australia Awards Scholarship 2020/2021 programme interview are held by a panel that will be consisted of Australian Government officials as well as academics from Australia, previous African alumni of the programme, and professionals from several industries. There is also a possibility for African partner governments to observe the interview and assist in providing context of the country and explaining foreign policies to make sure everyone is on the same page during the interview session.

Should you be picked for the programme, all logistics and administration of the Master’s programme will be taken care of by Palladium. The establishment will approach the candidates’ institution of choice on their behalf. Candidates are given the choice to choose two institutions. Once the institution has been contacted and chosen, Palladium will then make a finalization of the formal scholarship offer. Scholarships are deemed valid once the contract that entails the offering letter is signed by the selected candidate and has been counter-signed by the government of Australia.

Closing Date

Should you be ready to apply for the Australia Awards Scholarship 2020/2021 programme, now’s your chance! The application period spans from October 1st December 6th, 2019. All applications must be submitted during the required time frame, and all other submissions that are sent after the closing date will not be accepted by the programme committee. On another important note, while the closing date is still far, we kindly suggest all candidates to start preparing their application forms from now to avoid high application traffic nearing the end of the application period. You wouldn’t want to miss out on an opportunity like this, would you?

Contact Information

Do you still have questions about the Australia Awards Scholarship 2020/2021 programme? Not to fret! We have all the the important contact information that you require. If you have any further inquiries or concerns, you may ask them through any of these contact information below. Remember to ask all of the questions you need answers too, so that you’ll have a smooth and efficient time applying for this programme. Last but not least, don’t forget to prepare well and do your best. Happy applying, future scholarships of the world!

Website: https://www.australiaawardsafrica.org/awards/types-of-awards/
Contact Form: http://www.australiaawardsafrica.org/contact/
Phone Numbers: +27 (0) 12 362 4360 (Pretoria Hub) or +254 (20) 760 86 80 (Nairobi Hub)