Adelaide University Research Scholarships in Australia 2026/2027

Adelaide University runs its Signature Research Theme scholarship round as a project-based scheme: rather than applying with an open topic, candidates apply to a funded project attached to one of the university's five research themes. Those themes are Creative and Cultural, Defence and National Security, Food, Agriculture & Wine, Personal and Societal Health, and Sustainable Green Transition.

Who can apply

The scholarships are available for entry into Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Philosophy programs and are open to domestic and international applicants, with exceptions for some projects. That last clause matters: individual projects can carry residency or citizenship conditions, so the eligibility line of the specific project has to be read before investing effort in an expression of interest.

What the award covers

The package includes a stipend as a living allowance for the duration of the scholarship and a full tuition fee waiver for the duration of the award, alongside allowances for relocation and Overseas Student Health Cover where applicable. The fee waiver runs for the standard duration of candidature, which is up to four years for a doctorate. In practice this is one of the more complete funding packages available in Australia, because health cover and relocation are usually the items international candidates have to find themselves.

Deadline and how it works

Expressions of Interest opened at the end of August and close on 30 September 2026. The round is multi-stage: an expression of interest goes first to the project supervisor or panel, and only candidates who succeed there are invited to interview and then to submit a formal application for admission and scholarship. Each project needs its own separate expression of interest, and incomplete or non-compliant submissions are rejected without follow-up, because the volume makes individual correspondence impossible.

Before you apply

Choose the project first and read its specification closely, then write to its stated character limits exactly. Since nobody will contact you about a missing answer, a single skipped field ends the application silently.