Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend

Benefits & funding

• Living stipend of A$37,145 per year at the 2026 rate, paid fortnightly at A$1,423.18. The 2025 rate was A$36,063 per year, or A$1,381.72 per fortnight.
• Rates for centrally allocated scholarships rise from 1 January each year; Monash usually processes the update in late January.
• Relocation allowance of A$1,000 from interstate or A$2,000 from overseas, assessed when the scholarship is applied for. A candidate who relocated before the date of the scholarship offer is not eligible for it.
• Indigenous Australian students commencing from 2025 onwards receive a higher RTP Stipend rate of A$53,608 per year, or A$2,053.95 per fortnight.
• Tenure is three years and six months full-time equivalent for a doctoral candidate, and two years full-time equivalent for a research master’s candidate, pro-rata for part-time study. There are no extension provisions, including for a research internship.
• Approved paid leave, including parental, personal, partner and family or domestic violence leave, adjusts the scholarship duration. Unpaid leave suspends stipend payments and moves the end date out.
• Tuition is handled separately. The RTP Fees Offset covers graduate research course fees for Australian and New Zealand citizens and Australian permanent residents, valued at A$41,000 to A$59,600 a year. The Monash International Tuition Scholarship covers course tuition fees and a single Overseas Student Health Cover policy, and is generally awarded together with a stipend scholarship.

Eligibility

• Open to applicants of any nationality. Both domestic and international candidates may hold an RTP Stipend.
• The candidate must be applying for, or enrolled in, a research doctorate or research master’s at Monash. RTP scholarships support students based and enrolled in Australia.
• Applicants must meet Monash’s minimum academic entry standards for the degree and its English language proficiency requirement.
• English proficiency is met by an approved test taken within two years of the proposed commencement date, or by at least two years of full-time tertiary study conducted and assessed entirely in English.
• Selection is competitive. In ranking applicants the Graduate Research Committee gives priority to candidates who hold an Australian or New Zealand bachelor’s degree with first-class honours, can study full-time, enrol on campus, have more than twelve months of scholarship duration remaining, have not already completed a graduate research degree at the same level, and have not held an Australian Government or Monash-funded postgraduate award for more than six months. These are priorities, not bars to applying.
• For this scheme a domestic student is an Australian or New Zealand citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa. All other candidates apply as international students.
• A domestic recipient with carer responsibilities, a medical condition or a disability that prevents full-time study may convert to part-time, case by case. An international recipient may do so only in compassionate circumstances, subject to student visa rules.

Application process

1. 1
   Check the entry requirements for the intended research degree, including the academic standard set by the faculty and the English language requirement.
2. 2
   Contact a prospective supervisor. Most faculties expect this before an application is submitted.
3. 3
   Prepare a research proposal setting out the research question, the methodology and how the project relates to work already being done at Monash.
4. 4
   Gather transcripts, degree certificates, evidence of English proficiency and an academic CV of no more than two pages.
5. 5
   Apply through the Monash applicant portal at myapp.monash.edu. The same application covers admission and the scholarship.
6. 6
   Submit inside the round that matches the applicant type and intended enrolment period. Only one application may be submitted per scholarship round or admission period.
7. 7
   Applications are ranked centrally by the Graduate Research Committee under the RTP Scholarship Policy and Procedure.

Program timeline

1. 4 May 2026 to 31 July 2026

   International Round 3, for enrolment between January and June 2027. The closing date was brought forward in 2026.

2. 1 June 2026 to 31 October 2026

   Domestic Round 4, for enrolment between January and June 2027.

3. From 1 September 2026

   International Round 1 opens, for enrolment between July and December 2027. The 2027 closing date is still being confirmed by Monash.

4. 1 November 2026 to 31 May 2027

   Domestic Round 2, for enrolment between July and December 2027.

5. 1 January each year

   the stipend rate for centrally allocated scholarships increases, with the update processed in late January.