Postgraduate Scholarships 2008 Conditions Booklet
(APA, MRS, MIRS, FMS, HRS, Prestigious and Other Major Scholarships)
15. Special Awards
Extra conditions apply to the Awards described in this section.
15.1 Awards funded from Australian Research Council (ARC) grants or Centres
In some cases it may be possible to use ARC grants to establish scholarships and other support for postgraduate students. Any support must be in accord with the relevant ARC Grant Guidelines.
15.2 Part-time scholarships (ie. scholarships held by students enrolled on a part-time basis)
Students for whom social compelling reasons prevent a full-time enrolment may apply to hold a scholarship on a part-time basis. To be considered for a part-time scholarship, the applicant must be able to demonstrate that circumstances, such as those listed below, prevent a full-time enrolment:
- primary care responsibilities for a pre-school child,
- primary care responsibilities for school-aged children as a sole parent with limited access to outside support,
- primary care responsibilities for an invalid or disabled partner, child or parent, or
- medical condition/s.
The application must also be competitive for scholarship consideration. The same selection criteria apply to full-time and part-time scholarships.
Applicants will not be granted permission to hold a scholarship on a part-time basis if they wish to undertake paid employment on a part-time basis. Students who hold a scholarship on a part-time basis are subject to the same employment restrictions as full-time scholarship holders (see section 13 for details).
Students holding a scholarship on a part-time basis are expected to progress at half the rate of a full-time scholarship holder. The time limits for a part-time scholarship holder are double those for a full-time scholarship holder.
Students who hold a part-time scholarship:
- may be given permission to convert to full-time status at any stage, or
- are required to change to full-time if a change to their circumstances means that they no longer qualify for a part-time scholarship.
If the eligibility criteria outlined above are met, full-time scholarship recipients may apply to hold their scholarship on a part-time basis. Before changing to a part-time enrolment, students should ask the MSO to determine if they will be eligible to hold the scholarship on a part-time basis.
The 2008 per annum part-time stipend rates are:
- APA: $10,710
- MRS and FMS (for graduate research degree courses): $10,370
- HRS (for graduate research degree courses): $11,885
- For FMSs and HRSs awarded for postgraduate coursework studies please see section 15.4
Part-time scholarships are not tax-exempt. Please see section 6.7.2 about taxation arrangements for part-time scholarships.
International students are precluded by the conditions of their visa from holding their scholarship on a part-time basis.
top of page15.3 Australian Postgraduate Awards (Industry) (APA(I))
Students and supervisors who have questions about the APA(I) should contact the following offices for assistance:
- The Melbourne Research Office for queries about applications, conditions, funding, contracts, acceptance procedures, transfers, etc.
- The Graduate Research Scholarships team (Melbourne Scholarships Office) for information about payments to APA(I) recipients and/or refer to the MSO website.
- The relevant faculty office (eg. the SGR for PhD enrolments) for information about enrolments.
Most conditions are identical to those described for the APA in this booklet. The important exceptions are listed below.
- Application timelines and procedures vary considerably to those for other scholarships.
- Subject to meeting all eligibility criteria, the recipient must be enrolled full-time in a masters by research or PhD degree and the Industry Partner Agreement must be signed before payments may proceed.
- The stipend for the APA(I) full-time is $26,140 per annum (2008 rate), for projects commenced from 2005 onwards and $25,872 per annum (2008 rate) for projects commenced in 2004 and earlier. See section 6.7 for information about taxation.
- The ARC only allows APA(I) payments to commence from the date that the Industry Partner/University agreement is signed. Normally for PhD students, 3 years of funding is provided (with the possibility of a 6 month extension). Payments cannot be made beyond the student's thesis submission (ie. course completion) date.
- An APA(I) student may apply to the University, with the consent of the Industry Partner, for Leave of Absence (ie. suspension) of up to 12 months to gain industry work experience. In exceptional circumstances, the University may allow Leave of Absence on compassionate grounds with the consent of the Industry Partner and the ARC. Prior approval of the ARC is required where a period of leave will occur within six months of the starting date of the project, or if the leave will be more than 12 months.
- While paid sick leave will be paid for the period of sick leave approved (eg. up to 12 weeks), these periods are not in addition to the normal duration of the award.
- The transfer of an APA(I) between institutions/industry partners/supervisors/ students requires ARC approval. Transfer requests will only be considered in exceptional circumstances where there are compelling reasons and where a proposed transfer has the support of all involved parties.
- If a student discontinues their studies midway through their APA(I), and the partially expended APA(I) is reallocated, the University is under no obligation to provide the shortfall in funds required to offer a new student a three year scholarship given the grant's partial expenditure.
- For APA(I) recipients, claims for the Thesis Allowance are payable provided the thesis is submitted with 6 months of the completion of the project and the claim is lodged within 12 months of the end of the project. The maximum amounts that can be claimed are $420 for a masters thesis and $840 for a research doctorate thesis (2008 rates.)
15.4 Fay Marles Scholarships (FMS) and the Human Rights Scholarship (HRS)
The University will offer 8 FMSs in 2008 to provide support to local students:
- of Indigenous Australian descent,
- with disabilities, or
- whose academic career has been adversely affected.
Local students are Australian and New Zealand citizens and Australian permanent residents.
The University will offer 2 HRSs each year to provide support to local or international students who:
- will be undertaking postgraduate studies in the field of human rights, and
- are able to demonstrate a commitment to the peaceful advancement of respect for human rights that extends beyond their academic studies (eg. voluntary and/or work experience).
The entitlements and conditions that apply to the FMS and HRS are the same as for the MRS except:
(a) Postgraduate diploma, masters by coursework and doctorate by coursework students are eligible to apply.
(b) FMSs and HRSs will not be awarded to applicants who have previously received a MRS, FMS, HRS Scholarship for Women with Career Interruptions or a Postgraduate Scholarship for Indigenous Australians.
The following conditions also apply to FMS and HRS recipients enrolled in a graduate coursework program (postgraduate diploma, masters by coursework or doctorate by coursework):
(c) Students applying for a postgraduate coursework program must meet the entry requirements for the course for which the FMS or HRS is sought.
(d) FMSs and HRSs held by coursework students may only be held for the minimum number of points required to complete course requirements. Extensions are not possible. This means that if a postgraduate diploma course requires the completion of 100 points, the FMS or HRS payments will stop as soon as the student has undertaken 100 points. Additional payment is not possible for any further subjects that a student undertakes as a result of failing subjects, changing their area of focus, poor course planning etc.
(e) The Graduate Research Scholarships Committee (GRSC) will review the academic progress of each recipient of a FMS or HRS for a coursework program at the end of each semester. For students undertaking a coursework program, satisfactory academic progress entails successful completion of all subjects (except those for which a withdrawn or continuing result is recorded).
(f) FMSs and HRSs do not cover course/tuition fees or HECS.
(g) Coursework students will receive payments on a semester basis subject to satisfactory academic progress. The payment will be paid pro rata based on the number of points they are undertaking each semester.
For students enrolled in:
- greater than or equal to 50 points per semester, the normal full-time rate applies ($19,425 per annum for the FMS and $22,000 per annum for the HRS, in 2008).
- 37.5 points per semester, the rate will be 0.75 of the above-mentioned full-time rates.
- 25 points per semester, the rate will be the part-time rate ($10,370 per annum for the FMS and $11,885 per annum for the HRS, in 2008).
- 12.5 points per semester, the rate will be 0.5 of the above mentioned part-time rates.
(h) FMS and HRS recipients who are enrolled in a postgraduate coursework program that facilitates entry to a graduate research degree may submit a request to the Chair of the GRSC to continue to hold their FMS or HRS for all or part of a graduate research degree. The Chair of the GRSC will consider each request on a case-by-case basis, although a weighted average of at least 78% for the completed postgraduate coursework program would normally be required for the request to be approved.
(i) FMSs and HRSs are awarded to support enrolment in the specific course noted in the scholarship offer letter. Requests to change to a different course will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
(j) FMS and HRS recipients enrolled in a MPsych/PhD should note the following:
- The maximum duration of the FMS and the HRS for the MPsych/PhD course is 4 years full time equivalent (FTE). This equates to 1 year for the first year coursework component and a further 3 years for the PhD. No further extensions are possible.
- To continue to hold a FMS or a HRS beyond the first year, MPsych/PhD students need to pass all subjects in which they are enrolled (except those for which a WD, WH or CNT result has been entered.) To continue holding the scholarship for the further 3 years of the PhD component they must meet the standard PhD progress requirements.