2010 Benefits and Conditions for the Graduate Research Scholarships (APA, APA[I], IPRS, MRS, MIRS, MIFRS, FMS, HRS, Prestigious and Other Major Scholarships)
5. Duration of scholarships
As outlined below, the tenure (i.e. duration) of the scholarships depends on the particular scholarship and the course for which the scholarship is awarded.
General principles
(a) The duration of a scholarship will be reduced if study was undertaken towards the degree before commencement of the scholarship, during suspension of the scholarship (eg. unpaid Leave of Absence), or during the tenure of a previous Australian Postgraduate Course Award (or APA).
(b) Continued receipt of a scholarship requires satisfactory academic performance.
(c) Scholarships cannot be extended past a student's thesis submission date (ie. course completion date).
(d) Students must apply for extensions to scholarship on the appropriate form. Click here to find out how to apply for an extension to your scholarship.
(e) Section 12 outlines the other situations when a scholarship will be ceased.
Specific requirements
| Course | Maximum scholarship tenure1 | |
|---|---|---|
|
PhD and other research doctorates |
3 years - students may be granted an extension of up to six months if their candidature is also extended.
Recipients of the IPRS/MIFRS fee remission scholarships may be granted a further extension of up to six months if their candidature is also extended which is a total tenure of 4 years2. |
|
|
Masters by research |
Limited to the standard duration of the masters by research course. An extension to the scholarship is only possible if course tenure is extended. Scholarships can be held for a maximum of 2 years. |
|
|
Masters by research converted to a doctorate by research (eg. PhD) |
Up to 3 years (or 3.5 years if an extension is approved) from the date the masters was commenced. The time enrolled in the masters course is counted as part of the doctorate by research course. |
|
|
Doctorate by research (eg. PhD) converted to a masters by research |
Up to 2 years from the date the doctorate was commenced. If the scholarship has already been held for more than 2 years it will cease on the date of conversion. |
|
|
MPsych/PhD |
FMSs, HRSs, APAs and MRSs/MIRSs can be held from the second year of the course onwards (ie. for the PhD component only) and can be held for up to 3 years (or 3.5 years if an extension is approved) as for other PhDs and research doctorates.
IPRSs and MIFRSs can only be held from the second year of the course onwards and may be held for up to 4 years. |
|
|
Completing a masters by research before starting a PhD or other research doctorate |
Students who wish to commence a research doctorate within 12 months of completing a masters by research. |
In this case the scholarship that was held for the masters by research may continue to be held for the initial part of the research doctorate studies, providing:
As scholarships normally cease on completion of a course, the student must arrange their enrolment in the doctorate by research, or their Leave of Absence from the scholarship, before they submit their masters by research thesis. In these cases the scholarship may be held for a maximum of 3.5 years and students should apply for another scholarship for the remainder of their research doctorate. For example, if an APA was held for 1.5 years for the masters by research, the APA may be held for a further 2 years for the PhD. Toward the end of the 3.5 years the student should apply for other scholarships (eg. a MRS) by the scholarship closing date to cover the remainder of their PhD enrolment3. |
|
Students who complete a masters and wish to undertake a PhD or other research doctorate at a later stage. |
Students who complete a masters by research degree while holding a scholarship and who wish to pursue a PhD or other research doctorate at a later stage (ie. more than 12 months after the completing the masters) may apply for a different scholarship to support their research doctorate studies. For example, a student who held an APA while enrolled in a masters may apply for a MRS to support their PhD study3. |
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1The maximum scholarship tenure excludes periods of leave (apart from overseas study leave). All durations are expressed as FTE (ie. full-time equivalent.)
2IPRS and MIFRS recipients often hold a MIRS (a living allowance scholarship) as well. The MIRS cannot be extended beyond 3.5 years for PhD and other research doctorate students. This means that if a second 6 month extension to the IPRS or MIFRS is approved, the student would need to cover their own living expenses for the final 6 months.
3Note that completion of a masters degree while holding a scholarship does not guarantee the award of a scholarship for research doctorate (eg. PhD) study.
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