From scholarships to reimbursement of research-related travel costs, a range of funding opportunities are available to help keep you afloat financially during your HDR studies with us.
There’s even emergency assistance available for times of unexpected financial distress.
The University’s Postgraduate Research Support Scheme (PRSS) provides funding to assist eligible HDR students with certain essential expenses directly related to their research that are beyond those normally covered by their faculty or school.
The funding categories are:
You must be currently enrolled. If you are currently under an approved suspension but are scheduled to recommence your enrolment before the relevant funding round is allocated, you may apply during the research period immediately before your scheduled recommencement for funding to be allocated after your recommencement. If you are under examination, you are not eligible to apply for or receive funding.
At the application closing date, your enrolment cannot have exceeded the following full-time periods:
You also must not have completed more than the maximum allowable portion of your candidature, as set by your faculty or school, on the relevant application closing date.
You must complete your preliminary appraisal milestone if you are in your first year of candidature and have not yet completed your confirmation PEM. You will need to provide evidence of this even if it is not yet due in RECS.
If you meet all applicable eligibility requirements for PRSS, you may be able to apply through your school or faculty for a maximum of $3500 per year across one or more of the funding categories listed.
You may apply for funding from more than one category, but you should submit only one application that includes the details of all funding categories you are applying for, as submitting multiple applications will cause processing delays.
If you are an eligible doctoral student, you may receive funding up to three times during your candidature.Ìý
If you are an eligible master’s by research student, you may receive funding once during your candidature.
If you transfer from a master’s by research to a doctorate, the number of times you may receive funding will increase from one to three for the total period of your candidature (including any funding received during your master’s degree).
Application dates change each year, with one round of funding offered early in the year and a later second round offered only where there are funds remaining for that year. Applications are accepted only for a four-week period for each round.
Applications for both rounds of PRSS 2025 have now been completed and all applicants have been notified of their outcome. Further information about PRSS 2026 will be updated on the website in 2026.
Funding is available for research activities within the current calendar year. You can apply for funding in advance, for research activities yet to be undertaken within the current calendar year. You can also apply for funding retrospectively, for research activities already undertaken within the current calendar year. You cannot apply for funding for research activities undertaken in a previous calendar year, or due to be undertaken in a future calendar year.
Include all relevant receipts and invoices in your application as supporting evidence. Also include other relevant evidence, such as confirmation of your acceptance to present at a conference.
Ask your supervisor for any guidance you need about preparing your application, as this is part of your research training.
Ensure you have all relevant documentary evidence ready before you start your application, making sure to check to your particular faculty/school’s requirements. You cannot submit additional documentation once applications have closed.
Before starting your application, ensure your preferred bank account details are correct in . Go to ‘My finance’, then ‘Your finances’, select ‘Bank details’ and review your stored details, updating as required. If your application is successful, this is where your awarded funds will be deposited. If your bank account details are incorrect or missing, this will cause significant delays in payment of your awarded funds.
Along with your personal and contact information, the application form will ask for:
In addition to your completed application form, you will need to submit:
Combine all required documents ready for upload before you start your application.
Email the Higher Degree by Research Administration Centre (HDRAC)Â for further guidance with the application process.
Applications for both rounds of PRSS 2025 have now been completed and all applicants have been notified of their outcome. Further information about PRSS 2026 will be updated on the website in 2026.
Your application will be assessed and ranked against the eligibility criteria by an academic committee in your faculty or school, and you will be informed of the outcome. This process takes several weeks.
If your application is successful, the funding awarded to you will be paid into your nominated bank account as listed in .
In addition to the University’s Postgraduate Research Support Scheme, the following faculties and schools also offer funding schemes to assist their eligible HDR students with certain research-related expenses.
Doctoral Research Travel Grant Scheme
This scheme supports the faculty’s doctoral students to undertake primary research involving significant travel outside Sydney.
See the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Doctoral Research Travel Grant Scheme webpage for more information.
Each school within the faculty receives a limited yearly allowance with which to fund eligible:
Each school chooses how to administer its available funding. For details, select your school from the list below.
School of Psychology research support
For information about research support for School of Psychology HDR students, see the .
If your research requires you to travel within Australia or overseas, such as to conduct fieldwork, present at or attend a conference, there may be funding available to help cover your associated costs.
Before applying for travel-related funding, ensure you have met all administrative and other requirements as outlined under research-related travel.
°Õ³ó±ð Postgraduate Research Support Scheme provides funding for national and international research-related travel, fieldwork and conference attendance.
The University offers Grants-in-aid to support eligible domestic HDR students to undertake short-term periods of research fieldwork overseas. They do not support conference attendance.
A range of Research overseas scholarships is available to support research undertaken outside Australia, including overseas fieldwork and conference presentations.
Some faculty/school research support also provides for certain research-related travel expenses.
If you experience emergency-related or other short-term financial difficulties that affect your HDR studies, you may be eligible to apply for financial assistance from the University.
Such assistance includes bursaries, interest-free loans and financial support vouchers to assist with essential living and study costs.
If you are experiencing ongoing financial hardship, see the Financial support webpage for further information, or seek advice from the  o°ù .Ìý
Financial assistance will not be provided for: