"ANU International Scholarships" is a bit misleading as a name, because there is no single ANU scholarship you apply for. The Australian National University runs a large set of awards for international students: tuition fee waivers for undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students, stipends for research students, travel grants, relocation allowances and smaller bursaries. Some are generous, some are modest, and the rules change from one award to the next. If you are a Pakistani student thinking about Canberra, the useful question is which of these awards you can realistically get and how much of your costs it will leave uncovered. You can see the full scholarship details on our listing as well.
This guide looks at the main award types, who they suit, and the steps that decide whether you get considered at all.
A family of awards, not one scholarship
ANU groups its scholarships by purpose. Some reward academic excellence, some recognise athletic performance, and some recognise leadership. A portion is reserved for international students, while others are open to the wider student body based on merit or specific criteria. There are also prestigious and external scholarships listed through ANU, funded by global partners and industry bodies.
The awards cover several study levels:
- Undergraduate (bachelor)
- Honours
- Postgraduate coursework (masters)
- Graduate certificate
- Postgraduate research (HDR), which includes PhD and Master of Philosophy
Fields listed include arts and social sciences, business and economics, health, medicine and psychology, law, governance and policy, security, international affairs and Asia-Pacific studies, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | Australian National University |
| Country | Australia |
| Funding | Full or partial, depending on the award |
| Levels | Undergraduate, honours, masters, graduate certificate, HDR |
| Deadline | Varies by award. Confirm on the official site |
| Official site | ANU scholarship search |
How much money is actually on the table
The amounts depend heavily on which award you land. Here is what the main categories look like.
Tuition discounts for coursework students
The ANU International Achievement Award gives a tuition fee waiver of 20%, 25% or 50% for up to 4 years. The Vice-Chancellor's International Achievement Award gives a 20% tuition fee discount in the first year.
Be realistic about what this means. Even the top tier of the International Achievement Award leaves half of your tuition to pay, and none of these waivers covers rent, food or flights. For most Pakistani families, a 20% or 25% waiver is a helpful discount on an expensive degree, not a way to make it affordable. Before you count on it, work out the remaining tuition plus living costs and check that you can show those funds for your visa. Our guide on bank statements and proof of funds covers how that side works.
Research stipends for PhD and MPhil students
Research students are where ANU funding is strongest. PhD and Master of Philosophy scholarships provide an annual stipend, with the full-time base rate listed at $39,069 AUD per annum. These awards are meant to support scholars through their candidature. If you have a strong research profile and a clear project, this is the route where full funding is a real possibility, which is why the "Full / Partial" label on ANU's funding needs reading carefully. Full support mostly sits at the research end.
Smaller grants
- Travel grants of up to $5,000 per annum for specific programs
- Relocation allowances for select honours scholarships
- Bursaries for specific study tours or field trips
Some of these are one-off payments and others are annual. Read the terms of each award so you know which one you are looking at.
Eligibility depends on the award you pick
Each ANU award has its own conditions, but the common ones are:
- For international-specific awards, you must be an international student.
- You must meet the academic entry requirements for your chosen program.
- Some awards need specific academic merit or high achievement.
- Some are restricted to particular colleges or fields of study.
- Most awards require you to keep full-time enrolment.
- Indigenous Australian and equity-based scholarships have their own specific criteria.
A Pakistani student applying from Pakistan counts as an international student, so the international-specific awards are the natural place to start. Even so, check each award's conditions for your nationality and student status, because some are limited to certain colleges, fields or groups. Skip the Indigenous Australian and equity-based awards unless their criteria clearly apply to you.
The full-time enrolment rule matters more than people think. If you plan to study part-time or drop your load later, most awards will not work for you.
The admission application does most of the work
The most useful fact about ANU scholarships is that many are given through automatic consideration. The ANU International Achievement Award is one example. You apply for your degree, and the university considers you for the award as part of admission. No separate form.
Other grants and bursaries need a formal application. The ANU search tool has an "Application requirement" filter that tells you which type each award is. Use it. The mistake we see is students assuming everything is automatic and missing a separate form, or assuming everything needs a form and spending weeks on essays nobody asked for.
Because automatic awards are tied to admission, applying for your degree early makes sense. Applying early means you are in the pool for every relevant automatic scholarship.
Paperwork for ANU scholarship applications
Requirements vary by award, but expect some or all of these:
- Academic transcripts
- Proof of English language proficiency
- Letters of recommendation, if the scholarship asks for them
- A statement of purpose or personal statement, if required
- A research proposal, for HDR applicants
Pakistani applicants often need certified or attested copies of transcripts for admission, so start the attestation process before you need it. Our IBCC and MOFA attestation guide explains the steps. For PhD and MPhil hopefuls, the research proposal is the document that deserves the most time. It is what shows you have a project worth a stipend.
Applying, in order
- Search for scholarships on the official ANU scholarship portal, filtering by study level, area of interest and student status.
- For each award, check whether it needs a separate application or comes through automatic consideration.
- Apply for admission to your chosen ANU degree program.
- Submit any scholarship-specific application forms before the stated deadline.
- Track your application status through the ANU student portal.
Deadlines move from award to award
There is no single closing date. Deadlines vary by award, so confirm each one on the official site. Since automatic awards follow your admission application, your real deadline for those is effectively the admission timeline for your program. For awards with separate forms, write down each deadline the moment you find it in the search tool.
Who this suits, and who should look elsewhere
ANU works well for two groups. The first is research students with a strong academic record and a defined project, who can aim for a PhD or MPhil stipend. The second is coursework students who can already fund most of their degree and want a tuition discount on top.
If you need a fully funded bachelor's or master's degree, be careful. The coursework awards described here are partial tuition waivers, and you would still need to cover living costs and the rest of the fees yourself. In that case, compare ANU with other options in all Australia scholarships before deciding.
A few more practical points:
- Use the filters properly. Searching by study level and student type cuts the list down to awards you can actually get.
- Read each award's terms. One-off and annual payments look similar in a list and are very different over a four-year degree.
- If an eligibility rule is unclear, contact the ANU admissions or scholarship office directly rather than guessing.
- Do not treat a tuition waiver as proof of funding for your visa. You still need to show you can cover the remaining costs.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate application for every ANU scholarship?
No. Many ANU scholarships, including the ANU International Achievement Award, are awarded through automatic consideration when you apply for your degree. Some grants and bursaries do need a separate application, so check the "Application requirement" filter for each one.
Can Pakistani students apply?
Awards marked for international students are open to students with international status, which covers Pakistani applicants studying from Pakistan. Each award has its own conditions, though, so confirm the criteria for your nationality, field and college on the official site.
Is any ANU scholarship fully funded?
Funding is listed as full or partial. The research stipends for PhD and MPhil students, at a full-time base rate of $39,069 AUD per annum, are the closest to full support. The coursework awards are tuition discounts of 20%, 25% or 50%.
Are there scholarships for PhD students?
Yes. ANU offers several PhD and Master of Philosophy scholarships, including the ANU PhD Scholarship, which provides an annual stipend.
How do I find awards in my field?
Use the filter on the ANU scholarship search page to pick your area of study, such as science, law or arts, along with your study level and student type.
For current awards, deadlines and terms, check the official ANU scholarship site, and see our ANU scholarship page for the full details.