The Western Australian Premier's University Scholarship is a state government award that takes AUD $50,000 off the tuition bill of a high-achieving international postgraduate student. It is funded by the Government of Western Australia and run with five universities in and around Perth. There are only ten awards per cycle, so it is small and competitive, but the rules are simple and the money is real.
This guide explains how the award works, where Pakistani applicants need to be careful, and how to time your application. You can also read the full scholarship details here.
A tuition discount, not a living allowance
The first thing to understand is the shape of the money. The AUD $50,000 is a one-off contribution applied as a reduction against your course tuition fees. It is not paid to you as cash. It is spread across the early part of your program, and how it is distributed depends on the total cost of your course.
That makes it partial funding. Rent, food, transport and everything else in Perth stay on your side of the ledger. If you are planning on this award alone, you are planning wrong. Think of it as something that makes an Australian master's affordable when combined with your own funds, family support or savings, and build your budget on that basis.
The upside is that there is no service commitment attached. You do not owe research hours, teaching work or a return obligation for the award itself. You study your course, and the discount sits on your tuition account.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provider | Government of Western Australia, in partnership with WA universities |
| Funding | Partial: one-off AUD $50,000 tuition fee reduction |
| Level | Master's and Postgraduate Diploma (full-time, at least two years) |
| Fields | All fields |
| Number of awards | Ten per cycle, two at each of five universities |
| Deadline | Varies by university; typically opens around March and closes by late May for a semester 1 start |
| Country | Australia (Western Australia) |
| Official site | UWA Premier's University Scholarship page |
Two awards per university, five universities
The scholarship is delivered jointly with the University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, and the University of Notre Dame Australia (Fremantle campus). Each university gets two scholarships. That is how the total of ten is reached.
This matters more than people realise. You are not competing in one big state-wide pool. You are competing for one of two places at the university you applied to, and each university runs its own selection on top of the shared state rules. The award value is identical everywhere, so choose the university for its strength in your field, not because you think one is a softer target. Nobody can tell you that reliably, and a course you do not want is a poor trade for a tuition discount.
Where Pakistani applicants need to check first
Eligibility is limited to citizens of a defined list of eligible countries or passport holders. The examples given include India, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Kenya and Brazil, "among others". Pakistan is not named in that list of examples. That does not prove Pakistan is excluded, but it does mean you should not assume you qualify.
Before you spend money on applications, open the current guidelines on your chosen university's scholarship page and look for Pakistan on the eligible-country list. The list can be updated between intakes, so last year's version is not good enough. If Pakistan is not there, this award is not for you, and your time is better spent on other options in our guide to all Australia scholarships.
The rest of the eligibility rules
If your nationality is on the list, the remaining conditions are:
- You must be a first-time international student to Western Australia. If you have studied there before, you are out.
- You need a full, unconditional offer for a full-time postgraduate program of at least two years at a participating WA university, starting in the relevant semester.
- You must be eligible for, or already hold, an Australian Subclass 500 (Student) Visa.
- You cannot be receiving another government or institutional scholarship covering the same costs.
The two-year rule catches people. Many Australian coursework master's programs are shorter, and a shorter course is not eligible. Check the duration printed on your offer letter, not the duration you assumed from the course webpage. The scholarship also lists Postgraduate Diplomas as an eligible level, but the same two-year full-time minimum applies, so confirm with the university that your specific program meets it.
Undergraduates cannot apply. This is a postgraduate award only.
The offer letter comes before everything else
The order of steps is what trips most applicants up. You cannot apply for the scholarship until you hold a full offer for your course. So the real first step is your admission application, and it needs to go in early enough that the offer arrives before the university's internal scholarship deadline.
- Apply for admission to a full-time postgraduate program of at least two years at one of the five participating universities.
- When your full offer arrives, go to that university's dedicated Premier's Scholarship page and find its application form and its internal deadline.
- Submit the scholarship application with your academic records, passport details and any written responses the university asks for.
- The university assesses applicants on academic excellence and the quality of the application, against the shared state criteria.
- Successful applicants are notified, commonly around August, and the award is applied directly to their tuition account.
The UWA listing is the official link here, but if you are applying to Curtin, Edith Cowan, Murdoch or Notre Dame, you apply through that university's own scholarship portal. The StudyPerth international scholarships overview is a useful starting point for finding the other universities' pages.
What goes into the application
The paperwork is lighter than many government scholarships. Expect to provide:
- Your university offer letter for an eligible postgraduate program
- The completed scholarship application form, submitted through the specific university's portal
- Academic transcripts and degree certificates
- A passport copy confirming eligible citizenship
- A statement or answers to qualitative scholarship questions, if the host university requires them
Because selection weighs application quality as well as grades, the written answers carry weight. Generic text about "wanting to study in a multicultural environment" will not separate you from a stack of applicants with similar marks. Be specific about your field, what you have already done in it, and why this course at this university fits. For Pakistani transcripts and degrees, get your attestation sorted early; our IBCC and MOFA attestation guide covers the process.
Reading the March to August timeline
The typical cycle runs like this, though the exact dates change every intake and differ between universities:
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| March | Applications open |
| Late May | Application deadline (varies by university) |
| June-July | Selection and review |
| August | Outcome notification |
| February/March of the following year | Program starts (semester 1) |
Treat late May as the outer edge, not the target. University-level deadlines can close well before the general window ends. Confirm the exact deadline on your chosen university's portal, and work backwards from it: if you need an unconditional offer by then, your admission application, English test results and documents need to be done months earlier.
Who this suits, and who should look elsewhere
This award suits a strong academic applicant who already wants a two-year postgraduate program in Perth, has a realistic plan to pay living costs and the remaining tuition, and whose nationality is on the current eligible list. For that person, AUD $50,000 off tuition is a meaningful saving, and Perth's lower cost of living compared with Sydney or Melbourne stretches it further.
It does not suit someone who needs a fully funded scholarship to go abroad at all. With only ten places and a partial award, you also should not pin your whole plan on it. Apply, but keep your admission and funding plans workable without it. Your visa application will need to show you can cover your costs either way, and our guide to proof of funds for study abroad explains what that looks like.
Mistakes that cost applicants the award
- Waiting for an offer that arrives after the university's internal scholarship deadline.
- Applying with a course shorter than two years full-time.
- Accepting another government or institutional scholarship covering the same costs before this one is confirmed. Hold off until you know.
- Relying on an old eligible-country list instead of the current one.
- Having studied in Western Australia before, which rules you out as a first-time student.
Frequently asked questions
How many scholarships are awarded each year?
Ten in total, with two at each of the five participating universities: UWA, Curtin, Edith Cowan, Murdoch and Notre Dame Australia.
Is the AUD $50,000 paid to me as cash?
No. It is applied as a tuition fee reduction across the early part of your program. Living costs are yours to cover.
Can Pakistani students apply?
Only if Pakistan appears on the current eligible-country list. The published examples do not name Pakistan, so check the guidelines on your chosen university's scholarship page before applying.
Can I hold this alongside another scholarship?
No. You must not be receiving another government or institutional scholarship that covers the same costs.
Do I apply to the state government or to the university?
To the university. Each of the five universities runs its own application and selection, so you submit through the scholarship portal of the university that gave you the offer.
Is there a work or service requirement?
No separate work, research or service commitment is attached to the award itself.
Check the current rules and dates on the official scholarship website and your chosen university's portal, and see the full scholarship page for a summary of the key details.