Australia Awards Scholarships in Pakistan

Priority Areas

• Australia Awards scholarships will be offered to professionals working in sectors that support Pakistan to achieve sustainable development with particular focus on climate change, gender equality, water security, agriculture, governance, and inclusive development.
• The governments of Australia and Pakistan regularly review these areas of study together and adjust the emphasis of the program.

Benefits

• Scholarship recipients will receive the following:
  • Return air travel
  • A one-off establishment allowance on arrival
  • Full tuition fees
  • Contribution to living expenses
  • Introductory academic program
  • Overseas student health cover for the duration of the scholarship
  • Supplementary academic support
  • Fieldwork allowance for research students and masters by coursework which has a compulsory fieldwork component

Eligibility Criteria

• English Language Proficiency
• Applicants must have achieved an IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 or higher (with no individual band score of less than 6.0) or an equivalent TOEFL or PTE score. Scores must be valid at 1 January 2026.
• Commencement of study
• All scholarships must be taken up in the year they are awarded. Country-specific conditions
• In addition to the eligibility requirements, candidates from Pakistan must also meet the following conditions:
• Be a Pakistani citizen currently residing in Pakistan and applying for the scholarship from Pakistan.
• Not be a citizen of Australia, hold permanent residency in Australia or be applying for a visa to live in Australia permanently.
• Have completed 16 years of education and five years of relevant work experience in Pakistan.
• Not be more than 45 years of age at the time of submitting the application.
• People with a disability who meet the eligibility criteria may submit an application with an IELTS score of 6.0 with no band less than 5.0, but if they are selected, they must re-sit an English Language Proficiency test (to be arranged by Australia Awards – Pakistan) and achieve the required score before they can take up their scholarship.
• Submit a Development Impact and Linkages Plan, which outlines clear objectives and motivations to contribute to development in Pakistan.
• Return to Pakistan at the completion of their study for at least two years.
• Scholarships will not be available for courses of study in Australia where the applicant has already achieved that qualification and the qualification is deemed to be equivalent to the Australian qualification.
• Australia Awards will request recognition of prior learning for all scholarship recipients from Pakistan. If this request is granted, the recipient may be placed in a degree program that may be shorter in duration than for the one he or she originally applied.

Application Requirements

• Completed Development Impact and Linkages Plan (DILP). Template is available on the Australia Awards – Pakistan website closer to the application opening date.
• Tertiary degree certificates (Bachelor’s and Master’s level) – both sides of all degrees should be copied.
• Academic transcripts (Bachelor’s and Master’s level) both sides of all transcripts should be copied.
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) – Template is available on the Australia Awards – Pakistan website.
• IELTS, TOEFL or PTE results valid as at 1 January 2026.
• Academic referee reports (two reports for Master’s by Research applicants; one for Master’s by Coursework applicants).
• Employment referee report.
• No objection certificate for public sector applicants.

For more information, visit DFAT.