The Australia Awards are prestigious international scholarships funded by the Australian Government. They offer the next generation of global leaders an opportunity to undertake study, research and professional development in Australia. The Awards strive to develop leadership potential and stimulate lasting change by empowering a global network of talented individuals through high-quality education experiences in Australia and overseas.

Graduates return home with new ideas and knowledge, and the ability to make a significant contribution to their home countries as leaders in their field.

The Australia Awards, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT), consist of the Australia Awards Scholarships and Australia Awards Short Course Awards.

The Australia Awards Scholarships are a key component of Australia’s bilateral aid program for Vietnam and are awarded each year to meet Vietnam’s priority human resource and development needs and improve links between Australia and Vietnam. For Intake 2025, Australia Awards Scholarships for Masters studies are available for Vietnamese applicants who meet selection requirements and criteria in the priority fields of study for Vietnam.

Note: Australia Awards Short Courses are only available under Aus4Skills non-scholarship human resource development components.

A ‘Formal degree’ is ‘Bang chinh quy’.

‘Bang tai chuc‘ and ‘Bang Chuyen Tu‘ are not formal degrees and are not eligible for an Australia Awards Scholarship. ‘Bang Lien Thong‘ is considered a formal degree if the applicant has graduated from a three-year college course.

Masters by Research applicants should show evidence of contacting a potential supervisor with their application and should supply evidence of past research and highlight outcomes. Please refer to guidance on How to find a supervisor and how to prepare a research proposal.

Yes. If you are an employee of a state company at the central, provincial or district level.

Yes. If you are working on a Government project at the central, provincial, or district level and are not a Government employee, you are eligible to apply for Australia Awards Scholarships if you meet the eligibility requirements of your respective applicant group (see the Eligibility Criteria section).

No. Employees of foreign or foreign-invested companies cannot apply and are ineligible. This includes Vietnamese subsidiaries of foreign companies.

Only applicants with disabilities from foreign companies are considered eligible and can apply if they meet the eligibility criteria.

No. Applicants cannot apply for a scholarship for a second master’s degree. However, disadvantaged applicants (person with disability or rural disadvantaged applicants who eligible to the awards’ equity support policy) could apply for a different field of study from their previous master’s degree.

Candidates from other groups who have commenced but not completed master level study will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

 * IELTS, TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic certificates will be valid if the tests have been on or after 1 January 2023. Valid certificates if required must be submitted with the online application by 30 April 2024 and will not be accepted if submitted after that date.

No, these test certificates cannot be submitted after the scholarship application period closes on 30 April 2024.

Yes, they need to have an IELTS Academic (or TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic) certificate. All applicants, whether at application or as a short-listed candidate following the IELTS selection test, must have a valid IELTS Academic (or TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic) certificate that meets the minimum English language requirements for the designated application groups.

The 24-month full-time work experience is calculated from the day of course completion shown on the university transcript to the scholarship application closing date, which should be supported by a work contract or official recruitment decision for government employees.

All applicants, except disadvantaged applicants, must have 24-month full-time recent relevant work experience in Vietnam by the scholarship application closing date.

Any probation period will be included as part of the 24-month calculation. Work experience undertaken during studies will not be taken into account.

Disadvantaged applicants are not required to be employed for a full 24-month period, but they should have at least 12-month full-time relevant work experience calculated as set out above.

No. The work experience does not have to be continuous or with the same employer but should be recent and relevant to your proposed field of study.

All applicants must submit certified copies of work contract(s) with their application, or official recruitment decision(s) if they are government employees, to prove they have the required period of relevant full-time work experience. These documents do not have to be translated into English. All applicants are also required to submit with their application an Employer Reference Letter from their current employer.

All applicants MUST submit their application online through the OASIS system together with supporting documentation by 30 April 2024. Hard-copy applications will not be accepted and will be deemed ineligible.

A list of supporting documents must be uploaded with the online application form. Failure to provide all required documents may make an application ineligible. Please refer to Supporting Documents for the full list of required documents.

Please note that disadvantaged applicants across all applicant groups or applicants that an English language test result is not required at the application stage do not need to submit an English language certificate with their application. However, if shortlisted for an interview, applicants from these groups must sit for an IELTS selection test, which is paid by Aus4Skills, and meet the English language requirement of the respective groups of applicants.

University academic transcripts can be certified by the Rector, Deputy Rector, the Head of the Training Department or Deputy Head of the Training Department of the university/college or by a Public Notary. Other documents must be certified by a Public Notary.

Following confirmation of eligibility, applications will be shortlisted. A Joint Selection Committee (JSC) comprising representatives from the Australian Embassy and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) decides the shortlisted applicants for interview and, following interviews, the Australia Awards provisional awardees. The selection process includes an interview in English for all short-listed candidates. Applicants are assessed on the basis of merit, transparency and equal access based on the following factors:

• academic competence
• potential outcome, specifically the contribution to development outcomes in Vietnam and to promoting relationships between Vietnam and Australia
• professional and personal leadership attributes including relevant work experience.

Australia Awards Scholarships candidates will be notified of the outcomes of their applications in August 2024.

A master’s by coursework is a degree where the course consists primarily of a series of compulsory and elective subjects. A master’s by coursework usually involves attendance at lectures, tutorials or laboratory classes, depending on the course and university. A master’s by coursework may also contain a minor thesis or research subject in one semester.

A master’s by research is awarded following the completion of a major thesis, involving original research, under the supervision of a senior academic (called a supervisor). Normally there are no lectures or classes, although some master’s by research degrees may also include one or two compulsory subjects.

Split courses are currently unavailable under Australia Awards Scholarships Intake 2025.

For master’s degree, applicants who nominate a course in a field of study in Australia that is different from their academic background can still be considered, depending on their relevant work experience and career goals. In the application, you must demonstrate how you would use the knowledge and skills gained in your proposed studies to advance Vietnam’s development when you return from Australia. You should also consider whether you have sufficient academic and work background in the nominated field of study to meet entry requirements and successfully complete the course.

In the first instance, applicants should choose carefully courses in order to minimise the need to change courses after their application.

Applicants must choose courses in both preference 1 and preference 2 in the same field of study. If applicants choose courses in different fields of study, they will be required to change one course so that both courses are in the same field of study.

Conditional awardees are only allowed to change courses in exceptional circumstances. The change will be considered on a case-by-case basis with the condition that i) the new course selected must be in the same field of study, ii) be relevant to the candidate’s work experience and/or career objectives and iii) be supported by their employer if currently employed.

At the placement stage, if conditional candidates cannot satisfy the academic requirements and minimum IELTS Academic overall score of 6.5 (no sub-band below 6.0) (or TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic equivalent) or higher as per the English language entry requirement of their selected courses at an Australian university, which have been approved by the Joint Selection Committee, then their scholarship may be withdrawn.

It is your responsibility to fulfill your contract’s obligations or any other agreements with your employer.

The scholarship will be available for full-time study of an Australian master qualification for the minimum period necessary for the individual to complete the academic program specified by the Australian education institution including any preparatory training.

The notable changes for Intake 2025 include:

• Lower English language and GPA requirements for applicants from research institutions.
• Removal of UN agencies and Embassies from the applicant groups.
• Eligibility for a second master degree for disadvantaged applicants (person with disability or rural disadvantaged applicants who eligible to the awards’ equity support policy).

Australia Awards Scholarships applicants are not obligated to apply to Australian universities before applying for a scholarship. The placement process will be arranged by Aus4Skills for the awardees after they have been selected for a conditional Australia Awards Scholarship.