Applicants FAQs

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

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 here to help find a supervisor and prepare a research proposal.

Yes. Employees of a State company at the central, provincial or district level are eligible to apply.

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 international or foreign invested companies are ineligible for Australia Awards Scholarships. This includes Vietnamese subsidiaries of foreign companies.

No. Applicants cannot apply for a scholarship for a second Master’s degree. The only exceptions are applicants with a disability or from disadvantaged rural areas applying for a different field of study under specific circumstances. Candidates from other groups who have commenced, but not completed, Master’s level study will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

No. All supporting documents must be submitted with your application and cannot be submitted after the scholarship application period closes.

Yes. All applicants, whether at application or as a short-listed candidate following the IELTS selection test, must have a valid IELTS (or TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic) certificate that meets the minimum IELTS requirements for designated applicant groups (see the Eligibility Criteria section).

Please note that provincial and district-level agency and Equity of Access applicants across all applicant groups do not need to submit an IELTS certificate at application. However, if shortlisted for an interview, these applicants must sit for an IELTS selection test, which is paid for by the Australia Awards office in Vietnam, and meet the minimum IELTS of 5.0 (no sub-band below 4.5).

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

All applicants, except Equity of Access applicants, must have 24 months’ 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.

Equity of Access applicants are not required to be employed for a full 24-month period, but they should have at least 12 months’ full-time relevant work experience calculated as above.

No. 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 contracts 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 an Employer Reference Letter from their current employer.

All applicants must submit their application through the OASIS system together with supporting documents by the closing date. Hard copy applications will not be accepted and will be deemed ineligible.

Please refer here for a full list of required documents. All supporting documents must be uploaded with the online Application Form in OASIS. Applications will be considered ineligible if all required documents are not provided at the time of submission.

Please note that some applicants across all applicant groups do not need to submit an IELTS certificate at application. However, if shortlisted for an interview, these applicants must sit for an IELTS selection test, which is paid by the Australia Awards office in Vietnam, and meet the minimum IELTS of 5.0 (no sub-band below 4.5).

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.

Applications will be reviewed for eligibility after they are submitted. Eligible applications will then be shortlisted for interviews by a Joint Selection Committee (JSC), comprising representatives from the Australian Embassy and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET). The interviews are conducted in English. Following interviews, the JSC will decide provisional awardees.

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.

Successful Australia Awards scholarship candidates will be notified on the outcomes of their application in August 2023.

Master’s by coursework is a degree where the course consists primarily of a series of compulsory and elective subjects. It 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.

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.

For Master’s degree studies, 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.

Applicants should carefully choose their selected course and university, to minimise the need for changes after the application is submitted

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.

Shortlisted candidates and 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 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.

It is your responsibility to identify and fulfill any contractual or other obligations to your employer.

Scholarships are available for the minimum period necessary to complete full-time study of an Australian Master’s degree qualification, as specified by the Australian education institution, including any preparatory training.

Australia Awards Scholarships applicants are not obligated to apply to Australian universities before applying for a scholarship. For awardees offered a conditional Australia Awards Scholarship, the Australia Awards office in Vietnam will manage the placement process.