Australia Awards Pacific Scholarships 2026 in Australia

Australia Awards Pacific Scholarships 2026 provide people from Pacific developing countries with opportunities to study at selected education institutions in the Pacific region. The purpose is to give people the opportunity to gain and build the knowledge and skills to drive positive change and influence their home country’s development.

Participating countries are: Federated States of Micronesia; Fiji; Kiribati; Marshall Islands; Nauru; Niue; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Samoa; Solomon Islands; Tonga; Tuvalu; and Vanuatu.

Applicants must be a citizen and resident in a participating country, not have permanent residence in Australia, not be married or engaged to an Australian or New Zealand citizen/permanent resident (with exceptions), meet country-specific criteria, satisfy immigration requirements, not hold another scholarship, not transfer from another scholarship, and not have held an Australian Government scholarship in the past two years.

Students study a wide range of disciplines at selected education institutions in the Pacific region. Scholarship numbers and fields are determined annually as part of Australia’s bilateral development assistance program. Some countries may limit the level of study and prioritize certain fields to meet development needs.

Entitlements generally cover a return airfare from home country to country of study, academic and other compulsory fees, an establishment allowance, and a living allowance paid fortnightly. In some countries, the living allowance may be higher when joined by family members.

Currently, scholarships are offered for study at Pacific tertiary institutions in Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, and Wallis and Futuna. Citizens of Papua New Guinea are not eligible to study outside Papua New Guinea under this scholarship.

Applicants must read the Australia Awards Pacific Scholarships Policy Handbook and direct scholarship enquiries to the relevant Australian diplomatic mission in their country. Contact addresses for each mission are provided on the official website.

Conditions include studying full-time, not changing enrolment without approval, making satisfactory academic progress, complying with employment restrictions, accepting that the scholarship may be withdrawn, returning to the home country on completion, restrictions on returning to the study country or travelling to Australia within 2 years, and repaying the scholarship if conditions are not met.

Deadlines vary by country. Applicants should contact the relevant Australian diplomatic mission in their country for specific deadline information.

In some countries, the living allowance may be paid at a higher rate when the student is joined long term by one or more family members. However, no assistance is available for the airfares of family members.