Fees and scholarships - graduate research degrees

Getting help with the costs of study

If you are applying for candidature as a graduate researcher at La Trobe, you may apply for a stipend scholarship to assist with your living expenses. If you are an international applicant, you may also apply for a scholarship to support your tuition fees.

We offer a range of scholarships to provide stipend and tuition fee support. We advertise our available scholarships throughout the year, normally with two main application rounds opening early March and early September each year.

Domestic Candidates

If you are an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or an Australian permanent resident, and you are enrolled in a higher degree by research, you will not normally pay tuition fees. The Australian Government covers these fees through the Research Training Program (RTP).

The RTP provides eligible candidates with a fee offset scholarship for up to:

• four years' full-time equivalent study for a doctoral degree
• two years' full-time equivalent study for a Master’s by Research

Your maximum period of fee offset support is calculated from the date you commenced your higher degree by research.  If you transfer from one higher degree by research to another, your commencement date is the date you first enrolled in a research degree.

If your candidature extends beyond the maximum period of support, the University will normally charge you tuition fees up to the equivalent current value of the RTP fees offset amount for any periods of candidature beyond the maximum period of support.

The RTP fee offset value depends on the field of education of your degree.  For 2026, the values are:

• $29,000 for high-cost fields
• $12,500 for low-cost fields

Please note that an RTP Fees Offset Scholarship is not a stipend payment. The fee offset is paid directly to the University on your behalf to offset costs for tuition and institutional support of your studies. Receiving an RTP Fees Offset does not guarantee that you will also be awarded an RTP Stipend Scholarship or living allowance.

All domestic students pay a bi-annual Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). You can find details about the SSAF costs and payment options on the SSAF information page.

International Candidates

If you are an international candidate, your tuition fees will vary depending on your research area. You may apply for a full fee research scholarship to cover the cost of your tuition fees.  You can find more information on the International Fees and Scholarships page and our available scholarships page.

Are there other scholarships and funding sources?

In addition to scholarships that are administered by La Trobe, there are also a number of external scholarships.

Both prospective and current students can also search for scholarships (living allowance, top-up, travel and conference, etc.) using the Good Universities Guide Scholarship Search.

You can take also take advantage of La Trobe's subscriptions to:

• Research Professional (a database containing thousands of Australian and international research funding opportunities)
• PIVOT (a funding database of grants, fellowships, prizes and awards).

You will need to register using a computer on any La Trobe campus. Once registered you can access your account from any location.

You can also email Research Mailer to subscribe to notifications of upcoming grant opportunities, including ARC and NHMRC funding.