Destination Australia funds eligible tertiary education providers to offer scholarships to domestic and international students to study and live in regional Australia.
The Program
Destination Australia funds eligible tertiary education providers to offer scholarships to domestic and international students to study and live in regional Australia.
The Destination Australia Program:
- Supports regional and remote Australian tertiary education providers by promoting activities that contribute to growth and sustainability.
- Offers students from Australia and overseas the opportunity to undertake high quality education, training and research, and to experience life in regional and remote Australia.
- Ensures regions share in the social, cultural and economic benefits that international students bring.
- Helps fix areas of skills shortage by prioritising domestic and international students studying courses aligned with the National Skills Priority List.
- Provides scholarships to domestic students from underrepresented groups to enable them to access tertiary education in regional Australia.
- The Destination Australia Program defines a regional location as any area outside of Major Cities of Australia, in line with the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Australian Statistical Geography Standard Remoteness Structure.
Information for eligible tertiary education providers: Destination Australia 2024
The grant application period for academic year 2024 of the Destination Australia Program is now open via the Community Grants Hub.
The 2024 round of the program offers scholarship funding of up to $15,000 per student, per year, for approximately 551 domestic and international students commencing their studies in 2024.
Applications must be submitted by 9:00 pm on 10 August 2023. Please note this application process is for eligible tertiary education providers only and is not for students who wish to apply for a scholarship in 2024.
A webinar for eligible tertiary education providers will be held on Tuesday 25 July 2023 at 11:00 am (AEST). This webinar will provide general information on the program as well as how to apply for the grant opportunity. The webinar is not intended for students who wish to apply for a scholarship. If you would like to attend, please email destinationaustralia@education.gov.au
Destination Australia Program 2023
The 2023 round of the program offered scholarship funding of up to $15,000 per student, per year, for approximately 480 domestic and international students commencing their studies in 2023.
How do eligible students apply for a scholarship?
Students apply for scholarships directly with successful education providers.
To be eligible for a Destination Australia scholarship, students must meet the following criteria for the duration of their scholarship:
- commence a new course of full-time study with an approved provider in the 2023 academic year
- the course is one of the Australian Qualifications Framework levels from Certificate IV to PhD with a duration of one to four years
- reside in a regional area at the commencement of and during the study period (according to the Australian Statistical Geography Standard Remoteness Structure).
For an international student:
- maintain a valid student visa for the duration of their scholarship
- accept an offer of full-time study program registered on CRICOS.
For more details about available scholarships, students should contact their preferred successful education provider.
