Accepting an offer for a joint PhD online

Before you proceed with this guide, please review the information in your offer letter. This will ensure you provide the correct information when completing your online acceptance and will help with avoiding delays in processing your acceptance. To complete your online acceptance you will need electronic copies of the following supporting documents:

• A copy of your passport
• Evidence of your Overseas Student Health Cover Premium (OSHC), if applicable (more information is available in the ‘Update your details’ tab).
• Evidence of your scholarship offer, if applicable.

Log in

Use your student ID number provided in your offer letter and password to log into the Online Acceptance Portal. If you need to re-set your password, please visit the Student Account Management page.

Select your offer

Select the ‘Complete Agreement’ button to begin accepting your offer. As it is possible to have more than one offer, please ensure you select the offer you wish to accept.

Review Offer Details

Ensure that all the information related to your offer is correct.

Note: Please ignore the information on Tuition Fees – This will not apply as you have been offered a fee remission scholarship or provided with a Fee Exempt offer.

Review Important Information (if applicable)

The ‘Important information’ section will include additional information regarding your course or offer that you need to be aware of where applicable.

Check your personal details

If required,  click the ‘Update Personal Details’ button to update your details. Once they are accurate, that they match the information in your passport, tick the box directly underneath the ‘Update Personal Details’ button to confirm.

Check your contact details

Update your contact details if required and include an emergency contact person.

Choose your institution scenario

Home institution - You will spend the majority of your study time at the University of Melbourne.

Host institution - You will spend the majority of your study time at the partner institution.

What is your expected date of commencement as agreed with your supervisor?

Enter the estimated commencement date of your PhD (taking into account visa processing time). This date should be within the course commencement period mentioned in your offer letter.

Are you completing a Joint PhD?

Answer ‘Yes’

What is the period you will be studying at The University of Melbourne?

Start date – not required

End date – not required

Are you completing your course at The University of Melbourne?

Answer ‘Yes’, even if the dates for when you will be at each institution are not yet determined. We will then ensure that your health cover arrangements are extended to 8 months after the end date on your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) so that your student visa will cover the entire period of your degree, plus the examination period.

Continue to ‘update your details’

What is your expected date of commencement as agreed with your supervisor?

Enter the expected commencement of your PhD irrespective of your location. This date should be within the course commencement period mentioned in your offer letter.

Are you completing a Joint PhD?

Answer ‘Yes’

What is the period you will be studying at The University of Melbourne?

Provide the dates that you are going to be in Australia. These dates will be used for your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) which is the document required for your student visa application.

If you are not sure when you will travel, leave this blank. You can request this at a later date if required by indicating your intention in the Supporting Information and Documents section.

Start date – not required unless requesting a COE for visa application.

End date – not required unless requesting a COE for visa application.

Are you completing your course at The University of Melbourne?

Answer ‘No’ to this question unless you plan to be in Australia for the submission of your thesis and the examination period.

Note: if you are not going to be at the University of Melbourne for the completion of your PhD you must make health cover arrangements for the time you will be studying here plus a minimum of 2 months beyond the end date  of your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).

If your response is “Yes” then you must make health cover arrangements for the time you will be studying here plus a minimum of 8 months beyond the end date  of your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). This ensures your student visa will cover the thesis examination period.

Continue to ‘update your details’

Update your passport and visa details

This information will be used for your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) and must match the information that will be provided when applying for your visa.

1. Scan and upload your passport.
2. Select where you will be applying for your student visa:
   • ‘Australia’ (onshore); or
   • ‘Other Country’ (Offshore).
   • ‘I do not need a student visa’:  if you have a different visa that allows you to study in Australia or are delaying the application for a student visa because you are not commencing at the University of Melbourne.

If you already have a valid Australian visa or are in the process of applying for one you will also need to provide the details of the visa.

Overseas Health Cover

The University can arrange your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for you. The cover arranged by the University will be with BUPA. If you have a University of Melbourne scholarship that includes OSHC cover, indicate that ‘Yes’ you would like the University to arrange OSHC for you.

• For candidates where the University of Melbourne is their Home Institution, the cover will be for the entire length of your PhD plus the examination period (56 months).
• For candidates where the University of Melbourne is their Host Institution, the cover required will be for the period that you are planning to be in Australia.

Alternatively, you can indicate ‘No’ to arrange and purchase cover yourself.

If you do not know your travel dates at the time of completing your acceptance, you should follow the instructions for selecting ‘No’.

If you select “Yes”

• The cost of a single person OSHC will usually be included in the scholarship if you have a University of Melbourne scholarship.  Note: if you have a University of Melbourne scholarship which includes OSHC but you require either Couple or Family cover, you will be expected to pay the difference between the cost of that cover and the Single level cover.
• If the University of Melbourne is not your Home institution, the arrangements for your OSHC cover are outlined in your “Individual Graduate Researcher Agreement”.
  • If your Home institution should pay it, and you want the University of Melbourne to arrange it for you, you will likely need to pay for OSHC upfront and seek reimbursement from your Home Institution.
  • Payment method options are outlined in your offer letter.
  • Select what level or duration of OSHC cover you need and the type of policy to be ordered (Single, Couple, Family).

If you select “No”

• Provide the name of the OSHC provider that you will be using to cover the entire duration of your course or your stay in Australia.
• if you have checked and confirmed that you do not need OSHC because the University of Melbourne is your host institution or you do not know the dates when you will be studying at the University of Melbourne or you require additional cover please select any provider from the drop-down list.

You will need to enter a comment in the “Supporting Information and Documents - additional information” free text box at the end of the agreement. For example, the comment might read:

‘As a joint PhD candidate with (NAME OF UNIVERSITY) as my Home institution, I do not require OSHC or CoE at this time. I will contact the University once my travel dates for Australia are clear and I am ready to start applying for my visa.’ OR ‘I have confirmed that I do not require OSHC due to my nationality and/or visa type’.

Evidence of Payment - Tuition Fee Deposit & OSHC

Joint PhD candidates are not required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are covered by either a UoM scholarship (if University of Melbourne is your Home Institution) or by a Fee Exempt course offer (if your Home institution is the partner institution).

If you selected “Yes” to the previous section and;

• You were required to pay upfront for your OSHC, select the relevant method of payment was used, the amount paid (in Australian dollars) and upload a copy of the receipt; or
• You have a University of Melbourne scholarship which includes OSHC, select ‘Scholarship’ as the first answer and then upload a copy of your scholarship letter.

If you selected “No” to the previous section:

1. Select ‘Scholarship’ from the drop down list as the method of payment if you have a Fee Exempt offer and you do not need the University to arrange OSHC at this time.
2. Upload a copy of your Course offer letter (which mentions it is fee Exempt) to this section.

Education Agent nomination (if applicable)

Confirm the details of the education agent if you nominated an education agent who assisted you with your application.

If you have changed your nominated education agent, update your Education Agent Nomination and Authorisation Forms and upload these forms here.

Continue to ‘submitting your acceptance’

Supporting Information and Documents

Upload any additional supporting documents and comments explaining your earlier responses to assist the University in processing your acceptance agreement.

This may include:

• Information about why you may not require OSHC
• a copy of your Individual Graduate Researcher Agreement – even if it is yet to be completed
• your scholarship information; etc.

Submit

Read the University of Melbourne’s international offer acceptance terms and conditions before submitting the agreement form. The submit button will disappear once the application has been submitted.

Note: No further changes can be made to your agreement unless the Admissions department contacts you for further information.

The Admissions department will process your acceptance and issue a CoE if required.  They will:

• place your acceptance on hold and contact you via email if further information is required;
• change your status to ‘Cancelled’ and contact you if there is an issue with the Agreement itself and request you to amend the details in the agreement by accessing the ‘Complete Agreement’ button once more and re-submit the acceptance agreement;
• send you an email with instructions about the next steps when your acceptance has been successfully processed.