Graduate research scholarship terms and conditions

1. Introduction

The Graduate Research Scholarships Terms and Condition apply to various graduate research scholarships offered by the University of Melbourne, including but not limited to the Melbourne Research Scholarship and Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

The University reserves the right to make minor amendments to these terms and conditions without prior notice.

2. Definitions

• Compassionate and compelling circumstance mean circumstances that are generally beyond the student's control and have an impact on the student's ability to study, for instance: serious illness or injury, pregnancy or childbirth, care responsibilities for dependants, visa processing delays, traumatic experiences, and political upheaval or natural disaster in the student’s home country.
• Full-time student means a student who undertakes a full-time enrolment as defined by the Enrolment and Timetabling Policy (MPF1294).
• Offer year means the offer year specified in your scholarship offer.
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) means OSHC Essential (Single, Multi or Family) arranged by the University.
• Part-time student means a student who undertakes a part-time enrolment as defined by the Enrolment and Timetabling Policy (MPF1294).
• Your course means the course specified in your scholarship offer.
• Working day means any day that a student is deemed to be enrolled in their course.

3. Benefits

Benefits vary between scholarships. The benefits that apply to your Scholarship are specified in your scholarship offer and may include one or more of the benefits defined in this clause.

3.1 Stipend (Living allowance)

1. The yearly stipend rate for full-time students is stated in your scholarship offer.
2. The yearly stipend rate for part-time students is 50 per cent of the full-time student rate
3. Stipends are paid fortnightly from the commencement date of the Scholarship.

3.2 Fee offset

A fee offset is a fee remission or exemption that cover the course tuition fees for the maximum duration of the Scholarship. Students who remain enrolled beyond the end date of their scholarship may become liable for paying the remaining tuition fees.

3.3 Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

1. Unless otherwise specified in your scholarship offer, the University will provide visa length OSHC Single membership for students who require a Student Visa to study in Australia.
2. The University will either:
   1. arrange OSHC on your behalf with the University’s preferred OSHC provider after you have accepted your course and scholarship offer, or
   2. reimburse the cost upon provision of a receipt if you have arranged your own OSHC membership up to the scheduled value used by the University’s preferred OSHC provider.

3.4 Relocation allowance

1. The University will pay a relocation allowance to students who:
   1. were living overseas or interstate at the time of applying for the scholarship,
   2. have not studied at an institution in Victoria within 12 months prior to applying for the scholarship, and
   3. had to relocate to Melbourne to commence their course of study at the University of Melbourne
2. The allowance is usually included in the first payment of the stipend. The value of the allowance is:
   1. A$2,000 for student who have relocated from interstate, or
   2. A$3,000 for students who have relocated from outside Australia
3. The University will pay a relocation allowance with a value of $3,000 to students who are participating in an approved Joint PhD program. The allowance will be paid upon notification of relocation to or from Australia.

3.5 Thesis Allowance

1. If you must lodge a hard copy of your thesis as a course completion requirement, the University will reimburse the cost related to the production of a thesis (e.g. printing, binding) upon presentation of receipts.
2. Requests for reimbursement must be made within 6 months of the date of purchase.
3. The maximum value of this allowance is:
   1. A$420 for a Master degree thesis
   2. A$840 for a Doctoral degree thesis

4. Conditions

4.1 Enrolment

1. Your scholarship is conditional on maintaining full-time enrolment in your course at the University of Melbourne.
2. If you are enrolled as a full-time student and received approval to enrol as a part-time student, your stipend will resume at the part-time stipend rate from the date that approval is given up to the maximum full-time equivalent duration of the Scholarship. You must provide the University with a Tax File Number Declaration form and stipend payments may be subject to income tax. Your fee offset will not be affected.
3. If you are enrolled as a part-time student and received approval to enrol as a full-time student, your stipend will resume at the full-time student rate from the date that approval is given up to the maximum full-time equivalent duration of the Scholarship. Your fee offset will not be affected.

4.2 Commencement of scholarship

1. You must commence the Scholarship in the year for which the scholarship was offered (offer year).
2. Commencement of scholarships cannot be deferred to a following year unless the deferral is requested by the enrolling faculty or graduate school.
3. If you commence your course in the offer year specified in your scholarship offer, the Scholarship will commence on the day that you start your course.
4. If you have commenced your course prior to the offer year specified in your scholarship offer, the Scholarship will commence on, whichever is later, the 1 January of the year for which the Scholarship was offered or the day that you accept your scholarship offer.

4.3 Duration of scholarship

Unless otherwise specified in your scholarship offer, the following applies:

1. The maximum duration of a stipend and fee offset for students undertaking a Master degree is 2 years full-time equivalent
2. The maximum duration of a stipend is 3.5 years full-time equivalent and the maximum duration of a fee offset is 4 years full-time equivalent for students undertaking a Doctoral degree.
3. The duration of the Scholarship will be reduced by any periods of study undertaken previously towards the course for which the scholarship is awarded.

4.4 Recreational and standard sick leave

The stipend will not be suspended or extended when you take:

1. Recreation leave from your course for up to 20 days (full-time equivalent) per annum, or
2. Standard sick leave from your course for up to 10 days (full-time equivalent) per annum.

4.5 Changes to your course or research project

1. If you wish to transfer to another course within the University, you must seek prior approval from the proposed Faculty, School or Department to transfer your scholarship and be able to meet the requirements of the Scholarship. Approval to transfer is at the discretion of the relevant Faculty, School or Department and is not accepted as grounds for an extension of your Scholarship.
2. If you transfer from a Master degree course to a Doctoral degree course, the maximum duration of your scholarship will be 3.5 years full-time equivalent from the date that you commenced the Master degree course.
3. If you transfer from a Doctoral degree course to a Master degree course, the maximum duration of your Scholarship will be 2 years (full-time equivalent) from the date that you commence the Doctoral degree course. If the Scholarship has already been held for more than 2 years (full-time equivalent), it will cease on the date of the transfer.
4. If you wish to change your research project, you must seek prior approval from your Faculty, School or Department. Changing your research project may affect your entitlement to continue to receive your Scholarship. Approval to continue to receive your Scholarship for a different research project is at the discretion of your Faculty, School or Department and is not accepted as grounds for an extension of your Scholarship.

4.6 Scholarship leave

1. If you are granted leave of absence or suspended from your course by the University of Melbourne, your stipend will be suspended (scholarship leave) until you return from leave, unless you are entitled to one of the following paid leave provisions:
   1. up to 60 working days (full-time equivalent) additional sick leave which may also be used to cover leave for students with family caring responsibilities where there are compassionate and compelling circumstances
   2. for each (multiple) birth, adoption, surrogacy arrangement or permanent care placement, up to 60 working days (full time-equivalent) Parental leave for students who give birth to a child, or are the primary caregiver for a newborn child (including surrogacy arrangements) or a child placed with them for adoption or permanent care
   3. for each (multiple) birth or (multiple) adoption, up to 5 days (full-time equivalent) Partner leave at the time of the birth or placement for students whose partner has given birth or is the main carer of the child placed in their care, and have completed at least 1 year of full-time study or equivalent part-time study
   4. up to 60 working days (full-time equivalent) leave for jury duty if the jury duty requires absence of 5 or more days
2. Requests for paid leave must be supported by relevant supporting documents, e.g. a medical certificate or statutory declaration setting out the reasons for the leave
3. The duration of your Scholarship will be extended by the duration of the scholarship leave, unless you continue to be enrolled in your course during the scholarship leave.

4.7 Cessation of scholarship

1. If you submit your research thesis, withdraw from your course or your enrolment is withdrawn by the University (e.g. due to unsatisfactory progress or misconduct), your Scholarship will cease.
2. If you have provided false or misleading information or do not adhere to the terms and conditions of your scholarship, and as a result you were awarded or continued to receive the scholarship, the scholarship may cease and you may be required to repay any scholarship benefits to which you are not entitled to within 14 days of being requested to do so by the University.

4.8 Concurrent awards

1. Students in receipt of a stipend must not be receiving income from another source (e.g. a scholarship, grant or salary) related to their course of study to support their general living cost if that income is greater than 75 per cent of the annual value of the stipend.
2. If you wish to receive income from another source related to your course to support your general living cost that is greater than 75 per cent of the annual value, you must apply for leave from your current scholarship. If leave is approved, the duration of your Scholarship will not be extended by the period of study taken during the leave of the award.
3. You must seek prior permission to enrol or to remain enrolled in a graduate research course at another higher education provider. You may not be entitled to receive your Scholarship while you are enrolled in a graduate research course at another higher education provider. Approval to continue to receive your Scholarship is at the discretion of the relevant Faculty, School or Department.
4. Students in receipt of a Research Training Program Offset Scholarship must not be in receipt of an equivalent award or scholarship from the Australian Commonwealth Government designed to offset graduate research fees.

4.9 Acknowledgement of funding source

You must acknowledge the contribution of the source of funding as specified in your scholarship offer letter in your thesis and when, at any time during or after completion of your course, you or your supervisor or any other party, publishes or produces material such as books, articles, newsletters or other literary or artistic works which relate to the research project for which the scholarship was awarded.

5. Complaints and grievances

Students may submit a complaint or grievance in relation to the application of these terms and conditions in accordance with the Student Complaints and Grievances Policy.

6. Privacy

All personal information collected by the University is governed by the University's Privacy Policy. The following are examples of instances where the University will use and disclose your personal information for legitimate purposes:

• Providing information to Centrelink
• Releasing statistical information to relevant government bodies such as the Department of Education and Training (DEST) and the Office of Further Education and Training
• Releasing relevant information to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP), the Department of Education and Training (DEST) and the Australian Taxation Office

For further information, refer to the University’s privacy statement.