Bangladesh
Applying for an Australia Awards Scholarship
Australia Awards Scholarships in Bangladesh
Australia’s international development assistance in
Bangladesh aims to develop its human resources and
overcome poverty which will drive more inclusive economic
and social progress in the country.
Australia Awards Scholarships are prestigious international
awards offered by the Australian Government to the next
generation of global leaders for development. Through study
and research, recipients develop the skills and knowledge to
drive change and help build enduring people-to-people links
with Australia.
Applicants will be assessed for their professional and
personal qualities, academic competence and, most
importantly, their potential to have an impact on
development challenges in Bangladesh.
Applications are strongly encouraged from eligible people
from the following focus areas— employees of the
Government of Bangladesh, icddr,b and BRAC; people
working in water resource management; and members of
ethnic minority communities across Bangladesh1 – in
particular, eligible women and people with a disability from
these focus areas.
Priority fields of study
Australia Awards Scholarships enable recipients to
develop improved professional and technical
knowledge and build links with individuals and
institutions within the region and Australia.
In Bangladesh, the Australia Awards Scholarships are
targeted to employees of the Government of
Bangladesh to assist with developing the human
resources base of the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS)
and Bangladesh Judicial Service. Also eligible are nonBCS first class officials from Bangladesh Bank, Ministry
of Education, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education
‘ethnic minority community’ means any one of the Indigenous,
Aboriginal & ‘Tribal’ Peoples of Bangladesh in Different
Classifications detailed in Table 1 of the International Labour
Organisation publication ‘The ILO Convention on Indigenous and
Tribal Populations, 1957 (No. 107) and the Laws of Bangladesh:
A Comparative Review’ which can be found at:
http://www.ilo.org/indigenous/Resources/Publications/WCMS
_114385/lang--en/index.htm
and those from the Public Service Commission
deployed in primary education service delivery.
The Australia Awards Scholarships also target staff
members from icddr,b and BRAC, ethnic minority
communities across Bangladesh and people working
in water resource management (in particular, in
relation to regional or river-basin scale issues) to
develop skills, and expertise.
The priority areas of study for Bangladesh for intake
2016 are:
Government of Bangladesh (GoB) employees:
 GoB General
For details please click on this link:
http://australiaawardssouthasia.org/bangladesh/go
b
 GoB Education sector professionals.
For details, click on this link:
http://australiaawardssouthasia.org/banglade
sh/gob/education
 GoB Economic Growth sector professionals.
For details, click on this link:
http://australiaawardssouthasia.org/bangladesh/go
b/economic
For Intake 2016, a select number of scholarships will be
dedicated to Education and Economic Growth sector
professionals working for the Government of Bangladesh.
icddr,b employees: For details, click on this link:
http://australiaawardssouthasia.org/bangladesh/icddrb
BRAC employees: For details, click on this link:
http://australiaawardssouthasia.org/bangladesh/brac
Water Resource Management: For details, click on this
link:
http://australiaawardssouthasia.org/bangladesh/water
1
Ethnic minority communities: For details, click on this
link:
http://australiaawardssouthasia.org/bangladesh/indige
nous
Bangladesh: Information about Australia Awards Scholarships /
Applicants must research two preferred courses, including
information provided on institution websites, and ensure that
they meet the institution’s English language & other course
related requirements.
Level of study
Australia Awards Scholarships

All applicants must have at least 2 (two) years’ full time
work experience in a field relevant to their proposed
course of study at the time of application submission.
GoB applicants must have completed at least 2 years of
service tenure and obtained service confirmation at the
time of application.

All applicants must have completed a tertiary level
qualification at least equivalent to an Australian
Bachelor’s degree. Please note that Bachelor’s degrees
obtained from private universities in Bangladesh are
generally not considered equivalent to an Australian
Bachelor’s degree. Applicants should check with their
proposed Australian institution whether their Bangladesh
qualification is considered equivalent to an Australian
Bachelor’s degree.
These long term Australia Awards Scholarships provide
citizens of Bangladesh with the opportunity to obtain a
postgraduate qualification at an Australian tertiary institution.
They are offered at Masters’ level only.
Australia Awards Scholarships Benefits
Australia Awards Scholarships are offered for the minimum
period necessary for the individual to complete the
academic program specified by the Australian education
institution, including any preparatory training.
Scholarship recipients will generally receive the following:
• Return air travel
• A one off establishment allowance on arrival
• Full tuition fees
• Contribution to living expenses
• Introductory academic program
• Overseas Student Health Cover for the duration of the
Scholarship
• Supplementary academic support and
• Fieldwork allowance–for research students and masters
by course work which has a compulsory fieldwork
component
Eligibility criteria
English language support funded by the Australian
Government may be available to selected eligible women,
members of ethnic minority groups and people with a
disability who do not have an overall IELTS test score of 6.5
and individual band scores of at least 6.0 (or TOEFL or PTE
equivalents) at the time of recommendation for award.
Special conditions
Applicants must also meet the following country specific
conditions:


Recipients of awards are required to return to
Bangladesh for at least two years after completing
their studies.
Australia Awards Scholarships for 2016 must be
taken up in that year. They cannot be transferred
to a future year.
Australia Awards Scholarship applicants must meet all
eligibility requirements detailed in the Scholarships Policy
Handbook, available at:
Application dates (for study commencing in Australia in
2016)
Opening date:
1 February 2015
http://aid.dfat.gov.au/Publications/Pages/scholarhandbook.aspx
Closing date:
30 April 2015
In addition to these basic eligibility requirements, applicants
from Bangladesh must also meet the following country
specific conditions:



An IELTS (Academic) overall score of at least 6.5 with
no band less than 6.0 (or TOEFL paper-based test score
of at least 580, or computer-based score of at least 237
or an internet-based score of at least 92) (or equivalent
PTE score). Scores must be valid at 1 January 2015 and
must be submitted with applications.
Women will be considered with an overall IELTS band of
at least 6.0 with no band less than 5.5 (or equivalent
TOEFL or PTE score). However, they must meet the
standard English language requirement of their course, if
offered an Australia Awards Scholarship.
Applicants with a disability and from ethnic minority
groups will be considered with an overall IELTS band
score of at least 6.0 with no band less than 5.0 (or
equivalent TOEFL or PTE score). However, they must
meet the standard English language requirement of their
course, if offered an Australia Awards Scholarship.
Applications or supporting documents received after this
date will not be considered.
The application process
Online applications
Apply online at: https://oasis.ausaid.gov.au/
We strongly advise applicants to apply online and to do so
well before the closing date. The online application facility
(OASIS) experiences peak usage in the days leading up to
the closing date and applicants may experience delays.
Hardcopy applications
If it is not possible to lodge an application online,
contact the Australia Awards Office Bangladesh for
assistance for a hard-copy of the application form.
This needs to be done well in advance of the
application deadline.
Supporting documents
Applicants must submit with their application all of the
relevant supporting documents listed in the Scholarships
Policy Handbook.
Bangladesh: Information about Australia Awards Scholarships
ineligible. Contact the Australia Awards Office in
Bangladesh to clarify reference requirements.
Applicants must also provide the following documents to
meet the specific requirements for Bangladesh:
Documents requiring certification are specified in the table
below. If the document is not in English, the translated copy
must be certified. See the Scholarships Policy Handbook for
certification requirements.
Document Name
OASIS type
Notarized
Passport
Proof of
citizenship
Yes
Tertiary degree
certificates (Bachelors
and Masters level)
Degree
Certificate
Yes
Academic grades
(Bachelors and Masters
level)
Academic
Transcript
Yes
IELTS, TOEFL or PTE
results
Proof of English
language
proficiency
Yes
Certificate of special
achievements or merit
Other Document
Yes
Academic Referee
Reports (with seal: 2
reports for Masters by
Research applicants; 1
for Masters by
Coursework applicants)
Template available at:
http://aid.dfat.gov.au/a
ustraliaawards/Documents/ref
eree.pdf
Referee Report
No

Research applicants shortlisted for a selection
interview must submit a well-developed research
proposal by the date of the interview.

Experience shows that it takes time for supervisors
to complete referee reports. Approach supervisors
as soon as possible to obtain up-to-date referee
reports. References should come from employers,
senior colleagues or academics familiar with the
applicant’s academic, professional skills and
achievements. Referee reports from family
members or spouses are not acceptable.
The selection process
Following eligibility checking, applications will be assessed
and ranked by independent consultants and then
shortlisted by Australian Government representatives. Only
short-listed candidates are contacted for interview. The
selection process will also include an interview and a
written exercise using a computer. Applicants will be
assessed against the following criteria:
•
Academic competence
•
Potential outcome, including contribution to
development outcomes in Bangladesh
•
Professional and personal leadership attributes
Preparatory training
All successful applicants will be required to attend a visa
and mobilisation session and a pre-departure briefing and
farewell event.
You may be required to complete the following preparatory
training and or testing:
MS Word version:
http://aid.dfat.gov.au/a
ustraliaawards/Documents/ref
eree.doc
•
IELTS-International English Language Testing
System/ TOEFL/PTE to assess English language
competence
•
English language support program
Outcomes
No
All applicants will receive notification as to whether they
have been successful by the end of September 2015.
Employment Referee
report (with seal - same
template as above)
Referee Report
Evidence of service
confirmation (for GoB
applicants)
Other
Curriculum Vitae
Other Document
No
http://aid.dfat.gov.au/australia-awards/
Research proposal
Other Document
(for Masters by research
applications)
No
Information about visas and Australia Awards
Scholarship entitlements and conditions can be found in
the Scholarships Policy Handbook, available at:
Further information
No
Further information about the Australia Awards can be
found at:
Notes:
 Referee reports other than the prescribed format
will not be accepted and may make applications
http://aid.dfat.gov.au/Publications/Pages/scholarhandbook.aspx
More general information about the Australia Awards and
Bangladesh: Information about Australia Awards Scholarships
studying in Australia can be found at:
http://australiaawards.gov.au
http://aid.dfat.gov.au
http://studyinaustralia.gov.au
Contact Details
Organisation: Australia Awards Office
Bangladesh
Address:
5th Floor, Plot 4, Road 12, Block
J, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
Telephone:
+880 4478004423-24
Mobile:
+880 1730338495
Email:
inquiries@australiaawardsban
gladesh.org
Website:www.australiaawardsbangladesh.org
Bangladesh: Information about Australia Awards Scholarships