Research Training Program

What is the Research Training Program (RTP)?

The RTP is a pool of funding provided to Universities to support the delivery of research training to Higher Degree Research (HDR) students undertaking Research Doctorate and Research Masters degrees.

What forms of support does the RTP provide?

RTP Fee Offset

The RTP Fee Offset is used to pay for the tuition fees of Domestic HDR students. The fee offset is not a stipend and is provided to all Domestic Students who have been accepted for admission at the University of New England (UNE).

The Australian Commonwealth Government requires all Universities to declare, in writing, the amount of that funding as an RTP scholarship. At UNE this fee offset is, on average, about $12,818 per HDR student in 2024, whether in a Research Masters or Doctoral program.

As a HDR student, this means you are not required to pay any tuition fees. However, you will continue to be required to pay the UNE Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).

Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend Scholarships

This scholarship provides a stipend allowance of $35,411 per annum (2024), and covers tuition fees for International students. Students must apply for this scholarship through a competitive process. For information about RTP scholarships, including round dates, please see the HDR Scholarship webpage.

More information on RTP: Please see the HDR Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship Policy for further details.

The Department of Education and Training has a website on the Research Training Program and has established a FAQ specifically for HDR.

You can also contact the HDR Team at the Graduate Research School with any questions.