• Section 1 - Purpose
• Background
• Scope
• Section 2 - Policy
• General Principles
• Eligibility Requirements
• Applications
• Selection of Scholarship Awardees
• General Scholarship Provisions
• Supervision and Infrastructure Support
• Grievances and Review
• Arrangements for Optional Industry Placements, Research Internships, Professional Practice Activities
• Arrangements for Continuing Students
• Termination of an RTP Scholarship
• Section 3 - Procedures
• Section 4 - Guidelines
• Section 5 - Definitions

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) To specify the principles for administration of Research Training Program Scholarships at Macquarie University.

Background

(2) The University is allocated Australian Government funding to support Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarships, and is required to maintain a publicly available policy as part of the conditions attached to the funding. 

Scope

(3) This Policy and associated processes and conditions apply to all:

1. Commonwealth supported Research Training Program funded scholarships at the University;
2. applicants for, and recipients of, a Research Training Program Scholarship; and
3. Staff involved in the administration of Research Training Program Scholarships including selection, ongoing eligibility, and administration.

(4) This Policy does not apply to scholarships other than Research Training Program Scholarships.

Section 2 - Policy

General Principles

(5) RTP Scholarships are funded through the Australian Government’s Research Block Grant scheme. Where there are any changes to the scheme that impact continuing Higher Degree Research (HDR) candidates, the University will communicate these changes to continuing students prior to the effective date of changes, and ensure that continuing students are not disadvantaged by the changes. Specific arrangements are specified in Clause 35.

(6) Candidates who are awarded an RTP Scholarship are required to comply with the Scholarship Conditions of Award and all applicable University policies, including those relating to satisfactory academic progress in the program of enrolment. The University will monitor academic performance and may terminate a Research Training Program Scholarship if a candidate is in breach of any University rules, policies, or codes of conduct.

(7) Candidates who are awarded an RTP Scholarship must ensure that the Commonwealth’s contribution is acknowledged when, at any time during or after the completion of their program, the recipient of the scholarship or his / her supervisor or any other party publishes or produces materials such as books, articles, newsletters or other literary or artistic works which relates to the research project carried out by the scholarship recipient. The acknowledgement must be in a prominent place and in an appropriate form, and must include the mention of the candidate’s support through an ‘Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship’.

Eligibility Requirements

(8) To be eligible for an RTP Scholarship, a student must be a domestic student or an overseas student enrolled in an accredited Higher Degree Research (HDR) course of study at the University.

(9) To be eligible for an RTP Scholarship, a student must not be receiving income from another source to support that student’s general living costs while undertaking their course of study if that income is greater than 75 per cent of that student’s RTP Scholarship rate. Income unrelated to the student’s course of study, or income received for the student’s course of study but not for the purposes of supporting general living costs is not to be taken into account.

Applications

(10) Applications for RTP Scholarships must be submitted in the required form by the date determined by the University. Late applications will not be considered.

(11) Applications for RTP Scholarships will be initially processed in the Graduate Research Academy. Applications will then be forwarded to the relevant Faculty for academic staff to make a recommendation on eligibility for admission to the program for which the candidate has applied (in the case of candidates who have not yet commenced in the program). All applications will then be assessed by the Associate Dean, Higher Degree Research in the relevant Faculty, and the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Research. Applicants who are assessed as eligible for admission to the program for which the scholarship support is sought will then be considered for the award of an RTP Scholarship as specified under ‘Selection of Scholarship Awardees’ below.

Selection of Scholarship Awardees

(12) The Graduate Research Academy is responsible for managing the process for awarding RTP Scholarships at the University.

(13) Criteria for the selection of applicants for the award of RTP Scholarships are specified in the Macquarie University Scholarship Rating Criteria – refer to the Scholarship Requirements and How to Apply webpage.

(14) Applicants who hold a Doctoral level qualification are not normally eligible to receive RTP Scholarships. 

(15) Applicants for RTP Scholarships must meet the minimum scholarship rating as specified in the Macquarie University Scholarship Rating Criteria - refer to the Scholarship Requirements and How to Apply webpage.

(16) Applicants assessed as possessing sufficient merit against the Scholarship Rating Criteria – refer to the Scholarship Requirements and How to Apply webpage - will be ranked by the Faculty Scholarship Selection / Ranking Committee, for scholarships included in advertised rounds. This ranking will then be reviewed by the University Scholarships Selection Committee (a subcommittee of the Research Degree Subcommittee).

(17) The final ranked list of scholarship applicants will be approved by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Research.

(18) RTP Scholarship recipients from other institutions seeking to transfer their candidate and scholarship award to the University will be subject to the selection process and criteria specified in Clause 13. Where an application for transfer is received outside advertised scholarship rounds, the Associate Dean, Higher Degree Research of the relevant Faculty may make a recommendation to the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Research in accordance with the principles of this Policy. The applicant may be considered for an out-of-round scholarship by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Research, in accordance with the Macquarie University Scholarship Rating Criteria – refer to the Scholarship Requirements and How to Apply webpage.

(19) Candidates may change from Part-time to Full-time and from Full-time to Part-time RTP Scholarships under specific circumstances, on application to the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Research via the Graduate Research Academy.  Where a candidate is employed a Part-time, Stipend Scholarships will not be awarded. 

General Scholarship Provisions

(20) RTP scholarships can be provided to fund a student's tuition fees, to provide a stipend to support a student's general living costs, or to support the ancillary costs of an HDR such as thesis publication costs. The support available, including stipend rates and periods of support are specified in the Conditions of Award.

(21) A student is expected to commence the Scholarship by the census date of their commencing intake, and during the year the Scholarship is awarded. If a student has commenced their studies, the scholarship may commence no earlier than the day it is awarded. Deferment of scholarship is considered on a case-by-case basis by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Research.

(22) Provisions for suspension of awards (Leave of Absence), paid leave, and changes to a scholarship holder’s enrolment (variations) are specified in the Conditions of Award.

(23) RTP Scholarship recipients from other institutions seeking to transfer their candidate and scholarship award to the University, will normally have their scholarship tenure reduced in accordance with the provisions for Advanced Standing, as specified in the Conditions of Award.

(24) Provisions for candidates undertaking employment outside the HDR subject are specified in the Conditions of Award.

(25) Conversion between HDR programs (i.e. transfer from a PhD to MPhil or MPhil to PhD) while in receipt of an award is governed by the University’s Higher Degree Research Degree Transfer Policy. Entitlement to scholarship support will be in accordance with the provisions for Advanced Standing, as specified in the Conditions of Award.

(26) Changes in a field of education are considered on a case by case basis by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Research.

Supervision and Infrastructure Support

(27)  All candidates including those in receipt of RTP scholarships will be entitled to supervisory arrangements as detailed in the University’s Graduate Research Supervision Policy. Candidates may consult the Macquarie University Research Portal for suitable supervisors and research specialisations.

(28) All candidates including those in receipt of RTP scholarships will be entitled to support towards the infrastructure required for their project as determined by the Faculty in which they are enrolled. Research facilities and infrastructure available in the University’s Research Centres and Faculties include those available in the: Faculty of Arts, Macquarie Business School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, and Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Grievances and Review

(29) Candidates may request a review of decisions affecting their scholarship in relation to the implementation of scholarship conditions, as specified in their Conditions of Award.

Arrangements for Optional Industry Placements, Research Internships, Professional Practice Activities

(30) The University offers a range of professional activities for candidates. Participation in such activities does not normally extend the duration of the award or the rate of stipend. Any deviation from this practice will require approval of the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Research.

Arrangements for Continuing Students

(31) In accordance with the Commonwealth Scholarships Guidelines (Research) 2017:

1. Domestic candidates supported or offered support under the former Research Training Scheme will be offered RTP Tuition Fee Offset stipend support for a period necessary to provide at least equivalent support to that which the candidate would have received under the Research Training Scheme.
2. Overseas candidates supported or offered support under the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship will be offered iRTP stipend support for a period necessary to provide at least equivalent support to that which the candidate would have received.
3. Candidates supported or offered support under the former Australian Postgraduate Award scheme will be offered RTP Scholarships support for a period necessary to provide at least equivalent support to that which the candidate would have received under the Australian Postgraduate Award.

Termination of an RTP Scholarship

(32) In accordance with the Conditions of Award, RTP scholarships will be terminated when a candidate ceases to be eligible for the award. The scholarship will naturally expire on the end date of the award, or when a candidate ceases their enrolment at the University, or when a candidate submits their thesis. It is incumbent upon students transferring out of Macquarie University to ensure that they have an appropriate scholarship to continue their studies at another institution.

Section 3 - Procedures

(33) Nil.

Section 4 - Guidelines

(34) Nil.

Section 5 - Definitions

(35) Nil.