Bond University Postgraduate Research (HDR) Scholarship

The Bond University Postgraduate Research Scholarship funds doctoral study at Bond University on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. It combines a full tuition fee waiver with a living stipend aligned to the Australian Government Research Training Program, and it is open to domestic and international students alike. The current round opened on 1 August 2026 and closes on 30 September 2026.

The package is genuinely full rather than partial. The fee waiver covers 100 percent of programme fees for up to four years, and the living stipend stands at 34,315 Australian dollars a year at the 2026 rate, tax-free and indexed annually. Because Bond runs two scholarship rounds a year rather than one, with a second window from 1 February to 31 March, an unsuccessful or late application means a six-month wait rather than a full year, which is a meaningful practical advantage over most Australian research funding.

One eligibility point is worth stating clearly because this award is widely and wrongly advertised as a master’s scholarship. Bond states that research master’s students are not eligible for any HDR scholarship. The award is restricted to the PhD and the Professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy, and study must be full-time and on campus. Applicants also cannot hold an equivalent Australian Government award designed to offset higher degree research fees.

The sequencing is what most often costs people the round. Your scholarship application will not be accepted until you already hold a valid Letter of Offer for admission to an eligible doctoral programme, and Bond warns that admission applications alone can take six to ten weeks to process. Treating the 30 September close as the date to begin is therefore a mistake. Start the admission application first and work backwards. Selection itself is purely merit-based, judged on academic record and research potential by the HDR Scholarships Committee, which meets twice a year to allocate fee waivers and stipends.

• Open to both domestic and international students, with no citizenship restriction, which is not true of every Australian research scholarship.
• You must be studying or intending to study a PhD or the Professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy at Bond University.
• Research master's students are explicitly not eligible for any Bond HDR scholarship, despite this award often being listed elsewhere as a master's opportunity.
• Your programme must be full-time and on campus.
• You must already hold a valid Letter of Offer for admission to an eligible doctoral programme before your scholarship application can be accepted.
• Admission applications can take six to ten weeks to process, so the real deadline for starting is considerably earlier than the scholarship closing date.
• You cannot hold an equivalent Australian Government award designed to offset higher degree research fees at the same time.
• Selection is purely merit-based, assessed on academic record and research potential by the Bond University HDR Scholarships Committee.

• A complete waiver of programme fees, set at 100 percent for up to four years, which removes the largest cost of an Australian doctorate.
• A tax-free living stipend of AUD 34,315 per year at the 2026 rate, aligned to the Australian Government Research Training Program and indexed annually.
• Two application rounds each year rather than one, so a near miss means waiting six months rather than twelve.
• Access to Bond's research facilities, supervision and support as a funded member of the higher degree research cohort.
• A small private university environment on the Gold Coast, which tends to mean closer supervisory contact than at larger institutions.
• The award covers the full duration of the doctoral programme rather than a single year, so funding certainty extends across the degree.
• Note one restriction worth checking before you apply: Bond's own scholarship page and some third-party summaries differ on whether unsuccessful applicants may reapply, with the university indicating one further application outlining changed circumstances. Confirm the current rule directly with Bond.

• Valid Letter of Offer for admission to a PhD or Professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy at Bond University.
• Completed HDR scholarship application form submitted within the open round.
• Academic transcripts and degree certificates for all previous higher education.
• Research proposal setting out the doctoral project you intend to pursue.
• Curriculum vitae covering academic background, research experience and any publications.
• Evidence of research potential such as publications, conference papers or prior research employment.
• Academic references as specified in the application.
• English language proficiency evidence where required for admission.

• Apply for admission to the doctoral programme first. The scholarship application will not be accepted without a valid Letter of Offer, and admission alone can take six to ten weeks.
• Work backwards from the round closing date, allowing that full processing time, rather than treating 30 September as the date to start.
• Check that your intended degree qualifies. Research master's programmes are not eligible for any Bond HDR scholarship, so a master's plan needs rethinking as a doctorate or funding elsewhere.
• Submit the scholarship application within one of the two annual rounds. They run from 1 February to 31 March, and from 1 August to 30 September.
• Build the application around academic merit and research potential, since these are the stated selection criteria and the committee assesses nothing else.
• The HDR Scholarships Committee meets twice yearly to award fee waivers and stipends on a competitive, merit-based basis.
• Confirm you are not holding an equivalent Australian Government award designed to offset higher degree research fees, since that disqualifies you.
• If unsuccessful, check the current reapplication rule with Bond directly before assuming you can or cannot try again.