2027 Sydney International Undergraduate Scholarship | How to Apply
The Sydney International Undergraduate Academic Excellence Scholarship at the University of Sydney covers 100% of your tuition fees and the Student Services Amenities Fee (SSAF) for your full undergraduate degree, up to four years. It does not cover living costs, accommodation, health cover, textbooks, or flights. Applications are open now on a rolling basis for the 2027 intake, with two rounds a year and no fixed closing date. You must apply if you are an international student who has applied for, but not yet started, a single undergraduate degree at Sydney.
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The University of Sydney created this scholarship in 2024 to bring more international students from underrepresented regions into its undergraduate programs. Unlike scholarships that reward grades alone, Sydney built this one around two goals at once: academic merit and diversity specifically, diversity of nationality and diversity of course. Around 20 scholarships are awarded globally each year, split across two intakes, and a three-person selection committee the Director of International, the Director of Admissions, and an International Officer reviews every application. That structure matters in practice: clearing the minimum academic threshold gets you considered, but it does not guarantee an offer if applicants from your country or course are already well represented in that intake.
Sydney International Undergraduate Scholarship Summary
| Scholarship Name ⇒ | Sydney International Undergraduate Academic Excellence Scholarship |
| Host Country ⇒ | Australia |
| Study Level ⇒ | Undergraduate |
| Benefits ⇒ | 100% tuition fees + Student Services Amenities Fee (SSAF) only. Living costs, OSHC, accommodation, textbooks, and flights are not covered. |
| Funded By ⇒ | University of Sydney |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | All Nationalities, except Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, and dual citizens with Australian nationality |
| Application Deadline ⇒ | Rolling — no fixed closing date. Currently open for the 2027 intake. Apply as early as possible. |
Required Criteria for the Sydney International Undergraduate Scholarship
You must:
- Have applied for, but not yet started, a single undergraduate coursework degree at Sydney (embedded honours is fine) with a maximum duration of four years
- Enrol full-time in that degree
- Not be starting a second degree at Sydney
- Qualify as an international student under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 — Australian citizens, permanent residents, and dual citizens with Australian nationality are excluded
- Have completed secondary school, or a foundation program in Australia or from a Sydney-recognised foundation partner
- Have no prior tertiary study, aside from extension studies completed as part of Year 12
Your degree choice also matters. This scholarship is not available for combined degrees with a postgraduate component, the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Economics Dual Degree with Sciences Po France, or any degree that includes the Bachelor of Advanced Studies.
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What the Scholarship Covers
The award pays two things in full, for as long as your degree’s published duration runs (maximum four years full-time):
- 100% of your tuition fees
- The Student Services Amenities Fee (SSAF)
Everything else is on you. Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), living costs, accommodation, textbooks, flights, and any costs tied to being under 18 are not included. Budget for these separately before you accept an offer. The scholarship also can’t be deferred or suspended once awarded, and it can’t be extended beyond four years without approval from the Director, International.
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How the Application Process Works
This is where most applicants get the sequence wrong. You do not apply for this scholarship as your first step. You must already have applied for a single undergraduate degree at Sydney and hold a Student ID number before you can submit the separate scholarship application form. If you don’t have a Student ID yet, you’re not ready to apply for this scholarship — apply to your degree first.
Once you submit the scholarship form, only shortlisted applicants are contacted. The indicative turnaround is five weeks. If you don’t hear back in that window, treat it as unsuccessful rather than waiting indefinitely — the university does not send rejection notices given the volume of applications it receives.
How Winners Are Selected
The selection committee weighs four things: your academic merit against a minimum threshold it sets internally, whether you’ve completed the online application form correctly, the diversity of nationality across that intake’s applicant pool, and the diversity of intended degree across that pool. In other words, being academically qualified is the entry ticket, not the deciding factor — the committee is also balancing who else applied that round. Its decision is final, with no appeal process.
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Keeping the Scholarship Once You Have It
The award isn’t unconditional for the full four years. To keep it, you must maintain a Semester Average Mark of 65 or above every semester, carry no outstanding fees, and finish your degree within its published full-time duration. If you go on exchange, you need a Satisfied Requirements grade to receive your next payment, and the scholarship does not cover any exchange or study-abroad costs.
The university will terminate the scholarship if you withdraw from your course, become a domestic student, change nationality, switch to part-time study, fall short academically, fail to resume after approved leave, accept another commencing scholarship (the Sydney International Student Award is the one exception), or are found to have committed serious misconduct — including submitting false information in your application. A terminated scholarship is not reinstated except where the university itself made an error, and the university can require you to repay funds already paid out. It also can’t be transferred to a different degree or faculty if you switch courses.
Application Process for the Sydney International Undergraduate Scholarship – Step by Step
- Apply for admission to your undergraduate degree at the University of Sydney first. You cannot apply for this scholarship without this step. If you don’t yet have a Student ID number, this is where you start.
- Receive your unconditional offer of admission and Student ID. These are required before you can access the scholarship application form. If you’re not there yet, hold off on the next step.
- Complete the Sydney International Undergraduate Academic Excellence Scholarship application form. Answer every question on the form — incomplete applications are a common reason strong candidates get filtered out before the committee even reviews academic merit.
- Submit before your next intake closes. There’s no fixed closing date, but applications are reviewed per intake, so submitting earlier in a round means fewer applicants from your country or course have already been factored into that round’s diversity balance.
- Wait for the five-week review window. Only shortlisted applicants are contacted. If five weeks pass with no response, treat your application as unsuccessful rather than waiting indefinitely.
Where to apply: Access the Sydney International Undergraduate Academic Excellence Scholarship application form. If you don’t yet have a Student ID, see Sydney’s other international scholarships to find the right starting point.
Application Deadline
Applications are open now for the 2027 intake, on a rolling basis with no fixed closing date. Sydney runs two intakes a year and awards roughly 20 scholarships globally across both, so there’s no single date to circle — the practical urgency is that each intake is competing on nationality and course diversity in real time. The indicative response window is five weeks from submission. Apply as soon as you have your Student ID and unconditional offer in hand rather than waiting, since applying earlier in an intake means fewer applicants from your country or course have already been counted toward that round’s diversity balance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Sydney Undergraduate Academic Excellence Scholarship fully funded?
No. It covers 100% of tuition fees and the Student Services Amenities Fee only. You are responsible for OSHC, living costs, accommodation, textbooks, and flights, so budget for those separately before accepting your offer.
Can Nigerian students apply for this scholarship?
Yes. Nigerian applicants are eligible as international students, provided you meet the academic and course requirements. Because the committee also weighs diversity of nationality each intake, your country of origin is one factor considered alongside your academic record — not a disqualifier.
Do I need to apply to the University of Sydney before applying for this scholarship?
Yes. You need a valid, unconditional offer of admission and a Student ID number before you can submit the scholarship application form. The two applications are separate, and the scholarship form comes second.
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What happens if I’m not shortlisted?
You won’t receive a rejection notice. If five weeks pass with no contact, treat your application as unsuccessful. You can still pursue Sydney’s other international scholarships if you have a Student ID number.
Can I combine this scholarship with another one?
No, with one exception. Accepting another commencing student scholarship terminates this award, except for the Sydney International Student Award, which can be held alongside it.
Disclaimer: All scholarship details, deadlines, award values, and eligibility criteria in this post were verified from official sources as of July 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official Sydney International Undergraduate Academic Excellence Scholarship website before submitting your application. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with the University of Sydney.
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