Western Australia is offering scholarships to international students

International students could soon be eligible for a fee waiver to study in Australia. The Western Australian (WA) government is allocating 41.2 million Australian dollars to boost the state’s international education sector, reported the Times of India. The state funding includes scholarships and bursaries, which are set to cover their study costs, either through partial or full tuition fee waiver to study in Australia.

The multi-million dollar funding is the latest revision to the State Budget 2022-23, which aims to “build a pipeline of future onshore international education students.”

The International Education Minister of WA, David Templeman said ”Western Australia recognises the importance of international education as being a huge contributor to the state’s economy.” To ensure the continuity of this initiative, he stated that the McGowan Government is strongly committed to supporting the industry as it continues to reconnect with international partners.

Fee waiver to study in Australia

There are two new scholarship programmes offered by the WA government. They include the Premier’s University Scholarships, valued at A$2 million over four years. This will cover funding for 10 international students, through one-year scholarships valued at A$50,000 each per annum.

Another financial aid, offered in the form of a bursary will be provided to 50 offshore Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) graduates from WA’s international premier schools. The bursary, which is projected to take up A$4 million from the State’s Budget over four years, is expected to provide support amounting A$20,000 per annum for each selected student.

The WA government is offering two new scholarships to attract the best and brightest minds to study at one of its state’s five universities. Source: Trevor Collens/AFP

Bursaries are available for English language programmes too. The WA government has set aside A$6.8 million for the continuation of the English-language courses (ELICOS) Bursary and the International Student Accommodation on Subsidy initiative.

The promotional body, StudyPerth, will also receive additional funding amounting to A$4.5 million to help international students feel welcomed and supported throughout their study pursuits in Western Australia.

Western Australia is the longest running state in Australia to implement strict lockdown measures, which affected international students and visitors. Although scheduled to reopen on Feb. 5 2022, Premier of Western Australia Mark McGowan reversed this decision. In light of the delay in the state’s border reopening, the Western government allocated A$2,000 for every international student to bear quarantine-related costs. WA was finally opened to international students on March 13, 2022.