This Procedure applies to all Higher Degree by Research candidature applicants or enrolled candidates applying for a HDR scholarship, persons with supervisory or administrative responsibilities for HDR candidates and candidature applications.

Legislative Context

Policy Base
Regulation 5.1 - Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Masters Degree by Research and Professional Doctorates
Federation University Australia Act 2010
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act)

Definitions

Term	Definition
Candidate	Student enrolled in a higher degree by research program.
Confirmation of Candidature (CoC)	Milestone by which a candidate confirms that their research project is viable and is approved by the CoC panel to continue their project.
Cotutelle award	Award made in partnership with another institution, wherein the candidate is jointly enrolled in both institutions and receives a testamur from both institutions on completion of the program.
Deferment	A period of up to 12 months, normally covering the academic year, before a student, who has been offered a place in a higher education course, enrols in that course.
Designated Cohort	An approved group of potential applicants, identified as having common characteristics (such as completion of a particular qualification) for the purposes of gaining special entry.
EDGS	Dean of Graduate Studies – academic staff member responsible for overseeing HDR programs, HDR candidates and supervisors.
EFTSL	Estimated full time study load.
Employee	Any staff member employed by FedUni to undertake academic activity, including permanent, fixed term contract, casual, honorary and adjunct appointments.
Enrolment	The process by which a person, having received a written offer of a place, shall register their program and course of study with FedUni by submitting a form of enrolment signed by both the applicant and the program coordinator or person of equivalent authority.
ESOS Act	Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000, as amended from time to time.
External Candidate	Where a candidate conducts their research from an approved external location, such as a laboratory, and an agreement exists between the location and FedUni.
School	Academic units of FedUni
FPRS	FedUni Postgraduate Research Stipend.
Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Program	One of the following courses of study: Masters Degree (Research), Doctoral Degree (Research), or Doctoral Degree (Professional).
Higher Degree by Research candidate	A FedUni student enrolled in a Masters Degree (Research), Doctoral Degree (Research), or Doctoral Degree (Professional).
IELTS	International English Language Testing System.
Leave from studies	Period of either six or 12 months, covering a normal teaching period(s), where an enrolled student is excused from formal study.
Offer	Offer of Admission to Candidature – The written offer provided to an applicant for admission to a HDR program.
Off-campus candidate	Where a candidate studies from a location other than on campus or an approved external facility
Principal Supervisor	A staff member of FedUni who meets the requirements of and has been approved for inclusion to the Register of Supervisors as a principal supervisor and has primary oversight of an HDR candidate’s research.
Associate Supervisor	A staff member of FedUni who meets the requirements of and has been approved for inclusion to the Register of Supervisors as a supervisor and provides support to an HDR candidate and to the Principal Supervisor.
Co-Supervisor	An individual who is external to FedUni who meets the requirements of and has been approved for inclusion to the Register of Supervisors as a supervisor and provides support to the candidate and to the Principal Supervisor.
Probationary candidate	A FedUni student enrolled in a Masters Degree (Research), Doctoral Degree (Research), or Doctoral Degree (Professional) who has not yet completed the confirmation of candidature process.
Provisional Principal Supervisor	A staff member who does not meet the requirements to be listed as a principal supervisor on the Register of Supervisors but has the support of their School to act as a principal supervisor under the guidance of a mentor who is registered as a Principal Supervisor.
RHDC	Research Higher Degrees Committee – A standing committee of Academic Board that deals with Higher Degree by Research matters.
RPA	Research Priority Area.
RTS	The Research Training Scheme, which formerly provided fee-exemption places for candidates enrolled in higher degree by research programs – now superseded by Research Training Program (RTP).
RTP (Research Training Program)	Federal Government funding scheme that enables the provision of higher degree by research fee offset and stipend scholarships.
SOSS	Special Overseas Student Scholarship – fee scholarship to cover the cost of tuition fees for international students.
Stipend	A fortnightly scholarship paid to a candidate to cover living expenses.
Candidate / Supervisor agreement	Formal written agreement outlining meeting methods,
TEQSA	Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency

Actions

Eligibility

Applicants who are eligible for entry to a Higher Degree by Research program are eligible to apply for HDR stipend scholarships. Externally funded scholarships may have additional requirements.

Awarding of scholarships is merit-based and the process is competitive. Eligibility to apply for a scholarship does not guarantee competitiveness for the award of a scholarship.

Applications

Part-time Applications

Application dates for scholarship rounds are advertised on the FedUni website. Applicants for scholarships who are not current FedUni candidates are required to submit an application for Candidature, as per the Selection and Awarding of a HDR Place Procedure. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide all documentation required for consideration of candidature and scholarship applications by the scholarship closing date. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

Part-time Applications

Scholarships are normally awarded to applicants enrolled or applying to enrol on a full-time basis. Applicants who are enrolled part-time or applying to enrol part-time may apply for a stipend scholarship on the basis of exceptional circumstances. Evidence of exceptional circumstances must be provided during application in the form of a statement and supporting documents. Applicants for part-time scholarships should contact the Australian Taxation Office for advice of the taxation status of a part-time scholarship.

Selection

Selection of applicants for stipends is undertaken in accordance with the University’s Fair and Transparent Decision Making Guidelines.

A selection panel of at least three people must be formed when selecting applicants for scholarships. When forming selection panels, diversity and equity requirements should be considered in the appointment of panel members. Panels may include members of external funding partners or industry representatives. Panels must:

Declare and record any panel member's conflict of interest with an applicant for a scholarship, including personal or professional relationships and instances where they have taught or supervised the applicant,
Assess each application on the merit of the provided information against the requirements for that scholarship,
Articulate the allocation of points for strategic purposes, such as areas of strategic research importance, areas of under representation or equity,
Complete and return to the HDR Team a completed ranking list including individual scores, of applicants for scholarships.

Ranking of Scholarship Applications

RTP Stipends

Applications for FedUni scholarships will be ranked using the RHDC approved Scholarship Ranking Schedule, available on the FedUni website.

Industry and specific project based scholarships may have additional selection requirements to assist with the ranking of applicants, such as (but not limited to) written submissions or interviews. Additional requirements will be advertised on the FedUni website along with scholarship details.

The Scholarship Ranking Schedule is subject to annual review by RHDC.

Ranking of RTP stipend applications must follow timelines approved by RHDC.

	Activity	Responsibility	Steps
1	Selection Panel for RTP scholarships is formed	School Associate Dean Research, Chair, RHDC	Panels may be formed within schools or from members of RHDC as specified by the DVC, RI. Where a panel is formed from members of RHDC, it must include a representative from each School. The Chair, RHDC will be responsible for forming the panel. School Panels must consist of three or more members and must nominate one member to chair. The School ADR is responsible for forming the panel.
2	Applications compiled and referred to Chair, Selection Panel	HDR Admissions	New applications are compiled and paired with candidature application form. Existing applications are provided with original candidature application and new information.
3	Applications are made available to all panel members	Chair, Selection Panel	Chair distributes copies of application and ranking tool.
4	Selection Panel assesses applications against Scholarship Ranking Schedule.	School	Panel completes ranking list using Scholarship Ranking Schedule and provides to HDR Admissions.
5	All Selection Panel rankings are compiled and provided to RHDC	HDR Admissions	HDR Admissions compiles single list of ranked scholarship applicants along with ranking schedule and sends to RHDC
6	RHDC considers School ranked lists and puts forward recommendation for awarding of scholarships.	RHDC	Recommendation is forwarded to DVC R&I
7	Scholarship allocation list is approved by DVC R&I	DVC R&I
8	Applications undertake standard application procedure	HDR Admissions Officer, EDGS, School	As per HDR Candidate Selection Policy
9	Scholarship offers made	HDR Admissions Officer	Following approval of scholarships recommendations by DVC (R&I), Research Services issues a formal offer of a scholarship, outlining the terms and conditions of the scholarship.

External, School or project Funded Scholarships

Scholarship funding may be provided to the University by an external industry research partner, or a University scholarship may be pre-committed to a strategic collaborative research project involving an external industry partner.

	Activity	Responsibility	Steps
1.	Funding arrangements approved as per Research Funding Policy RS1924 (where applicable)	School / Academic Staff	Refer to Research Funding Policy RS1924
2.	School / Research Centre provides scholarship information to HDR Admissions Officer	School / Academic Staff	School provides scholarship details, including: Name, Amount, Period of funding, Type/s of scholarship (fee, stipend, allowances etc.) Project details, Account code, Additional terms and conditions, Additional requirements, Other relevant information. Where external advertising is required, School should contact Scholarships Office.
3.	Application forms and scholarship details are advertised on the FedUni website	HDR Admissions Officer	HDR Admissions Officer updates web and scholarship application form with additional terms and conditions or requirements, where required.
4.	School forms Selection Panel	School Associate Dean Research	Panels must consist of three or more members and must nominate one member to chair.
5.	Applications compiled and referred to Chair, Selection Panel	HDR Admissions	New applications are compiled and paired with candidature application form. Existing applications are provided with original candidature application and new information.
6.	Applications are made available to all panel members		Chair distributes copies of application and ranking tool.
7.	School assesses applications against Scholarship Ranking Schedule and additional requirements, where required.	School	Panel completes ranking list using Scholarship Ranking Schedule and provides to HDR Admissions.
8.	Scholarship allocation approved by financial delegate.	Dean, School / DVC R&I / other approved delegate	The appropriate financial delegate for the funding must approve the allocation of the scholarship.
9.	Scholarship offers made	HDR Admissions Officer	Following approval of scholarships recommendations by DVC (R&I), Research Services issues a formal offer of a scholarship, outlining the terms and conditions of the scholarship.

Offers of Scholarships

Scholarship offers will be made in writing via an Offer of Admission to Candidature or Offer of Scholarship letter. Expected commencement dates, additional terms and conditions of the scholarship, extension requirements (where extensions are available) and payment details will be included in the offer. Recipients must return the Acceptance of Offer attached to the letter by the date specified and be enrolled for payments to commence.

Where a recipient must complete specified requirements prior to a formal offer of scholarship being made, they will be provided with a Conditional Offer of Scholarship which will outline the activity required to receive a formal offer.

Extensions to Scholarships

RTP Stipend extensions

Candidates in receipt of an RTP Stipend may apply for one six month (EFTSL) extension to scholarship. Extensions are not guaranteed and will only be granted where exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated.

	Activity	Responsibility	Steps
1.	Complete application for extension to scholarship and candidature	Candidate	Candidates must complete the form and provide a completion plan and supporting documents (where relevant). Applications must be signed by the Principal Supervisor, ADR and Dean of School.
2	Submit application to HDR Team	Candidate	Applications must be submitted six weeks prior to scholarship and/or candidature end date. Where applicants do not submit the application on time, their scholarship payments may be ceased whilst the application is assessed.
3	Application assessed by Dean Graduate Studies	EDGS	Dean Graduate Studies assesses application for extension. Extensions to candidature must be forwarded to RHDC.
4	HDR Team advises candidate of outcome	HDR Team	Candidate is advised of outcome via email.

Extensions to External, School or project Funded Scholarships

Availability of extensions for candidates in receipt of an external, School or project based scholarship will be outlined in their Offer of Scholarship or Offer of Admission to Candidature. Where a request for an extension is permitted, extensions are not guaranteed and will only be granted where exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated.

	Activity	Responsibility	Steps
1.	Complete application for extension to scholarship and candidature	Candidate	Candidates must complete the form and provide a completion plan and supporting documents (where relevant). Applications must be signed by the Principal Supervisor, ADR and Dean of School. Position responsible for the financial delegation of the scholarship must approve a request for scholarship extension Where the scholarship is funded externally and an extension request will result in a variation to a research contract, a variation must be sought. Once a scholarship has lapsed, stipend or fee payments will not continue until a variation to contract with the funding body has been confirmed.
2	Submit application to HDR Team	Candidate	Applications must be submitted six weeks prior to scholarship and/or candidature end date. Where applicants do not submit the application on time, their scholarship payments may be ceased whilst the application is assessed.
3	Application assessed by Dean Graduate Studies	EDGS	Dean Graduate Studies assess application for candidature extension. Extensions to candidature must be forwarded to RHDC.
4	HDR Team advises candidate of outcome	HDR Team	Candidate is advised of outcome via email.

Termination of Scholarships

Appealing termination of scholarship due to clauses 4.11, 4.12 or 4.13

Termination due to items 4.7, 4.8, 4.9 of the HDR Scholarship Policy

Terms and conditions under which a scholarship can be terminated are set out in the HDR Scholarship Policy RS2018, section 2 – General Terms and Conditions, subsection 4 – Termination of scholarships. Requirements for termination of scholarship and candidature are described in Candidature Management Policy and process is outlined in Candidature Management Procedure.

Scholarships terminated under clauses 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5 and 4.6 will cease immediately.

Abandonment of program

	Activity	Responsibility	Steps
1	Candidate provided with 10 working days’ notice of intention to terminate scholarship	HDR Team	Notification will be sent to the candidates nominated email address, to their Principal Supervisor and ADR of School.
2	Respond to termination notice	Candidate	Where a candidate responds in writing to HDR Team and the abandonment of program is resolved, their scholarship will continue.
3	Advise Scholarships Office to cease payments	HDR Team	Where a candidate fails to respond to the notice or fails to resolve the program abandonment issue the HDR Team will advise the Scholarships office to cease payments.

Termination due to unsatisfactory progress - clauses 4.11, 4.12 or 4.13 of the HDR Scholarship Policy

Details regarding At Risk status, progress reporting, milestones, outcomes of intervention strategies and show cause proceedings for HDR candidates and can be found in the HDR Candidature Management Policy RS1935 and HDR Candidature Management Procedure RS1937. Candidates are encouraged to seek support and assistance via the Student Advisory Service

	Activity	Responsibility	Steps
1	Principal Supervisor and candidate develop intervention strategy.	Principal supervisor, candidate	Candidate given at least 12 weeks to show improvement from the date that the intervention strategy commences. Candidate must be advised that their scholarship may be at risk should this intervention strategy fail. Intervention strategies must be approved by the School ADR or nominee. Where issues are not resolved during the intervention strategy phase, Principal Supervisor can elect to move to step 2.
2	Principal Supervisor requests progress report as per Candidature Management Procedure and advises candidate of possible scholarship risk	Principal Supervisor	Principal Supervisor emails HDR Team to request a progress report. Candidate advised by Principal Supervisor in writing that their scholarship is at risk.
3	Progress reporting process commenced	HDR Team Candidate Principal Supervisor / Supervisor team Associate Dean Research of School Dean of School of enrolment	Progress report process as per Candidature Management Procedure. School recommendations for termination of scholarship must be endorsed by the Dean of School of enrolment. If candidate progress is satisfactory, no further action is required.
4	Candidate advised of progress report outcome	HDR Team	Outcome of progress report is provided to the candidate in writing. Where termination of scholarship is recommended, 10 working days’ notice will be provided to the candidate of the scholarship end date. The Scholarships Office will be advised of the decision to terminate scholarship

Appealing termination of scholarship due to clauses 4.11, 4.12 or 4.13

	Activity	Responsibility	Steps
1	Candidate appeals scholarship termination.	Candidate	Candidate has ten working days from the date of scholarship termination notice to appeal the decision to terminate the scholarship. Appeals should be made in writing and addressed to the Chair, RHDC. Candidates should include a statement as to why their scholarship should not cease. Where an RHDC meeting is not held during the appeal period, scholarship payments will not be terminated until a determination by RHDC has been made.
2	RHDC considers appeal from candidate	RHDC	RHDC considers the appeal and will return one of the following decisions; Scholarship terminated, Scholarship reinstated, or Scholarship temporarily reinstated with conditions.
3	Chair RHDC advises candidate of outcome	Chair, RHDC	Candidate advised of outcome in writing. Where a scholarship is terminated, it will cease in 10 working days. Where a scholarship is temporarily reinstated, conditions and requirements will be communicated in writing.
Where a scholarship has been terminated, candidates may appeal the decision under the Student Appeal Policy CG1488 and Student Appeals Procedure CG1464.

Confidentiality and Privacy

All personal information collected by FedUni is governed by the Information Privacy Policy. The following are examples of instances where FedUni will use and disclose an HDR student’s personal information for legitimate purposes:

releasing statistical information to relevant government bodies such as the Department of Education, and the Office of Training and Tertiary Education;
releasing relevant information to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), the Department of Education, and the Australian Taxation Office

Supporting Documents

HDR Candidate Selection Policy RS1930
Research Training Program (RTP) Policy 2009
Selection and Awarding of a HDR Place Procedure.
HDR Candidature Management Policy RS1935
HDR Candidature Management Procedure RS1937
HDR Supervision Policy RS1928
Supervision of Higher Degree by Research Candidates Procedure RS1929
HDR Scholarships website
Student Appeal Policy CG1488
Student Appeals Procedure CG1464

Forms

2017 Current Candidate Scholarship Application Form (PDF 80.3kb)
Application for Enrolment as a Probationary Candidate for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or M (DOCX 237.8kb)

Responsibility

Responsible for monitoring the implementation, outcomes and scheduled review of this policy and its accompanying procedure/s – Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research & Innovation
Responsible for maintaining the content of this policy as delegated by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research & Innovation, Dean Graduate Studies
Responsible for the administration support for the maintenance of this policy as directed by the Dean Graduate Studies , Research Integrity & Policy Coordinator

Promulgation

The Selection and Awarding of a HDR Scholarship Procedure RS1931 will be communicated throughout the University community in the form of:

An Announcement Notice via FedNews website and on the ‘Recently Approved Documents’ page on the ‘Policies, Procedures and Forms @ the University’ website to alert the University-wide community of the approved Policy,
Distribution of e-mails to Head of School / Head of Department / University staff, and/or
Notification to Schools.

Implementation

The Selection and Awarding of a HDR Scholarship Procedure RS1931 will be implemented throughout the University via:

An Announcement Notice via FedNews website and on the ‘Recently Approved Documents’ page on the ‘Policies, Procedures and Forms @ the University’ website to alert the University-wide community of the approved Policy,
Training sessions.

Records Management

Document Title	Location	Responsible Officer	Minimum Retention Period
eg Policy Document Approval Form	The University’s approved records management system	Policy Systems Administrator or delegate	Originals should be retained by the Policy Sponsor Copies can be disposed of once the administrative use has concluded Electronic record will be retained in the University’s records management system
eg University Policy or Procedure	The University’s approved policy management system	Policy Systems Administrator or delegate	Permanent

Document Title

Location

Responsible Officer

Minimum Retention Period

Policy Document Approval Form

The University’s approved records management system

Policy Systems Administrator or delegate

Originals should be retained by the Policy Sponsor

Copies can be disposed of once the administrative use has

concluded

Electronic record will be retained in the University’s records management system

University Policy or Procedure

The University’s approved policy management system

Policy Systems Administrator or delegate

Permanent

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Approval Authority:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation)	Original Issue	19/10/2015
Policy Sponsor:	Dean, Graduate Studies	Current Version:	05/10/2017
CRICOS Provider Number	00103D	Review Date:	05/10/2020
Policy Code	RS1931

Warning - Uncontrolled when printed! The current version of this document is kept on the FedUni website.

Approval Authority:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation)	Original Issue	19/10/2015
Policy Sponsor:	Dean, Graduate Studies	Current Version:	05/10/2017
CRICOS Provider Number	00103D	Review Date:	05/10/2020
Policy Code	RS1931

University Procedure

HDR Candidate Selection

HDR Scholarships Procedure

Policy Code: RS1931

Purpose

Scope