Introduction:
Monash University has quietly built one of Australia’s more generous PhD funding schemes around the legacy of Professor Maxwell King, who spent eight years as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Research Training at the university. The scholarship that carries his name now offers $53,608 a year to PhD candidates studying at a Monash campus in Australia, and it’s open to Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens, permanent residents, humanitarian visa holders, and international students alike.
Only two of these scholarships are awarded each year, one for a candidate in the Humanities and Social Sciences and one for a candidate in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, so competition is tight but the pool of eligible countries is essentially unrestricted. There’s no separate application fee since the scholarship gets bundled into the regular PhD admission process, and the closing date for this specific award falls on 31 October each year.
Key Details:
- Degree Level: PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)
- Host University: Monash University
- Host Country: Australia
- Application Deadline: 31 October each year
- Total Value: $53,608 annually (2026 rate), paid fortnightly
- Number of Awards: 2 per year ; one in HASS disciplines, one in STEM disciplines
- Open to All Nationalities: Yes, including international students
- Application Fee: None
- Funding Type: Fully funded living costs (stipend, research allowance, and relocation allowance where eligible)
What This Scholarship Offers:
Winning the Maxwell King Scholarship changes the financial reality of doing a PhD rather than just adding a line to a CV. Here’s what recipients actually get access to.
- A dependable living income. The stipend is paid fortnightly at a full-time equivalent rate of $53,608 per year, which means recipients don’t need to juggle part-time work alongside a demanding research project.
- Extra money set aside for research costs. On top of the stipend, a research allowance of $1,500 per year is provided, giving scholars some breathing room for things like conference travel, data collection, or specialised materials.
- Support for moving to Australia or interstate. Eligible recipients can claim a relocation allowance of $1,000 if they’re moving from within Australia, or $2,000 if they’re relocating from overseas, which softens one of the biggest upfront costs of starting a PhD abroad.
- Recognition tied to a respected name in Australian research training. Because the award is named after a former Pro Vice-Chancellor who shaped how Monash approaches doctoral education, holding this scholarship carries a certain institutional prestige that can matter later when applying for postdoctoral positions or grants.
- A guaranteed spot among a very small cohort. With only two scholarships handed out annually, recipients join an unusually exclusive group, which naturally increases visibility within their faculty and research community.
- Eligibility for Joint Research Award pathways. Students undertaking a Joint Research Award can still receive this funding as long as Monash is registered as their home institution, which opens the door for candidates pursuing dual-badged doctorates.
Who Can Apply:
Eligibility here is refreshingly broad on the nationality front, though the academic bar is high. Applicants must fall into one of these categories:
- Australian citizens
- New Zealand citizens
- Australian permanent residents
- Australian humanitarian visa holders
- International students
Beyond citizenship or residency status, every applicant also needs to meet the following conditions:
- Have already submitted a scholarship application in the current application year.
- Satisfy Monash’s competitive scholarship selection process requirements.
- Meet Monash’s English language proficiency requirements for admission.
Selection isn’t a matter of simply ticking these boxes, though. Because only two scholarships are awarded, Monash evaluates candidates on academic excellence, the strength of prior research output, and previous research experience, so a strong track record before applying genuinely matters.
Fields and Disciplines Covered:
Rather than being tied to a narrow subject area, the Maxwell King Scholarship is split across two broad discipline groups, which means almost any PhD field at Monash could realistically be represented. The two categories are:
- Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
One scholarship goes to a candidate from each group every year, so applicants aren’t competing against the entire university’s PhD pool at once, just against others within their own broad discipline area.
How to Apply:
The application process is folded directly into Monash’s standard PhD admission pathway rather than existing as a separate form, which trips up a lot of first-time applicants.
- Submit your PhD course application through Monash’s myApp Portal. New applicants and current students both use this same portal.
- Skip trying to select “Maxwell King Scholarship” specifically during the process. Eligible applicants are automatically considered for all relevant graduate research scholarships, including this one.
- Make sure your application lands within the 31 October scholarship round, since this particular award is only granted during that specific round each year.
- If you already applied earlier in the year through Rounds 1 to 4, don’t worry. Monash automatically considers those applicants for nomination by the relevant faculty, so a second submission isn’t necessary.
- Double-check that your documents meet Monash’s English language proficiency requirements before submitting, since incomplete proof of language ability is one of the more common reasons applications stall.
Because scholarship requirements can shift slightly between rounds and faculties, it’s worth reading through the specific scholarship page carefully rather than relying purely on general admission guidance.
Why the 31 October Round Matters:
Monash runs several scholarship rounds throughout the year, but the Maxwell King Scholarship is tied exclusively to the October round. This is a detail easy to miss if someone assumes any application timing works. Applicants who submit earlier in the year, during Rounds 1 through 4, aren’t excluded though; Monash folds them into automatic consideration for nomination by their faculty. Still, anyone specifically targeting this scholarship should treat 31 October as the date that actually counts, rather than an earlier round’s deadline.
A Note on Monash’s Broader Stipend Structure:
It helps to understand where the Maxwell King Scholarship sits within Monash’s wider scholarship system. The $53,608 rate isn’t unique to this award; it’s the same full-time equivalent rate shared by several other Monash scholarships, including the Sir James McNeill Scholarship, the Impact 2030 Scholarship, and the RTP Stipend – Indigenous award. Monash pays all of these fortnightly, based on a formula of the annual stipend divided by 261 paid days and multiplied by ten, which guarantees full-time scholars never receive less than the advertised yearly figure even accounting for public holidays. Part-time scholarship holders receive half of the full-time rate, assuming they’re claiming the tax-free threshold. Knowing this broader structure is useful context for anyone comparing multiple Monash scholarships side by side rather than evaluating the Maxwell King award in isolation.
Contact for Enquiries:
Applicants with questions about eligibility, the application portal, or scholarship rounds can reach Monash’s Graduate Research Admissions team directly:
- Email: mgro-apply@monash.edu
- Phone: +61 3 9905 1538
FAQs? :
Is the Maxwell King PhD Scholarship open to international students?
Yes. Alongside Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens, permanent residents, and humanitarian visa holders, international students are also eligible to apply.
How many Maxwell King Scholarships are awarded each year?
Only two are awarded annually, one for a candidate in Humanities and Social Sciences and one for a candidate in STEM fields.
What is the current value of the scholarship?
The 2026 rate is $53,608 per year, paid fortnightly, plus a $1,500 annual research allowance and a relocation allowance for eligible recipients.
Do I need to submit a separate application for this scholarship?
No. Eligible PhD applicants are automatically considered for the Maxwell King Scholarship, along with other Monash graduate research scholarships, once they apply through the myApp Portal.
Is there an application fee?
No, applying for this scholarship doesn’t involve any separate fee beyond the standard PhD application process.
When is the deadline to apply?
Applications for this specific scholarship close on 31 October each year, since it’s only awarded in that round.
Can I still be considered if I applied earlier in the year?
Yes. Applicants from Rounds 1 through 4 in the same year are automatically considered for nomination by the relevant faculty.
