Australian Research Council Future Fellowship 2026
About this scholarship
The Australian Research Council Future Fellowship is a prestigious research fellowship scheme in Australia. It primarily supports outstanding mid-career researchers, and some fellowship projects may also advertise linked PhD scholarships at Australian universities.
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship is a nationally competitive research funding programme run by the Australian Research Council in Australia. Its main purpose is to support outstanding researchers to undertake high-quality research and build Australia’s future research capacity. The fellowship itself is awarded to researchers, typically through eligible Australian institutions, rather than being a general direct-to-student scholarship.
For students, the programme is most often encountered indirectly: ARC Future Fellowship projects may create linked PhD scholarship opportunities at host universities. Reference postings connected to this programme show PhD opportunities associated with Future Fellowship-funded research at institutions such as the University of South Australia and the University of Western Australia, in areas including driving safety, behaviour change, heritage, tourism, and related fields. These project-based opportunities can vary by discipline and university.
Funding details for student positions linked to a Future Fellowship are set by the host university or project. Some advertised PhD roles are described as fully funded, while others simply state that funding is available without specifying stipend, tuition, or other support. Because of this, the overall student funding model should be treated as variable.
Eligibility also depends on the individual project advertisement. In the reference postings, applicants were expected to have an appropriate academic background for the proposed research, and some PhD roles required an Honours or Masters degree with a research thesis component. English-language evidence may also be required by the university, especially for international applicants.
Applications for student positions linked to an ARC Future Fellowship are usually made through the host university, supervising academic, or project contact, not through a central ARC student application portal. If you are interested, look for specific PhD or research vacancies associated with a named Future Fellow or fellowship project at an Australian university.
Eligibility
Who can apply for this scholarship
The ARC Future Fellowship itself is a fellowship scheme for researchers, not a standard direct-entry student scholarship. For student opportunities linked to a Future Fellowship, eligibility depends on the host university and project. Reference postings indicate that applicants may need a relevant academic background and, for some PhD projects, an Honours or Masters degree or equivalent with a research component.
Requirements
Documents typically needed to apply
Language requirements
Varies by host university; one referenced PhD posting required IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each component.
Where you can use this
Open positions accepting Australian Research Council Future Fellowship.
