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How to apply

When undertaking a research degree at UOW, you will work closely with one or more research supervisors. The first steps in your research journey are to determine your research interests and find a supervisor you will enjoy working with.

How to apply

Your first step is to determine your preferred field of study and find the faculty or academic unit that will best meet your requirements.

Find a supervisor

  • Research our academic staff to identify potential supervisors who work within your area of interest.
  • We encourage you to contact potential supervisors to discuss your project prior to applying for admission.

Before you start writing your research proposal, we recommend discussing a broad plan for your research topic with the head of the academic unit, faculty head of postgraduate studies or your potential supervisor. You will need to nominate a working title at the beginning of your enrolment but you may change this with the approval of the academic unit. You will better define your thesis topic as your research progresses.

All candidates must submit a research proposal summarising the project they would like to pursue. We highly recommended that you discuss your research proposal with your potential supervisor before finalising your HDR application.

  • If your potential supervisor is in the Faculty of Engineering & Information Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health, or the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials, then your research proposal should be 1-2 pages in length and include introduction, research design/methodology, expected outcomes, and references.
  • If your potential supervisor is in the Faculty of Business & Law or Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities, then your research proposal should be 3-4 pages in length and include introduction, literature review, research design/methodology, expected outcomes, and references.

For assistance on please read our Writing a Research Proposal guide.

PLEASE NOTE that your research proposal must be written in your own words and may be checked for plagiarised material. 

 

Domestic students

Domestic HDR students do not need to pay the tuition fee – unless they do not complete the degree on time. Furthermore, to support living expenses, several research scholarships and awards are available to eligible candidates. However, students do need to pay a Student Services and Amenities Fee. Please visit fees & assistance webpage for further information.

International students

Fees for international students undertaking a research degree can be found on the international student fees page.

Check the most recent International Tuition Fees Booklet, under Postgraduate Research degrees. You will also find useful information on payment methods and dates.

If you are an international student, before you apply, please confirm you can afford to complete this degree.  To help you estimate the costs you need to pay before you arrive, as well as the monthly expenses, please download this spreadsheet and follow the instructions at the top.

ESTIMATE DEGREE COST (Excel 90kb)

There is also a wide range of research scholarships and awards available to eligible students.

  • Before you apply, please check the UOW course entry requirements, intake dates, and closing dates for your chosen degree on the  Postgraduate Course Finder.
  • If you are an International student you should check UOWs general English Language Note that you will also need to understand the English language requirements for your student VISA.
  • Complete and submit your application for Higher Degree Research.
  • Please note that the postgraduate research application process is lengthy as each application is assessed by the relevant faculty. Turnaround times for a research application is 6–8 weeks.
  • Creative Arts applicants may be required to submit documentation or portfolio material. Contact our Graduate Research Schoolfor further information.

Ready to apply for a Research Degree at UOW?

Apply now

What documents do I need to submit?

You will need to provide evidence of any current, partially completed, or fully completed academic qualifications which are relevant to the course you are applying for. These will normally include:

  • Electronic or scanned copies of academic records, mark sheets, and/or transcripts for secondary or tertiary studies currently enrolled in, or previously undertaken.
  • Official certified English translations are required for documents in another language.
  • Transcripts must show all subjects undertaken, grades obtained (including failures), stages reached, or confirm that academic requirements of the course have been completed.
  • Digital academic documents issued via My eQuals are also accepted. To submit My eQuals digital academic documents, please follow the below instructions:
  1. Generate a link to your My eQuals digital academic document(s) – do not nominate an expiry date
  2. Paste the link into a Word document
  3. If you added a PIN to the link, please ensure you note the PIN next to the link
  4. Where you have more than one relevant My eQuals digital document to submit, provide a link for each, ensuring you label each link clearly
  5. Save the Word document on your computer. Note: a document must not be bigger than 2 MB for undergraduate/postgraduate course applications and not bigger than 5 MB for HDR applications. Acceptable formats are: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, jpg, jpeg, tif and tiff.
  6. Upload the Word document to your UOW admissions application

    Please only submit My eQuals digital documents according to the instructions outlined above. The My eQuals portal offers other options in which to share documents, however, those options are not recommended by UOW.

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Copies of academic records, mark sheets or transcripts for studies previously undertaken must be provided at the time of application (either in hard copy or electronically). English translations are also required for documents in another language. The transcript must show all subjects undertaken, grades and stages reached or qualifications gained.

For domestic applicants, a photocopied document must be certified as a true copy of the original by:

  • An authorised officer in the admissions office at any tertiary institution
  • A member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia or the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants, or the National Institute of Accountants or the Association of Taxation and Management Accountants or Registered Tax Agents
  • A bank branch manager (not in a bank travel centre)
  • A barrister, solicitor or patent attorney
  • A police officer of the rank of sergeant or above
  • A post office manager
  • A principal of an Australian high or primary school; or
  • A justice of the peace

The person certifying the photocopies must:

  • Write on the copy: “This appears to be a true copy of the original document sighted by me”, and
  • Sign the document and print your name, address, telephone number, profession/occupation, date verified; and
  • Affix the official stamp or seal of the verifier’s organisation on the copy, if the organisation has such a stamp.




International students and students who do not have English as their first language will need to provide evidence of English language proficiency in line with the requirements of the course (as shown on the Course Finder page of your chosen course – Admissions, Key Dates & Fees - International). See UOW’s English language requirements for details of what evidence is required. 

Students may seek credit for subjects and studies already completed.

You will need to provide a copy of detailed subject descriptions with your application.

Other Information

Provided you have submitted all relevant information, assessment generally takes 6-8 weeks to process. However, if you are applying for credit transfer, have not provided all the necessary documents, or it is not clear whether you meet entry requirements, applications may take a little longer.

If you have applied by the due date shown on the Course Finder page, you will receive an outcome in time for the start of the session you’ve applied for. If you have applied after the due date, we will still do our very best to get you an outcome before start of session. If this isn’t possible, we will assess you for the next intake.

You will be notified by email once we assess your application.

The University of Wollongong is committed to protecting your privacy. The Privacy Policy provides more information, or you can call 1300 367 869 (within Australia), or +612 4221 3218 (from overseas) to speak to our Future Student Team. 

You will need to have popup blockers turned off while you submit your online application.

If you have any questions or need assistance with your application, Future Students can help you.

If you have a disability and require advice or assistance, you can also contact UOW's Disability Services for support.