Application Information for Domestic Applicants

It is recommended that prospective research students undertake the following steps in submitting an application to ANU. If you have any questions about this process please make email contact or telephone 02 6125 1088 or 02 6125 4138.

Step 1 Identify a suitable supervisor and obtain their support:
• Identify a research field in RSBS that you are interested in studying and contact the academic staff member directing that research.

• Email them a short message indicating your expression of interest. The email should outline the reason(s) why you are attracted to their field of research, the type of research you would like to pursue and a summary of your academic qualifications and research experience. You may also submit a research proposal however this is not mandatory at this point.

• The RSBS academic staff member may contact you to discuss your research proposal and possibly other projects; or they may forward your expression of interest to other staff in the School.

• Once a suitable supervisor has been identified that will support your application you can proceed with completing a 1 page research proposal (that should be made available to the proposed supervisor for comment before submitting your application) and the Application form (see below).

• It is strongly recommended that you also make email contact with the Student Administration area in RSBS to confirm your intention to submit an application. RSBS staff can then maintain contact with you throughout the application process, as well as track your application. Student Administration can also assist with any general enquiries you may have. The student administration team can be contacted via email or by telephone 02 6125 1088 or 02 6125 4138.

Step 2 Complete an application form:
• Complete the online ANU Postgraduate Research Program/ Scholarship Application form. Application for admission to the Masters/PhD program and scholarships is combined on the single online application form.

• The online application form does NOT have to be completed in one session. You can log in to your ‘My ANU page’ at any time to complete or edit your application while it is in the saved status. Once you have completed your application online, you can go ahead and submit the application.

• The online form allows you to download referees report templates. Before submitting your application to the ANU please arrange for your referees to complete the required information and submit it directly to the University. Careful consideration should be given to referees as letters of reference can be very important in the Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) scholarship round.

Important Tips:
To ensure there are no delays in processing your application you must take particular care to ensure you have supplied all the necessary information.

Please indicate your proposed supervisor or the Convenor who has supported your application on the specified field of the online application form.

The online application form will ask to which Graduate Studies Field you are applying. ANU Graduate Studies Fields bring together graduate students and staff with common research interests but who may be located in different academic areas. Each Graduate Studies Field has a Convenor with special responsibilities for arranging inductions, seminars and workshops, and providing advice to prospective graduate students. Convenors may also help potential graduate students who are uncertain of the most appropriate academic contact in their field, to access supervision opportunities.

Research at RSBS may fall under one of the four Graduate Studies Fields:
• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Ecology, Evolution and Systematics
• Medical Sciences (including Neuroscience)
• Plant Sciences

Occasionally a research topic may fit into more than one Graduate Studies Field. Your prospective supervisor should advise you on which Graduate Studies Field your application is to be assessed through.

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