Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme

APPLICATION OPEN!

Applications are invited for the 2027 intake of the PASS Scholarship Program from suitably qualified applicants seeking to undertake a Master of Science in Agriculture (with a thesis component), Master of Science in Forestry (with a thesis component), Masters by Research or PhD at Fiji National University (FNU).

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) is an Australian Government statutory authority within the Australian Government’s Foreign Affairs portfolio. The ACIAR Pacific Island strategy recognises the importance of agriculture (including horticulture), fisheries (including aquaculture), and forestry across the region.

ACIAR’s Pacific postgraduate scholarships are offered in the Pacific, to Pacific Islanders. This enables scholars to research agricultural problems within the context that the solutions need to work, to build professional networks which will be relevant post-study and remain close to family and culture.

The PASS Program aims to strengthen the Pacific agricultural innovation system through building on the strengths of Pacific universities and their regional partners. It sits within ACIAR’s Pacific Capacity Building Strategy and is part of the Australian Government’s support to the Pacific.

The ACIAR PASS Administration team based at FNU provides additional support to PASS scholars and academic staff including professional development, peer-to-peer learning, research collaboration, and supervision training. Student work placements and career development are included under the PASS Program through the Job Ready program to build ongoing industry connections.

ELIGIBILITY

Note:
Please check with the ACIAR Graduate Officer before applying for the scholarship.

• Applicants must be Pacific Island Country Nationals from ACIAR partner countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu).
• Applicants must be 35 years or below when applying for Masters and 45 years or below for PhD. Flexibilities on the age criteria will be considered under exceptional cases.

Interested applicants for Master of Science in Agriculture (with a thesis component) Programs are expected to have achieved:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture with a GPA of 3.0 or above.

Interested applicants for Master of Science in Forestry (with a thesis component) Programs are expected to have achieved:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Forestry with a GPA of 3.0 or above.

Interested applicants for Masters by Research Programs are expected to have achieved:

• A Postgraduate diploma with a GPA of 3.00 or above (or the equivalent from a recognised University).
• A bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 3.5.
• An honours Bachelor degree with a GPA of 3.00 (from a recognised institution).
• Master by coursework.
• Recognised Professional experience: Evidence of academic qualifications and/or experience inclusive of research reports, or dissertations, or publications or other evidence of professional work that satisfies the Dean of the College that, the applicant has sufficient knowledge of the field of study, and capable of undertaking research and the writing of the thesis.

The medium of instruction at FNU is the English language. Students must be sufficiently fluent in English to pursue the HDR Programme. HDR students will provide evidence from undergraduate qualifications/other English qualifications that confirm their English language competency.

Interested applicants for Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Programs are expected to have achieved:

• A Master by Research degree.
• Where the Master degree is by coursework a GPA of minimum 4.0 is required plus completion of a research method course.
• An Honours Bachelor’s degree with a GPA of minimum 4.0 and above or (First or upper Second-class Honours).
• Recognised Professional experience: Evidence of academic qualifications and/or experience inclusive of research reports, or dissertations, or publications or other evidence of professional work that satisfies the Dean of the College that, the applicant has sufficient knowledge of the field of study, and capable of undertaking research and the writing of the thesis.
• Any of the above-listed pre-requisites must have been attained from a recognised institution.

The medium of instruction at FNU is the English language. Students must be sufficiently fluent in English to pursue the HDR Programme. HDR students will provide evidence from undergraduate qualifications/other English qualifications that confirm their English language competency.

TARGETED RESEARCH TOPICS

ACIAR and FNU have worked together to identify key research topics relevant to the ACIAR project and FNU’s research interests.

Please note: The Compendium of Potential Research Topics and Research Intent Form will only be provided to applicants who meet the eligibility requirements and are confirmed as eligible to proceed with the application process.

For eligibility checks and further information about the ACIAR PASS Program, please contact:

Ms. Varsha Dutt
ACIAR Graduate and Scholarship Officer
Email: aciar-go@fnu.ac.fj

Eligible applicants will receive further instructions on accessing the research topics and completing the Research Intent Form.

SCHOLARSHIP CONDITIONS

Scholarships will be awarded on a 24-month basis for Masters’ students and 36-month basis for a PhD candidate. Each successful recipient will be entitled to:

• Full Tuition coverage for the relevant program of study.
• Allowances are:
  1. Book allowance (currently FJD 750 as a one-off payment)
  2. Living Allowance (FJD$21,450 p.a. for unaccompanied & FJD$32,472 p.a. for accompanied)
  3. Establishment allowance (currently FJD 1,900, as a one-off payment, if applicable).
  4. Medical insurance (at prevailing rate)

A Research Grant of up to a maximum of FJD17,500 for Masters’ students and FJD40,000 for PhD students is available for successful applicants.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants must first submit the PASS Scholarship Application Form together with all required supporting documents.

Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements will be notified and provided with the following:

• Compendium of Potential Research Topics
• Research Intent Form

Eligible applicants will then be required to identify a suitable research topic, consult with the relevant FNU Supervisor and Co-supervisor, and complete the Research Intent Form as instructed.

For eligibility checks and further information about the ACIAR PASS Program, please contact:

Ms. Varsha Dutt
ACIAR Graduate and Scholarship Officer
Email: aciar-go@fnu.ac.fj

Application forms and details of the scholarship can be downloaded by clicking on the link below:

• Download ACIAR Application Form

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For more information, including application forms and research proposal templates, please contact:

Ms. Varsha Dutt, ACIAR Graduate and Scholarship Officer
Email: aciar-go@fnu.ac.fj

For further information about ACIAR’s Pacific work, please contact:

Ms Mai Alagcan, Regional Manager Pacific and PNG, Suva, FIJI
Email: CountryPacific@aciar.gov.au

Applications will close at 5pm FJT on Wednesday, October 21, 2026