Honours Scholarships

Playford Trust

The Playford Trust, in partnership with the three South Australian public universities, offers a total of 12 scholarships of $7000 each annually to South Australians intending to study at Honours level in the priority areas of the Trust.

Four scholarships are allocated to each of the three universities.

Students must be undertaking an Honours degree with the University of Adelaide, Flinders University or the University of South Australia in the following priority areas for the Trust:

  • Advanced manufacturing and new technologies
  • Water, energy and climate change
  • Agriculture, aquaculture and food production
  • Space and defence technologies
  • Resources, energy and sustainability
  • Health sciences and enabling technologies.

Applications for 2024 have now closed.

Selection Criteria

The Playford Trust will consider nominations from students studying at one of the three South Australian public universities.

The Playford Trust will make the final selection based on the following selection criteria:

Applicants must be:

  • ready to commence Honours with the University of Adelaide, Flinders University or University of South Australia in the priority areas for the Trust
  • an Australian citizen or a holder of a permanent resident visa and resident in South Australia
  • intending to spend a significant part of their career in South Australia, or be likely to provide a benefit to the State
  • a high achiever, with an excellent undergraduate academic record
  • of good character. Preference will be given to students who display leadership potential.

Honours scholarship recipients are not precluded from subsequently applying for a Playford Trust PhD scholarship. Similarly, students undertaking a MPhil and awarded an Honours scholarship will not be excluded from applying for a subsequent PhD scholarship.

The Trust will also consider a student who has had to overcome a significant disadvantage that may have affected, to some degree, their academic record. In such instances, the student should address their disadvantage in their application. The student’s supervisor or academic referee, in their supporting comments, should comment on the nature of the disadvantage and on their confidence in the ultimate success of the student in making an impact in their chosen field.

It is essential that the applicant’s supervisor or an academic referee (e.g. dean of school/faculty, or lecturer) provide a supporting comment about the student’s achievements, character, and leadership potential.