Preparing YourApplication.
A practical checklist drawn from the ANU’s scholarship page, the Conditions of Award and the Applicant Information Document. Those documents are the authority, so if anything here differs from them, follow the ANU.
The Process at a Glance
Before applications open
Work towards your Harvard admission, check every eligibility criterion and start gathering what the application asks for.
While applications are open
Complete the ANU application form and submit it, with any supporting documents the form asks for, by the closing date.
If you’re shortlisted
You’ll hear by early March. Your referees then submit their reports, you disclose all other funding, and you’re interviewed in March or April.
If you’re offered the award
Your letter of offer sets out the award’s value. Once you accept its terms, the scholars are announced and the ANU works with you ahead of your move to the United States.
Dates to Plan Around
- Applications open
- November or DecemberThe 2026 round opened on 12 December 2025. The ANU scholarship page lists the next round’s dates. Our key dates show the latest round in full.
- Applications close
- Early FebruaryThe 2026 round closed on 9 February 2026. Everything must be in by the closing date the ANU publishes.
- Shortlisting
- By early MarchOnly then do referees submit reports. For the 2026 round, references were due by Wednesday 11 March 2026.
- Interviews
- March and AprilShortlisted candidates disclose all other funding before their interview.
Before Applications Open
Read the eligibility criteria and the Conditions of Award on the ANU scholarship page, then work through this list.
- Harvard admission. The award requires that you have applied for and been admitted to a full-time, residential postgraduate degree program at Harvard, and that you intend to attend in person.
- Eligibility. Go through every criterion with the eligibility check: citizenship and residence, your degree and Honours, intention to return, and any past postgraduate enrolment in the US.
- Other scholarships. You can’t have accepted, or plan to accept, another major scholarship worth more than US$30,000, unless it comes directly from the ANU or Harvard. The Conditions of Award name Fulbright, Frank Knox, Ramsay and Monash awards as examples.
- Referees. Two of your referees must be able to speak to your academic or professional merit and your capacity for higher degree study. One must be able to write a personal reference about your personal qualities and your role in the wider community. Ask them early and tell them references are due in March. You can point them to our guide for referees.
- Your record. Collect the titles of your publications, papers and theses; your memberships, distinctions, awards and prizes; scholarships you hold, have held or have applied for, with their value and tenure; and your community, volunteer and leadership roles, with dates.
- Your budget. Start working out what your whole time at Harvard will cost, travel included, and how you will pay for it.
While Applications Are Open
You apply on the ANU’s application form, reached from the ANU scholarship page while a round is open. The ANU’s Applicant Information Document describes what the form asks for.
- Supporting details. The lists from your record, plus 250 words on what you plan to do after you graduate from Harvard.
- Statement of purpose. Your background (including community and recreational interests and, if relevant, your career to date), your personal philosophy, your aspirations and career plans, and how you believe you can contribute to the future interests of Australia.
- Financial details. A budget for your entire period of study, including travel (for example tuition, accommodation, living expenses and health insurance). List all confirmed scholarships and other support, including offers of employer sponsorship, and any funding applications still pending, showing fallback alternatives.
- Referees. Give the referee details the form asks for. Referees don’t send references at this stage.
- Supporting documents. The ANU application form lists what to upload. The Conditions of Award say any supporting documentation is set out on the form or the ANU scholarships website.
- Submit on time. Your application and all supporting documents must be in on or before the closing date published on the ANU scholarships website.
The selection committee considers academic merit, qualities of leadership and breadth of vision, shown through your commitment to contributing to Australia’s development (how the committee judges applications). Be complete and accurate. The award can be withdrawn if information is incorrect or misleading, or if relevant information is withheld.
If You’re Shortlisted
Shortlisted candidates are told by early March.
- Ask your referees to submit. Only shortlisted candidates do this. For the 2026 round, references were due by Wednesday 11 March 2026. If you nominate a new referee, give them the referee form link on the ANU scholarship page.
- Confirm your Harvard funding. Before the interview, check with Harvard the maximum and minimum funding you may be eligible to receive, so your disclosure fits Harvard’s cost-of-attendance rules.
- Disclose all other funding. Give full details of other awards, employer sponsorship, Harvard funding and any other financial benefits. The ANU says candidates who don’t meet this condition are responsible for any costs of attending the interview.
- Prepare for the interview. Interviews run in March and April, with a selection committee of up to six people: three appointed by the ANU’s Vice-Chancellor and three by the Harvard Club of Australia.
If You’re Offered the Award
- Read your letter of offer. It states the award’s value, which depends in the end on any financial aid you receive from Harvard.
- Plan to take it up that year. The Conditions of Award say the award can’t be deferred.
- Accept the terms. Scholars are announced once they have accepted. The ANU then works with them on the transfer of funds before they leave for the United States.
- Report other scholarships. You may hold other scholarships if they fit the US$30,000 rule, and you must tell the Harvard Club of Australia through its administrator.
- Sort out housing and tax. Finding accommodation at Harvard is your responsibility. Get independent tax advice, and if you receive Centrelink payments, check how the award affects them.
- Keep up your studies. Stay enrolled in the course load your Harvard school requires. At the end of each academic year, send the selection committee a progress report with an official statement of results. Tell its secretary straight away if anything interrupts your studies. You may be asked to repay some or all of the award if you don’t pursue your course for at least the first academic year.
You may also be asked to take part in publicity for the award. After the offer covers what comes next: visa documents, health insurance and staying in touch.
Timing Questions
I’m still waiting on my Harvard admission decision. Should I apply?
Admission is a requirement (see Harvard admission, above). If you are still waiting on a decision when applications close, check with the ANU Coursework Scholarships Office before you apply. Planning ahead shows when Harvard schools publish their decisions.
Do my referees send references with my application?
No. Only shortlisted candidates ask their referees for reports, after they are told in early March.
Some of my other funding applications are still pending. What do I include?
The financial details section asks for confirmed and pending funding, with fallback alternatives. If you are shortlisted, you must disclose all other funding before the interview.
Which documents do I need to upload?
The ANU application form lists what to upload. The Applicant Information Document describes the information the form asks for.
Where to Get Help
Questions about eligibility, the form or your application go to the ANU Coursework Scholarships Office at philanthropic.scholarships@anu.edu.au, the contact listed on the ANU scholarship page.
To hear what applying was like, ask to talk with a past scholar. For the award at a glance, see How to apply.