Related links
Australia Awards
- Overview
- Arriving in Australia
- Your entitlements
- Your study
- Support
- Your stay in Australia
- Completing your scholarship
Completing your scholarship
University graduation ceremony
Due to your student visa restrictions, you need to depart Australia before the official university graduation ceremony.
You will receive an invitation to attend the graduation ceremony or graduate in absentia.
If you want to return to Sydney to attend your graduation, you need approval to apply for a visitor visa to Australia. You need to:
- contact the International Sponsorships team to get a graduation invitation letter from the University
- apply to Australia Awards (DFAT) office in your home country for a Letter of No Objection.
Completion Ceremony
The International Sponsorships team hosts a completion ceremony in late June and late November each year. This gives you the opportunity to celebrate the completion of your scholarship with your fellow students, family and friends. You can wear academic dress at the event and have your photo taken by a professional photographer.
We will email you with information about the completion ceremony in your final semester of study.
Alumni registration
When you complete your scholarship, you join the Australia Global Alumni family. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) encourages you to stay in contact through the Global Alumni website.
You also become a member of the University of Sydney alumni community, so please make sure you update your home country contact details with our alumni team so we can stay in touch.
Return home travel
A few months before your scholarship end date, the International Sponsorships team will email you with instructions on preparing to return to your home country. This will include information about booking your flight and the date of your last stipend payment.
Restrictions on returning to Australia
After the completion of your scholarship and return to your home country, you need to follow the two-year exclusion rule. This means that you can’t return to Australia to work or study for two years after your scholarship end date.
The purpose of this rule is to make sure the knowledge you gained in Australia helps to advance the developmental goals of your home country.
You may be able to apply for short-term visits to Australia during this time with DFAT’s written permission.
Last updated: 05 May 2023
