The National Library of Australia Scholarships program provides 6 week residences for PhD students.

This program supports students from a range of backgrounds and topics, including First Nations scholars, scholars from regional or rural Australia, research in Asian studies, biographical research, travel and exploration, or using the Library's map collection.

These scholarships are made possible through the generosity of many National Library patrons and donors.  Nine scholarships are available in 2025. 

Fellows will receive:

• $6000 to support a six-week residency at the National Library of Australia in Canberra 
• supported access to collections
• a personal workstation and full office facilities
• high resolution digital copies of collection materials if required for publication or other public uses (within set limits and according to access and copyright conditions).

Funding is paid directly to the individual in week 1 of their residency. As this support may have tax implications, it is recommended Scholars seek professional financial advice.

The scholarships are open to students who:

• have commenced PhD study
• are Australian citizens or permanent residents
• have not received a Grant, Fellowship or Scholarship from the Library in the past five years.

In addition to the above:

• applicants for the Seymour Scholarship must be under the age of 35 at 31 December 2024. This age limit is a condition requested by the donors.
• the National Library of Australia First Nations Scholarship, supported by Irene Kaspar and Peter Boeg, is open only to Australian First Nations scholars
• the National Library of Australia Scholarship, supported by a generous donor, is open to applicants of any age but preference is given to Australian First Nations scholars. If no suitable First Nations applications are received, this Scholarship maybe awarded to a non-Indigenous scholar.

Preference for all scholarships is given to applicants who would otherwise find it difficult to access the Library’s collections.

• Phone: 02 6262 1099
• Email: fellowships@nla.gov.au