RTP Fact Sheet

ADVICE TO CURRENTLY ENROLLED HIGHER DEGREE BY RESEARCH CANDIDATES

Notification of transfer to new Research Training Program (RTP)

From 1 January 2017 the Australian Government is replacing Australian Postgraduate Awards (APA), International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (IPRS) and the Research Training Scheme (RTS) with a single program, the Research Training Program (RTP). As current support programs are not continuing beyond 1 January 2017, the University is required by legislation to transfer all APA, IPRS and RTS recipients to the new Research Training Program.

It is important to note:

1. This change will not affect your status as a graduate researcher, your rights, your stipend if you have one, nor your obligations. The change is simply administrative, affecting only how your candidature details are reported to the government.
2. These changes only affect you if you are:
   1. a Domestic Candidate (Australian/NZ Citizen or Australian Permanent Resident) who has been enrolled in a Research Doctorate/Masters for less than 4/2 years full time equivalent OR
   2. an International Candidate in receipt of an IPRS.  All other candidates are not affected.

RTP scholarship arrangements

As part of the change to legislation, the University is now required to inform you that part of the RTP is being used to offset the costs of your fees as a student of the University.  This replaces the funding that was previously used to pay the university to offset your tuition fees through the RTS.  Because the RTP fee offset scholarship is an indirect payment to the university it does not constitute income to you and so it will not be subject to income tax. Full-time RTP stipend scholarships will also continue to be tax free.

To ensure you are not disadvantaged in any way, you will be transferred onto an RTP scholarship which provides equivalent support to that currently provided to you.

What do you need to do?

There is no requirement for you to respond to this notice. The University will automatically transfer you onto your new RTP Scholarship on 1 January 2017 and there will be no noticeable changes to your HDR Candidature.

Acknowledgement of Australian Government support

As part of the new arrangements there is a legislative requirement that you acknowledge the Australian Government’s support in any published materials related to your HDR. This relates to any time, both during and after completion of your research higher degree. Materials include items such as books, articles, newsletters or other literary or artistic works which relate to your thesis project.

The acknowledgement must include the mention of your support through an “Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship”.

Conditions of RTP scholarship

The conditions that apply to your RTP scholarship(s) are the same as your current RTS and APA/IPRS.

A summary of scholarship changes are as follows:

* Paid to the University from the Australian Government on your behalf - subject to variation in later years based on actual HDR expenditure
** Increased annually by Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Notification of Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN)

To be eligible for an RTP scholarship the University is required to issue you a CHESSN and report this number to the Department of Education and Training. If you already have a CHESSN from previous study, the number will remain the same.  Otherwise a CHESSN will be allocated to you.

Further information

A Government fact sheet on the transition to the RTP is attached to this notice. Further information can also be found on the Department of Education and Training’s website at

https://www.education.gov.au/research-training-program and

https://www.education.gov.au/research-training-program-frequently-asked-questions-students

If you require additional information in relation to this notice please contact the Graduate Research School on grs@jcu.edu.au or phone 07 4781 4735 or 07 4781 5861.