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Interviews

Australia Awards interview questions: format, themes and how to prepare

Checked against official sources

Australia Awards does not publish a bank of interview questions, but Australia Awards Africa has published preparation material that describes the format, the panel and the themes it explores. This guide sets out what that material says, how to practise from your own experience, and the rules on AI and outside help that apply to the whole application. It also covers who can apply from our six countries, because India is not eligible.

Who reaches the interview

Interviews come after the eligibility check and shortlisting, and only shortlisted candidates are contacted. Eligibility depends on your country.

Country Route and key rules (2027 intake)
Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana Australia Awards Africa: aged at least 25 on 1 February 2027; 5 or more years of post-graduate work related to the field; employed when applying; a bachelor's, with no master's held or in progress. Not required to submit an English test
Pakistan Citizen living in Pakistan; 16 years of education; 5 years of relevant work in Pakistan; maximum age 45 at submission; Development Impact and Linkages Plan required
Bangladesh Eligible; check the Bangladesh country profile for your intake, as the 2027 profile could not be confirmed
India Not eligible: India is not on DFAT's list of participating countries

For 2027 study, applications ran from 1 February to 30 April 2026; Australia Awards Africa says the 2028 intake opens in February 2027. Confirm the closing date when the round opens.

What the published material says about the format

The interview preparation material from Australia Awards Africa is for the 2024 intake, the latest version found, so confirm details with your country's Australia Awards office.

Item What the 2024-intake material describes
Format Online video interview, camera on
Length 30 minutes (35 for non-English-speaking countries), strictly timed
Questions in advance Given 15 minutes before (20 for non-English-speaking countries)
Notes Allowed during the interview
Panel 3 voting members, plus a non-voting government representative for public-sector candidates and an Australia Awards officer as secretariat
Answer style STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) recommended

Australia Awards Africa's selection page adds that its interviews are held online in June.

Because you see the questions shortly before you start, the interview rewards stories you know well, not memorised answers. The material lists memorising answers, overlong answers and leaving questions unanswered as mistakes, along with typing during the call and not testing your connection, camera and microphone. The Bangladesh profile for 2026 study also mentions a written test alongside the interview.

The themes the panel explores

The same material describes what the panel looks for: whether you are a sound investment, specific links between your past work, your chosen course and your future role, your grasp of your country's development agenda and of gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), evidence that you have led change (even incremental change), and whether your plan meets the needs of your organisation or sector.

Its themes also include your course choice and goals, why Australia and why an Australia Award, your reintegration plan and how you will influence policy or practice on return, and handling stakeholders who resist change. For self-reflection, it suggests asking what makes you different from other candidates, what change your country needs and whom you must influence to achieve it. These are preparation prompts, not a list of what any panel will ask.

How to practise without scripting

DFAT states that selection may use interviews or writing exercises to check that your written answers match your own skills, so the panel may probe what you wrote in OASIS. For each theme, pick one or two real experiences in STAR form, keep a few keywords per story and rehearse aloud.

The Application Kit for Australia Awards Scholarships includes a STAR Evidence Bank tagged to the selection criteria and an Interview Question Bank of practice questions written from the published criteria and themes, not taken from any real panel. Both are private workbooks that only you fill in.

AI and third-party rules

  • DFAT's 2026 guide allows AI only for limited support: spelling and grammar checks, clarifying concepts, high-level brainstorming and organising your thoughts before you draft.
  • It prohibits using AI to generate answers; to draft, rewrite, improve or paraphrase OASIS responses or essays; to edit or polish them to sound more professional or concise; to produce reintegration plans or attachments; to paste in AI text and adjust it; or to present AI output as your own. If you are unsure whether a use is allowed, treat it as not allowed, and never enter personal or sensitive data into AI tools.
  • The programme may cross-check against referee reports and records and use AI detectors as indicative checks. Misuse can be treated as plagiarism or fraud and lead to disqualification, or termination once on award.
  • Australia Awards Pakistan states that using third parties to submit or improve an application leads to disqualification, and that AI must not write, improve or paraphrase any part of it.

Australia Awards never charges fees or asks for payments or bank details, and it communicates only through its own channels.

General information: this article is general information, not admissions advice. Formats, rules and dates change between cycles, so always check your country's Australia Awards page and DFAT's own guidance before you apply.

Sources