Mathematics and Statistics
Vacation Scholarships Program

The Vacation Scholarships program provides selected students with a supervised introduction to research in mathematics or statistics.

About the program

Our Vacation Scholarship program provides selected students with a supervised introduction to research in mathematics or statistics. Successful candidates will be supervised by a member of staff according to their general strengths and interests, whether on the pure or applied side and within mathematics or statistics.

As well as exploring new and familiar mathematical concepts and techniques in unprecedented depth for the purpose of achieving the individual project’s research goals, the vacation scholars gain workforce experience and have the chance to meet, socialise and make friends with students of similar interests. This will be facilitated by various social activities such as lunches, talks, workshops and discussion rounds, as well as the final poster presentation in mid-February in which all Vacation Scholars present their work. There is even the chance to win a $200 prize for the best poster presentation.

The program is particularly aimed at students, either advanced second years or current third years, who are seriously considering one of the masters programs offered by the School of Mathematics and Statistics.

The program will take place during the summer vacation period (any consecutive 4 weeks full-time, concluding before the first Friday in February).

Students will receive one payment of AUD$2000 (equivalent of $500/week for 4 weeks) after 4 weeks of full-time research at the University of Melbourne. Detailed information on the scholarship payment will be part of your induction pack.

If you are interested in participating in this program, please familiarise yourself with the eligibility criteria below and attend the Information Session.

Eligibility

Undergraduate students (no Honours, no Honours program associated and no significant research components embedded with the degree) at the University of Melbourne or other universities in Victoria state are eligible and encouraged to apply.

Vacation Scholarships are available to students who:

  1. Are enrolled in any single or combined degree program in which they have been able to study a significant amount of Mathematics or Statistics
  2. Have completed at least two and have completed or be enrolled in at least three genuine level 2 or 3 Mathematics and Statistics subjects (see below for list) as of the due date for applications
  3. Have completed 100 points of study at the University of Melbourne (or equivalent at other universities)
  4. Have not completed one of the School’s Vacation Scholarships before (AMSI Vacation Scholarships are not counted here)
  5. Can commit to four weeks of full-time engagement with the project in person at the University of Melbourne
  6. Are seriously considering the University of Melbourne Mathematics and Statistics postgraduate research programs (e.g. Master of Science, graduate research degree).
  7. Have a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 70 or above across the approved Mathematics and Statistics subjects (see below for list). This is also the minimum requirement to be eligible for any special consideration.

The University of Melbourne students will generally be required to be enrolled in the Bachelor of Science or the concurrent Diploma in Mathematical Sciences. Students in the Graduate Diploma in Science (Advanced) are eligible if they are in the Mathematics and Statistics stream and have not enrolled in any level-9 subjects at the time of application. Students enrolled in other degrees have to consult the program Coordinator about their eligibility through an email to ms-vacation-scholarships@unimelb.edu.au.

  • A genuine Mathematics and Statistics subject is any subject listed below at the University of Melbourne (or equivalent at your institution):

    Level 1 subjects:

    • MAST10007 Linear Algebra
    • MAST10008 Accelerated Mathematics 1
    • MAST10022 Linear Algebra: Advanced

    Level 2 subjects:

    • MAST10009 Accelerated Mathematics 2
    • MAST20004 Probability
    • MAST20005 Statistics
    • MAST20006 Probability for Statistics
    • MAST20009 Vector Calculus
    • MAST20018 Discrete Maths And Operations Research
    • MAST20022 Group Theory And Linear Algebra
    • MAST20026 Real Analysis
    • MAST20030 Differential Equations
    • MAST20033 Real Analysis: Advanced
    • MAST20032 Vector Calculus: Advanced
    • COMP20008 Elements Of Data Processing (in combination with MAST20004/MAST20006 and MAST20005 in the Data Science or Computer Science Major)

    Level 3 subjects: all MAST3xxxx

Projects and supervisors

Available supervisors Current projects Past projects

Note: 

  • Only academics from the School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, are eligible to be supervisors in this program. Some academics that are not listed here may also be available. We recommend that you contact potential supervisors in research areas of interest to find out about available projects that are not posted here or to discuss personal preferences.
  • Some postings are for a specific project while others are more general and have facets that could run each year, even if the posting is from a previous year.

Posters from previous years

You may also be interested in posters from previous years to obtain an impression of the range of topics covered and figure out what kind of mathematics appeals to you.

Applying

How to apply

Applications for the Vacation Scholarship Program will open by mid-August and close on Friday 29 August at 5pm. When applications open, please follow these steps to apply.

  1. If possible, please attend the Vacation Scholarship Program Information Session.
  2. Complete the online application form and attach the relevant documents. You must complete the form in one sitting; you cannot save the form and complete it later.  Before you apply, you must:
    • Have your academic transcript or statement of results ready to upload.
    • Have your CV ready to upload. The CV will be shared with potential supervisors. Please make sure not to include sensitive information such as address details, telephone numbers or private email addresses.
    • Have written a personal statement and saved it as a PDF for uploading to the application form, word limit: 1 page, addressing the following points:
      1. Why are you interested in the VS program
      2. Your research area(s) of interest
      3. Why do you believe you are a good candidate
      4. Your future plans and how the VS program fits in
    • Calculate and provide the weighted average mark (WAM) across the approved Mathematics and Statistics subjects listed in the Approved Mathematics and Statistics subjects list in the Eligibility section.
    • If not a student at the University of Melbourne, provide the contact details of an academic referee.

Procedure

Stage 1 - Pre-screening

  • Applicants are ranked based on their weighted average mark (WAM) across the approved Mathematics and Statistics subjects as specified above. Rankings will also account for special considerations and diversity (see details below).
  • Top-ranked applicants will be either shortlisted or placed on a waitlist and will then proceed to the next stage.
  • Applicants do not need to approach potential supervisors unless explicitly notified after shortlisting.

Stage 2 - Supervisor approval and nomination

  • Shortlisted applicants must contact potential supervisors to discuss research projects
  • Each shortlisted applicant must nominate two supervisors and provide email evidence of approval from each supervisor confirming their willingness to supervise.
  • Each supervisor can supervise a maximum of two vacation scholars. Therefore, it is recommended to initially contact two to three supervisors. If you do not receive a response or secure a match from these initial contacts, you may then approach additional supervisors. This method ensures efficient use of the academic staff's time and maximizes your chances of finding a suitable match.

Special consideration

If your WAM has been adversely affected by individual circumstances beyond your control, you can apply for special consideration by filling in the part related to WAM of the application form.

If granted, your WAM will be replaced by an appropriately adjusted WAM for the purpose of the ranking. Please note that a general reference to online learning in the context of COVID-19 will not be sufficient to receive special consideration, since this is an experience shared by all applicants.

Special consideration may also apply if you fail to satisfy the subject eligibility criteria, for example, due to having been granted prerequisite waivers, as long as you can provide evidence that you are on track for a major in Data Science, Mathematical Physics or Mathematics and Statistics.

If in doubt, please discuss your situation with the coordinators of the Vacation Scholarship program.

Diversity

The School of Mathematics and Statistics values the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions each person brings to our community and encourages and celebrates diversity. First Nations people, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, women, students of all ages with disabilities or caregiving responsibilities, and culturally and linguistically diverse students are encouraged to apply. Our aim is to run a Vacation Scholarships Program whose participants reflect the community at our University, and we created a number of designated Diversity Scholarships to achieve that goal. Students who wish to be considered for the Diversity Scholarships are kindly requested to fill in the Diversity part of the application form.

Information Session

The 2025/2026 program information session took place on Friday 15 August at 11am - 1pm at Theatre 1 in Old Geology South and on Zoom.

The video recording (on MS Prime) and slides can be found below.

Video Slides

Note that the range of projects presented in the information session may be limited due to speaker availability. However, supervisors are available across all research areas within our school.

Contacts

If you have read all of the information on this page and still have further questions, please contact ms-vacation-scholarships@unimelb.edu.au.

Address your email to Brian Krummel and Marco Carfagnini for academic matters and Roy Ridgway for all other matters.

Other Scholarship Programs

-- It is impossible to do any two or more of the programs simultaneously

    • In the case of applying for both the AMSI and our school vacation scholarship programs, students are required to nominate the same supervisor for both applications. You are not allowed to enroll in both programs in the same summer vacation.
    • The projects listed on this webpage can be submitted to the AMSI program if the supervisor approves. You should contact the supervisor and discuss this.
    • To understand the differences between the AMSI and our school vacation scholarship programs, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about projects and programs section below.
    • For comprehensive details about the AMSI program, please explore further by clicking on the program link: https://vrs.amsi.org.au/.

  • Program link: https://amgenscholars.research.unimelb.edu.au/

Frequently asked questions

Questions about projects and programs

  • Research projects are at the discretion of supervisors. There are projects listed on this website; however, this list is not exhaustive. Supervisors may develop other projects in consultation with scholars. You may wish to contact potential supervisors in the School’s research areas to discuss potential projects before submitting your application.

  • Research projects take place from early January to mid-February.  Each student spends 4 weeks at the School and is expected to prepare a poster for the poster session in mid-February. The precise dates are agreed with the supervisor.

  • Unfortunately there is no part-time option for the program.

  • No.

  • In the case of applying for both AMSI and our school vacation scholarships programs, students are required to nominate the same supervisor for both applications.The projects listed on this webpage can be submitted to the AMSI program if the supervisor approves. You should contact the supervisor and discuss.

  • No. AMSI offers vacation research scholarships to eligible students at AMSI member universities to work closely with a supervisor at their home university. AMSI scholars become part of the School's Vacation Scholarship program.

    The AMSI Vacation Research Scholarships:

    • are 6 weeks in total (School of Mathematics and Statistics Vacation Scholarships are 4 weeks)
    • have different eligibility requirements
    • have a different application process – visit the website for further information
    • require students to write up their research and present it to their peers and supervisors at the end of the summer
    • offer travel and accommodation to attend AMSIConnect.

  • The projects listed on this webpage can be submitted to the AMSI program if the supervisor approves. You should contact the supervisor and discuss.

Questions about the application procedure

  • No,  you should not contact potential supervisors when you apply for the program.

  • Applicants should contact potential supervisors after they are shortlisted and informed to do so.

  • You should contact the potential supervisor directly. Thinking about scientific areas of interest and initiating contact with potential supervisors is also an important part of the process of going into masters and PhD programs.

  • The distribution of Vacation Scholarships will be based on a ranking by the WAM of genuine math subjects. Looking at the data from previous years, we expect successful applicants to have a WAM of 75 or higher.

    While there is no specific value of the WAM above which success is guaranteed, only those with a WAM of 70 or higher are eligible for the program, including any special considerations.

  • Please submit all transcripts or statements of results related to science-related degrees, such as the Bachelor of Science or a concurrent Diploma in Mathematical Sciences.

    For the WAM in the form, please calculate the WAM (out of 100) across the approved Mathematics and Statistics subjects listed in the Approved Mathematics and Statistics subjects list shown in the Eligibility section.

  • Yes, as long as you satisfy all the criteria listed in the Eligibility section.

  • Students from other universities in Victoria state are welcome to apply.

    Successful applicants will need to organise and pay for their own accommodation and travel.

  • The Vacation Scholarship program is meant to be an appetiser for the graduate research programs at the School of Mathematics and Statistics. With the completion of genuine level 2 or 3 Mathematics and Statistics subjects students demonstrate that they are on track to be eligible for these programs at the end of their undergraduate studies.