Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship Scheme

The Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship (MRBS) Scheme is an Australian Government initiative designed to address doctor shortage outside metropolitan areas across Australia.

The MRBS scheme provides one hundred additional Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) each year to first year Australian medical students at participating universities across the country. Students who decide to join the MRBS Scheme will be eligible to receive a scholarship payment which is indexed annually during the course of study. The scholarship is worth over $25,000 a year, tax free.

In return, following attainment of Fellowship of a specialist college, including General Practice, students will work for up to six continuous years, less any credit obtained through Scaling in rural or remote areas of Australia, referred to as the Return of Service Obligation (RSO). Scaling will allow MRBS participants the opportunity to reduce the length of their RSO.

Candidates will be able to lodge an MRBS Expression of Interest when they lodge their direct online university application to the Joint Medical Program. Only candidates who are eligible for final selection and who have lodged the expression of interest by the designated closing date will be considered.

Candidates are advised that this expression of interest will provide the only opportunity to apply for the MRBS Scheme. Please note, this expression of interest does not oblige you to accept an MRBS place.

If you are applyingied for admission to the BMed-JMP in 2014 you can check if you have lodged an Expression of Interest for a Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship by going to the Review Submitted Application page. If you wish to update your application to include an Expression of Interest for a Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship please email your request to tracey.bristow@newcastle.edu.au remembering to include your UMAT Number and date of birth.

For further information about the MRBS Scheme go to: www.health.gov.au/mrbscholarships