MoHE scholarship to Australia 2026/2027: averages, IELTS 5.5 and the repayment rule

Many families treat an Australian offer and a Kuwaiti government scholarship as one thing. They are not. The university decides whether to admit you. The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) decides whether to fund you, with its own minimum average for each major, its own English floor and its own rules if you leave.

This guide covers what the 2026/2027 plan says about Australia, your duties once enrolled, and the repayment rule every family should read before signing.

Scholarship and admission are separate decisions

To study in Australia on a MoHE scholarship you need three things to line up:

1. An Australian offer for a course that meets the university's entry requirements.
2. MoHE eligibility: your average, your English score and your major must fit the plan [S1].
3. Kuwaiti recognition: the university must be on the approved list for Australia and the programme must meet MoHE's conditions [S4].

A strong offer does not make up for an average below the plan's minimum. Check all three before you commit.

Who can register

The 2026/2027 plan lets you register if you [S1]:

• are Kuwaiti and aged between 16 and 23;
• hold the general secondary certificate and do not already hold a bachelor's degree;
• have not had an earlier scholarship abroad end in dismissal or withdrawal after you joined;
• have not had a Kuwaiti scholarship or grant for a bachelor's degree, unless the money spent was repaid;
• are not employed by any state body.

Your certificate must be no older than two academic years, which for this plan means 2024/2025 or 2025/2026. It must be the Kuwaiti unified secondary certificate (science or arts stream) or an equivalent recognised by the Ministry of Education [S1]. Applicants for medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and all engineering majors must also sit Kuwait's national aptitude tests, and MoHE uses a calculated "equivalent average" for them [S1].

Registration is online at the MoHE website using the Hawyti app, and opens after the end of the 2025/2026 school year [S1]. Your guardian certifies a financial and academic undertaking through the Sahel app as part of the documents [S1]. That undertaking matters for the repayment rule.

Minimum averages for Australian majors

The plan lists the majors MoHE will fund in Australia and a minimum average for each, printed as a GPA and a percentage [S1]:

Three details are easy to miss [S1]:

• Speech Pathology, Nursing and Paramedic Practice require IELTS 7 in every band, well above the general floor.
• Only the last row is open to arts-stream graduates. The other majors are listed for science-stream graduates.
• Science-stream students must meet all the conditions the university sets to move from the foundation year into first year. Plan for a foundation year if the university requires one.

English: IELTS 5.5 is the floor, not the target

The plan requires the IELTS Academic score that your university sets for your major, provided the overall score and every band are at least 5.5. Alternatively, a TOEFL score of at least 47 is the minimum, taken at a MoHE-approved centre inside Kuwait [S1].

You then have one full calendar year from your acceptance to reach the university's score, before you travel [S1]. Missing it is a ground for cancelling the scholarship [S2].

The Student visa has its own English rule. It accepts IELTS 6.0, or 5.5 only when you also take at least 10 weeks of English (ELICOS) or a Foundation or other eligible pathway course [S6]. A score that satisfies MoHE may not satisfy the visa on its own.

Where you can study

KCO lists Decision 44 of 2018 for approved Australian universities (bachelor's and postgraduate) and Decision 60 of 2025 for the distinguished scholarship lists [S4]. Check the exact university name and the programme conditions before you accept an offer.

Your obligations once you are enrolled

The scholarship regulation sets out duties for every scholarship student [S2]. In summary, you must:

• follow MoHE's and your university's rules, and get MoHE's approval before changing country, university or major;
• stay in contact with MoHE and the cultural office, and tell the cultural office before you leave Australia during your studies;
• not stop or suspend your studies except for reasons beyond your control, with MoHE's approval;
• finish within the set period, and let the cultural office see your academic records.

Breaking these duties can lead to dismissal. The regulation also lists other grounds, including failing two consecutive or two separate years in a course of up to four years, three consecutive or four separate academic warnings, two disciplinary warnings, and leaving your studies without a reason MoHE accepts [S2].

If you withdraw or are dismissed: the 50% rule

This is the rule to read before signing. Under Article 30 of the regulation, MoHE recovers 50% of all amounts spent on you if you are dismissed, if you withdraw during your studies, or if you are dismissed from or withdraw from a master's degree [S2].

The regulation softens this in set cases [S2]:

Withdrawal before you complete registration or travel is treated differently: it is allowed, it cannot be reversed, and you may register in a later plan if you still meet the conditions [S2]. Withdrawal during your studies is also allowed, but with payment of the financial claim that follows from it [S2].

If a visa delay or a health problem stops you travelling, the scholarship can be deferred for up to one academic year with MoHE's approval [S2]. Ask about deferral before withdrawing.

Visa priority and the planning level

A Kuwaiti government scholarship puts your Student visa application in Priority 1, the highest processing group [S7]. It affects the order, not the decision.

Australia also sets a National Planning Level, which is not a cap but affects how quickly visa applications for each provider are processed [S8]. The 2027 planning level is [TBC], and whether MoHE scholarship students are exempt from it is [TBC].

Steps and timeline

1. Check the plan for your major, its minimum average and any extra English condition [S1].
2. Register online once registration opens after the 2025/2026 school year, with all documents [S1].
3. Reach your English score within one calendar year of acceptance [S1].
4. Secure the offer at an approved university [S4] and upload it to KCO for certification as soon as you have it [S5].
5. After MoHE's final admission, apply for the visa, contact MoHE about pre-travel allowances, and arrive in your study city no more than two weeks before classes [S5].

The regulation lists a preparation allowance and a monthly stipend from arrival [S2]. We have not found current amounts in an official source, so ask MoHE.