The following approach was agreed at Meeting 2006/04 of the Graduate School Board.

1. UGS revises documentation requirements for applicants. Applications are received at UGS by due date.
2. After normal checking and data entry processes, the applications are despatched to the faculties with:
• documentation on the criteria to be used in ranking each scholarship and instruction on how to calculate scores;
• spreadsheet and score sheet for entering scores, item by item plus total score for each applicant.
3. Faculty scores applicants and produces a rank order of up to 10. Faculty returns score sheets and application to UGS.
4. A working sub-committee of UGS checks scores and produces a consolidated order of merit, ranked by score.
5. Faculties are invited to comment on any scores changed by UGS.
6. Where results are not available for honours or other examinations, an interim ranking is done but this is noted as interim on the listing.
7. A pool of 'high quality' candidates is established - this will comprise a number of candidates approx 1.5 times the number of scholarships available, e.g. if there are 40 scholarships available then the pool will be the top 60 candidates. Scholarship offers will be chosen from this pool.
8. An initial allocation of scholarships will be made from this pool taking into consideration faculty or institute contribution to university completions in the immediately preceding two years.
9. A subsequent allocation of scholarships will be made in the event of a faculty not having sufficient high quality candidates to fill its allocation. This subsequent allocation will take into account:
• track record of supervisors (number of completions relative to opportunity);
• faculty completions in areas of research strength.
10. At the Board's Scholarships Meeting, confirmation of rankings (conditional on results) occurs. Discussion is focused on:
• how the process worked (or did not) and resolutions of any issues around the process;
• anomalous cases where a member or members felt the process systematically disadvantaged an applicant or a group of applicants.
11. The Werner Scholarship is allocated either to an anomalous but highly meritorious case or to an applicant who has "just missed out" on an APA or UTS Doctoral, whichever is appropriate (as judged by the Board).
12. Offers are made for APA's first, then UTS Doctoral, until all places are allocated.

August 2006