UQ's School of Engineering will waive tuition fees for outstanding international students in a bid to fill engineering research gaps in Australia.

Thirty-one places are currently on offer in a range of engineering fields, including civil, mechanical, resources and materials engineering.

Professor Graham Schaffer, head of UQ's School of Engineering, said the fee waivers were being introduced to boost the amount and quality of research being produced at the university.

"The emphasis is on recruiting quality students to produce excellent research, not on numbers of students," he said.

With the skills shortage in Australia still in full swing, it is difficult to convince engineers to leave their high-paying jobs and return to university.

The fee waiver will be offered to international students who have met high academic standards, achieving first-class honours or equivalent during their undergraduate engineering degree.