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New Zealand ASEAN Scholar Awards

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The New Zealand-ASEAN Scholar Awards recognise New Zealand’s close cultural, economic, and geographic ties with Southeast Asia. They seek to empower individuals with the knowledge, skills and qualifications to contribute to the economic, social, and political development of their region. Awards are offered for post-graduate level study.

Awards for students from Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam are managed by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Awards for Brunei and Singapore are managed by the awarding institution, Victoria University of Wellington.

Information for applicants for awards managed by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Information on this page applies to applicants from Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Criteria for awards for Brunei and Singapore are set by Victoria University of Wellington and differ from those set out below. Please click the country page for Brunei and Singapore for details.

What the scholarship offers

New Zealand has first-rate education institutions that offer world-recognised qualifications. Successful applicants will have access to excellent academic knowledge in quality facilities.

Scholarships include financial support for tuition, living costs while in New Zealand, an establishment allowance on arrival in New Zealand, and return airfares.

The partners of students are eligible for a work visa that allows them to live and work in New Zealand for the duration of their partner’s study.

Eligible countries

Applications for New Zealand-ASEAN Scholar Awards are welcome from the following countries. For more information about priority sectors, follow the links to the scholarship information page for your country.

Brunei  I  Cambodia  I Indonesia  I  Lao PDR  I  Myanmar  I   Malaysia  I Philippines  I  Singapore  I  Thailand  I  Vietnam    

For more information on the new Victoria ASEAN PhD Scholarships for Singapore and Brunei click here.

For further information on the Young Business Leaders initiative managed by the Asia New Zealand foundation click here.

General eligibility criteria

The New Zealand-ASEAN Scholars Awards are open to candidates from the public and private sector including civil society, university lecturers, development-focused organisations and charitable foundations.

To be eligible, you must:

  • be a citizen of one of the eligible countries and have resided in that country for at least two years at the time of application
  • not have citizenship/permanent residence status for New Zealand or Australia
  • not be married or engaged to be married to a person who holds New Zealand or Australian citizenship or permanent residence status
  • not hold or have held a New Zealand Government or Australian Government scholarship in the preceding 24 months at the time of application
  • not be seeking support for a degree programme already commenced
  • not hold a qualification at a similar level or in a similar field of study at similar level (this means holders of bachelor degrees should apply for Masters or PhD and Masters graduates should apply for PhD study)
  • be available to take up the scholarships in the calendar year for which the scholarship is offered
  • hold a bachelor degree of strong academic merit that is relevant to the proposed post graduate qualification
  • have a minimum IELTS (academic) results of 5.5 overall, with no band less than 5.0 and results to be no older than 24 months at time of application
  • satisfy the admission requirements of the New Zealand institution in which the degree programme is to be undertaken, including that institution’s English language criteria.

Preference will be given to applicants whose study focuses on the priority sectors identified by each country. Please see country information pages listed above for more information about these priorities.

Preference will also be given to applicants under 40 years of age.

English language requirements

New Zealand tertiary education institutions set their own admission requirements for English language proficiency. All applicants should check the IELTS (International English Language Testing System, academic stream) or TOEFL (Testing of English as a Foreign Language) score required for admission to their selected New Zealand education institution. As a guide, most New Zealand education institutions require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5, with no band less than 6.0, for postgraduate level study. Some postgraduate qualifications may require a higher score.

Candidates must provide the original copy of their IELTS or TOEFL exam result as a pre-condition of placement. Results must be no older than 24 months at the time of the scholarship start date.

Candidates who show particularly strong developmental relevance and applicability may be able to receive three months’ English language training in New Zealand prior to starting their main academic qualification. Candidates with IELTS of 6.0 overall, with no band less than 5.5, should therefore still consider applying.

Application process

Download the New Zealand-ASEAN Scholar Awards application form (pdf 159kb)

Application processes and timelines can vary depending on the country. For information about the application process please see the scholarship information page for your home country. 

Terms and conditions

All applicants who are offered a New Zealand-ASEAN Scholars Awards will be required to sign a contract with the New Zealand Government declaring they will comply with the terms and conditions of the scholarship.

All awardees are required to return to their home country for a minimum period of two years following completion of their scholarship in order to contribute to their country’s economic and social development.