AUSTRALIA-PAKISTAN SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAM (APSP)
Australia will provide 500 scholarships over five years for Pakistani nationals to study or train in Australia.
The objective of the Program is to assist Pakistan in addressing its development, education and research needs. The Program is of five years duration (2006-2010) and will provide 500 scholarships over five years for Pakistani nationals to undertake study, research or professional development in Australia.
Responsibility for delivery of the scholarships by the Australian Government is shared by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Australian Aid and the Department of Education. For information on scholarships managed by the Department of Education please visit their website at http://education.gov.au/scholarships-and-fellowships.
Two hundred Scholarships will be offered through DFAT-Australian Aid for postgraduate study at Australian universities. The information below refers to the two hundred DFAT-Australian Aid managed scholarships.
Priority Areas
• Natural Resources Management (e.g. Agriculture, Animal husbandry, Aquaculture and Fisheries, Forestry, Horticulture, Rural Management, Environmental Studies);
• Social Sciences (e.g. Criminology, Trans-national Crime Prevention, Development Studies, International Affairs, Public Policy, Social Policy, Women’s Studies, Human Rights);
• Business, Administration and Economics (e.g. Administration and Management, Public Sector Financial Management, Economics, Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, International Trade and Customs, Public Administration, Social Administration, Taxation Studies);
• Education (e.g. Education and Teacher Training, Educational Administration, Educational Management, Health Educators Education) ;
• Health (e.g. Health Service Management, Public Health, Mother and Child Health);
• Law and Legal Studies (e.g. Justice, Law Enforcement, Legal Studies);
• Information Technology (e.g. Software Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems).
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must:
• be Pakistani citizens (dual nationals are not eligible) and not have permanent residence in Australia or New Zealand;
• not be married or engaged to a person who is eligible to hold Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residence;
• satisfy Australian Government requirements for international student entry to Australia (health, character etc.);
• not hold another scholarship;
• not have held a foreign scholarship in the 24 months preceding the application (24 months are calculated from the date of arrival back in Pakistan to the closing date for receipt of applications);
• be applying to commence a new course of study and not be seeking support for a course already commenced in Australia (on-going study programs will not be supported);
• be able to take up the scholarship in the year for which it is offered (deferrals are not available); and
• satisfy the admission requirements of the Australian tertiary institution in which the course is to be undertaken.
Candidates must also:
• be applying for courses that fall within the priority areas;
• have a high standard of academic background with a suitable level of previous study and with a miniimum of 60% average grades;
• have an English language proficiency of at least 6.5 in IELTS with no band less than 6.0. The IELTS result must be current;
• have at least 16 years of education;
• have at least 2 years work experience in the field in which they are applying; and
• not be older than 45 years at the closing date for applications.
Duration
The Masters scholarships are for up to two years full time study in Australia.
Value
The scholarships include a stipend, establishment allowance, travel costs as well as full tuition fee at an Australian university.
For more information on the Scholarship Benefits, please visit the DFAT-Australian Aid website.
How to Apply
The deadline for receipt of applications for the academic year 2009 was 04 May 2008.
The scholarships for January 2010 intake will be advertised in February/March 2009.
Note
Scholarship holders should note that they are required to return to Pakistan and take up a position that makes use of the study for a minimum period of two years. Scholarship awards must be taken up in the same year and cannot be transferred to the next academic year.