New Colombo Plan Scholarship
The Australian government’s prestigious New Colombo Plan Scholarship Program (NCP) (opens an external site) offers a life-changing scholarship opportunity in the Indo-Pacific region. Are you a high-calibre UTS undergraduate student, Australian citizen and ready to undertake a session or two of study + internship?
Are you interested, but do you still have a lot of questions about the program? The Department of Trade and Foreign Affairs has asked previous NCP scholars to answer all your questions.
NCP Scholarship Program details
- The New Colombo Plan Scholarship will be up to A$87,000, covering a living stipend, travel and relocation costs, and language and tuition fees.
- The Scholarship may be granted for a minimum of seven months (one session) and maximum of 17 months (two sessions) of study and work/internship in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Students can study and work in 40 countries and territories in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Only 120 students will selected from across Australia for the upcoming round awards.
- UTS must select you as a nominee for the Scholarship. See the selection criteria details below.
View the full details of the scholarship.
Key selection criteria
UTS will shortlist, select and nominate up to 10 of the most suitable student applicants to the New Colombo Plan Secretariat by mid-July each year.
To be selected, you must:
- be an Australian citizen (dual citizens may not study in the country of their other citizenship);
- be between 18 and 30 years of age (inclusive) for non-Indigenous applicants, or between 18 and 35 years of age (inclusive) for Indigenous applicants on 1 January of that NCP Scholarship year;
- be able to study for at least one session in one of the listed 40 Indo-Pacific countries, for academic credit toward your UTS degree;
- demonstrate high academic achievement (70% average or above);
- demonstrate leadership and community engagement skills;
- demonstrate adaptability and resilience skills;
- understand and show commitment to the international goals of the New Colombo Plan.
Special consideration may be given to applicants from diverse groups including: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students from low socio-economic status backgrounds, students from regional/remote areas, students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, students with a disability and students in non–traditional fields taking overseas study.
How to apply
Applications for the 2025 round of the New Colombo Plan Scholarship are now closed.
Applications generally open at UTS in April and close by late June each year. UTS will shortlist and conduct interviews for eligible candidates in the second week of July each year.
Submit your expression of interest for the future round here.
Current and past NCP scholars
Since the start of the New Colombo Plan Program twenty-three UTS students have been awarded a prestigious NCP Scholarship, and you could be next!
Our scholars have come from a great variety of faculties (Arts & Social Sciences, Business, Engineering, IT, Law) and together they've studied and worked in many countries in the Indo Pacific, including China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Nepal, etc.
Read and watch how they have experienced, or are still experiencing, their NCP Scholarship adventures in the Indo Pacific.
UTS NCP Scholars 2024
UTS NCP Scholars 2023
UTS NCP Scholars 2022
UTS NCP Scholars 2020
fLTR Richard Tong (Engineering, going to Singapore), Connor Boughton (Engineering, Malaysia), far right Millie Leggett (Engineering, Japan)
UTS NCP Scholars 2019
UTS NCP Scholars 2018
Check out how Won Hae Shim made life long connections and friendships during her NCP experience :
Won Hae Shim talks about making life long connections and friendships during her NCP experience.
Watch how Hwei-See Kay (Law and Communications) experienced her NCP adventure in Indonesia:
Hwei-See is a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Communications (Social Inquiry) student from the University of Technology Sydney. She is a 2018 New Colombo Plan Scholar currently studying and interning Indonesia. She has completed a language course at Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana and is currently studying at Universitas Islam Indonesia whilst interning at Project Child Indonesia.
So far, her time in Indonesia has provided incredible opportunities to learn the language, the legal system and about the work of local NGOs. Hwei-See will return to Sydney in March 2019 to complete the final semester of her undergraduate degree and hopes to encourage more students to study in Asia.
UTS NCP Scholars 2017
Watch how Alli Devlin (Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Svetlana Zarkovic (Business and Law) experienced their NCP adventures:
Alli Devlin is a final year student shortly due to complete her Bachelor of Engineering (Civil and Environmental) with Diploma in Engineering Practice at the University of Technology Sydney. As the 2017 NCP Vietnam Fellow, she studied Information Communication Technology at Hanoi’s University of Science and Technology. Alli undertook civil engineering internships across Asia including Indochine Engineering in Vietnam and Leightons Asia in Hong Kong. She is now engaged in an environmental engineering and international development internship at GHD in the Philippines.
Learn about her personal journey and tips she has for university students contemplating STUDY and WORK opportunities in ASIA!
Svetlana is a Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Laws and Diploma in Languages student. She began her NCP journey in China where she studied law at Tongji University, undertook a language program and interned at global law firm King & Wood Mallesons. She continued her program in South Korea where she interned at the Constitutional Court of Korea's Constitutional Research Institute.
Svetlana is currently back in Australia and is excited to continue her studies. She plans to improve her cooking skills in order to recreate the amazing dishes she had in Asia (her friends wish her luck!). Learn about her personal journey and tips she has for university students contemplating STUDY and WORK opportunities in ASIA!
UTS NCP Scholars 2016
Watch how Thomas Da Jose (Engineering) experienced his NCP adventures in Thailand:
Interview with New Colombo Plan Scholar Thomas Da Jose about his New Colombo Plan study experience in Thailand. The video features Australian Ambassador to Thailand Paul Robilliard.
