Full Master’s and PhD Scholarships

SEARCA’s Graduate Study Program was initiated in School Year 1968/1969. Over five decades, the scope of the Graduate Study Program has expanded to include institutional development, networking, and services to enhance graduate education in the region. SEARCA has also been providing services for administration of scholarship funds under the sponsorship of institutions other than SEAMEO.

As of the start of Academic Year 2019-2020, SEARCA has granted a total of 1,737 scholarships to nationals of SEAMEO member countries, namely: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam to pursue advanced studies leading to master’s and doctoral degrees in agriculture, forestry, and related sciences (see scholarship statistics).

Eligibility

• Open to nationals of SEAMEO member countries who are regular employees of academic or research institutions or government agencies
• Must not be more than 35 (Master’s Degree) or 40 (PhD) years of age at the time of application
• Areas of specialization that scholarship applicants must pursue should be in agriculture or related sciences, which include but are not limited to those that fall under the following program clusters:Agricultural/Biological sciencesForestry and FisheriesSocial SciencesEnvironmental SciencesEconomics and AgribusinessAgro-industrial Technology and Engineering
• Proposed thesis research should focus on SEARCA’s overarching theme of inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural development (ISARD) with the following sub-themes: social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and cross-cutting concerns.

Scholarship Benefits

Covers tuition and other school fees; travel allowance (roundtrip air ticket from home country to study post and local transportation); thesis/dissertation support; book and supplies allowance; health insurance; and stipend for food, lodging and incidental expenses

Study Posts

Any one of the following universities under the University Consortium may serve as study posts of SEARCA Master’s and PhD scholars:

University	Country
Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB)	Bogor, Indonesia
Kasetsart University (KU)	Bangkok, Thailand
Universitas Brawijaya (UB)	Malang, Indonesia
Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM)	Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)	Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)	Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Application Procedure

Applicants must fill out online the SEARCA Scholarship Application Form and upload a copy of all required documents. A printout of the accomplished online application together with the original or certified true copies of uploaded documents must be submitted to the Ministry of Education/Higher Education of the applicant’s own country (click here to get the country-specific contact details/information).

The following are the required documents to be submitted:

1. Original transcript of academic records bearing the seal of the University and original signature of the Registrar or Head of the University. Applicants for MS degree should submit their original Bachelor of Science (BS) transcript of records. PhD degree applicants should submit their original BS and MS transcripts of records
2. Original or certified true copies of certificates of completion/diploma for every degree completed
3. Certificate of employment
4. Endorsement from employer
5. Updated curriculum vitae
6. Brief description of the research the applicant plans to conduct for thesis/dissertation. The research topic must be in line with the thrusts of SEARCA’s Tenth Five-Year Plan i.e., social inclusion, environmental sustainability and regional economic integration by promoting food and nutrition security; value chains and agribusiness commodity systems; innovations and modern technologies; rural entrepreneurship; climate change adaptation and resiliency, natural resource management; sub-regional cooperation in trade and investments; and government policies/reforms that address rural poverty, inequitable growth, and environmental degradation. Details of SEARCA’s strategic thrusts are available at www.searca.org.
7. Two copies of passport-size photo of the applicant
8. Certification from a medical doctor that the applicant is in good physical and mental health condition and is fit to undertake graduate studies
9. Results of IELTS or TOEFL iBT test taken within two years before application, as proof of English proficiency

Deadline for the Ministries to send endorsements to SEARCA is 31 July of every year.

Applicants are thus requested to check from their respective Ministries of Education/Higher Education for their deadline of receiving applications.

Timeline for Scholarship Recruitment

Date	Description
31 July	Deadline for endorsement of complete application documents by the Ministries and other agencies to SEARCA for forthcoming school year
1-31 Aug	Screening and evaluation of application documents
1 Sep to 15 Dec	Interview of official nominees
1-31 Jan of the following year	Final evaluation
1 March to 31 May	Awarding of scholarship grants
1 Feb to 30 Apr	SEARCA sends out official letters to Ministries of Education, Agriculture, and Rural Development; universities; and other relevant technical agencies and research institutions inviting nominations for SEARCA scholarship for forthcoming school year

Click here to apply for this scholarships