Deadline to submit form online December 31, 2017!

The Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce an open competition for the 2018 Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD Program) sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State.

The 2018 Global UGRAD program will provide one-semester scholarships to approximately 245 outstanding undergraduate students from around the world to study in the U.S colleges and universities. Three principal candidates and three alternates will be selected for Laos. The program includes academic coursework, service learning opportunities, professional development workshops, and cultural enrichment activities. Global UGRAD participants will be enrolled full time in undergraduate course work at the host institution to allow ample opportunity for substantive interaction with U.S. faculty and student peers, and for exposure to U.S. academic and classroom culture.

All academic fields of study are eligible. Per J-1 visa regulations, interested applicants in medicine, nursing, veterinary medicine, pharmacology or other clinical fields of study, should be made aware that direct patient care, including animal care, is not permitted, and therefore academic coursework and/or program activities at participating U.S. institutions may be limited.

Students cannot choose their host campus.  The implementing organization will place students at the most appropriate host campus based on students’ academic interests. Students who are not enrolled in pre-academic English may indicate a preference for a fall or spring semester placement but final placement will be made by the implementing organization in conjunction with ECA. It is a non-degree program. It is the students’ responsibility to check with their home institutions whether any credits accumulated during the UGRAD Program will be transferred.

Eligibility for the Global UGRAD Program:

• Applicants must be a Lao citizen.
• Applicants must be studying in Lao universities and institutions.
• Scholarships will be granted to students who currently are enrolled in full-time undergraduate programs only, having completed a minimum of their first semester of study. Participants must have at least one semester or an equivalent term to complete at their home institutions upon completion of the Global UGRAD Program.
• Applicants should demonstrate leadership potential through academic work, community involvement, and extracurricular activities.
• Applicants must demonstrate a command of written and spoken English.  The TOEFL exam will be required of those selected as finalists or alternates.
• Preference will be given to those who have had little or NO experience in the U.S. or outside of Laos.
• Applicants must be committed to return directly to Laos after the completion of the program.
• Applicants are over 18 years of age.

Individuals in the following circumstances are not eligible for the Global UGRAD Program:

• U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the United States;
• Individuals currently studying, residing, or working outside of Laos;
• Local employees of the U.S. missions abroad who work for the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); employees are also ineligible for one year following the termination of employment;
• Immediate family members (i.e. spouses and children) of U.S. Department of State and USAID employees; family members are also ineligible for one year following the termination of employment;
• Current World Learning employees and their immediate family members.

How to apply:

Online application will be open for applying on November 1 – December 31, 2017.
Interested students are invited to complete the online application and submit it no later than 5:00p.m. on December 31, 2017.

Detailed instruction for the application can be found here (PDF: 719 KB).

Questions: For further information, please contact tel. 021 487055, or email: USGscholarshipslaos@state.gov