6 Financial Assistance and Scholarships in Brunei for International Students

Brunei Darussalam offers students from around the world great opportunities to study for free or partially free. In addition to the low tuition that higher educational institutions in Brunei Darussalam charge even to international students, the many offered opportunities for scholarships in Brunei for international students can be very benefiting to the students – making Brunei a much more attractive place to study or conduct research.

If you are interested to pursue a degree or to conduct research in Brunei Darussalam and you want to have financial support for the whole or part of duration of your studies or research, read the following list and quick overview of scholarships in Brunei for international students!

1. Universiti Teknologi Brunei Scholarships

There are a number of scholarship opportunities offered at the Universiti Teknologi Brunei for graduate studies.

• • Scholarships through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT): Scholarships offered to foreign applicants only
  • Ministry of Education (MoE) Scholarship: Scholarships for Bruneians (Yellow IC) applicants only. Applicants should be no more than 30 years old and accepted for admission (PhD, master’s by Research and Master’s by Coursework). The University usually does the processing to forward the scholarship request to the Ministry of Education once the applicant accepts the admission offer as well as submitting the scholarship application form. The scholarship includes tuition fees waiver and a monthly allowance of about BND 400.
  • UTB Scholarship for Graduate Students: Scholarships provided to attract high caliber candidates to conduct full-time graduate studies by research (Master’s or PhD) and to continue to research outcomes, support lif-long learning through financial support to highly motivated candidates who cannot qualify for MoE scholarships (such as due to age), and attract highly qualified international candidates and contribute to diversity among UTB community. This scholarship is a waiver of program fees only. Other fees apply. Scholarship recipients will also benefit a monthly stipend of BND 750 per month for up to 24 months for Master’s by research and 36 months for PhD programs. A UTB scholarship is provided for full-time graduate by research students only. A one-time return airfare ticket to country of origin is provided for international scholarship recipients. Recipients are required to assist in supervised teaching and learning activities in appropriate modules.
  • Other scholarships: There are research assistantship opportunities depending on the available research funds.

2. Brunei Darussalam Government Scholarship

The Ministry of Education in Brunei Darussalam offers Brunei government scholarships to qualified students to realize their true potential and national aspirations. To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• • Complete a minimum credit C6 in Bahasa Melayu BC-GCE ‘O’ Level
  • Minimum of:
    • Credit C6 in English GCE ‘O’ Level, or
    • Grade C in IGCSE English as a second language, or
    • Grade C in general Paper BC-GCE ‘A’ Level, or
    • Overall Band of 6.5 in IELTS (acquired no more than 2 years back)
  • Age limit as follows (during the application year):
    • Below 26 on September 1^st for first degree applicants
    • Below 30 on September 1^st for postgraduate applicants

3. Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Over the past decade since higher education was introduced in the Sultanate, the government has awarded thousands of scholarships to both locals as well as non-locals to study in the Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Apart from tuitions borne by the government, the scholarship will also include the bursaries for accommodation, books, food, personal spending as well as complementary medical treatment at any Brunei Government hospital whilst travel expenses will be arranged by the Brunei Darussalam Foreign Mission at the scholar’s country of origin or the closest Brunei Darussalam Mission to their country.

There are several scholarship schemes available for prospective local and international students.

• • Brunei Darussalam Government Scholarship (for local applicants) and Brunei Darussalam Government Scholarship for foreign students tenable in Brunei Darussalam (for international applicants): Offered to citizens of Negara Brunei Darussalam and to international students to provide financial aid in the perusal of knowledge from undergraduate to graduate studies.
  • UBD Graduate Scholarship: This scholarship is offered by the Universiti Brunei Darussalam to outstanding students who are interested in pursuing their studies in the Doctor of Philosophy level after achieving excellence in their Master’s degree. This is a very competitive scholarship and applicants with academic talents and caliber are highly encouraged to apply.
  • UBD Graduate Research Scholarship: This is a competitive scholarship scheme open to quality PhD students with a strong desire to work in an international and competitive research-intensive environment.
  • UBD Bursary: This is another funding scheme offered by the Universiti Brunei Darussalam to Doctor of Philosophy students from any programs of study offered at the University, with the vision of refining local minds who will be the next generation of academics in the institution.

4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Brunei Darussalam Scholarship

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brunei Darussalam provides scholarships for students with the opportunity to undertake undergraduate degree and postgraduate Master’s degree at any one of the following institutions of higher education:

• • Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD)
  • University Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA)
  • University Teknologi Brunei (UTB)
  • Politeknik Brunei (PB)

Within the scholarship scheme, the Government of Brunei will bear the following expenses:

• • Exemption from paying tuition fees including acceptance, examination, registration and orientation fees for the duration of the program
  • An economy class air-ticket to Brunei Darussalam from the scholarship recipient’s country of origin / country of domicile prior to the commencement of the course and an economy class air-ticket from Brunei Darussalam to the scholarship recipient’s country of origin / country of domicile upon completion of the course
  • A monthly personal allowance of BND 500
  • A monthly meals allowance of BND 150
  • An annual book allowance of BND 600
  • Accommodation at the residential college of the University / Polytechnic
  • Baggage allowance for shipment of the scholarship recipient’s personal effects to his or her country of origin / country of domicile upon completion of the program, at a maximum amount of:
    • BND 250 to a country within the ASEAN region, or
    • BND 500 to a country outside the ASEAN region
  • Comprehensive insurance cover for the whole duration of the Scholarship. the scholarship recipient is urged to obtain additional insurance prior to his travel to Brunei Darussalam and for the whole duration of the Scholarship at his or her own expense

5. Brunei Shell Petroleum Scholarship

The Brunei Shell Petroleum Scholarship is a special scheme for post ‘A’ level school leavers. The scholarship is awarded to highly selected student to pursue degree studies overseas or locally. The scholarship scheme also represents the important source of future graduate recruits.

Brunei Shell Petroleum Scholarship is available for the following courses (courses vary each year and are subject to change):

• • Petroleum Engineering
  • Geology
  • Geophysics
  • Physics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Control Automation & Systems Engineering
  • Mechatronics
  • Surveying & Mapping Science

Scholarship recipients will benefit the following:

• • BND 25 per working day allowance
  • Free associate membership to Brunei Shell Recreational Club and have access to the Panaga Health Center
  • For students who come from outside the KB districts, free accommodation on sharing basis will be provided. Students from KB are expected to live with their family and no transport allowance will be paid
  • For students coming from outside KB district, transport to and from work will be provided if they stay in the company’s accommodation

Scholarship recipients are required to do an 8-week work assignment during the summer vacation every 2 years. The rest of the vacation may be taken as leave. Other summer holidays, students have the option to return to Brunei for their work assignment, but under their own arrangements and expenses. If you return for your mandatory vacation work assignment, you will receive BND 1,200 per month whilst in Brunei. However, your overseas living allowance will be frozen.

6. Fulbright-Hays Program

The Fulbright-Hays Program awards grants to individual US K-14 pre-teachers, teachers and administrators, pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral faculty, as well as to US institutions and organizations. The Program supports research and training efforts overseas, which focus on non-Western foreign languages and area studies. The Fulbright-Hays Program is funded by a Congressional appropriation to the US Department of Education. The Fulbright-Hays Program is one of the few Fulbright Programs that supports group projects abroad. The duration of the Program is 3 to 12 months.

The Fulbright-Hays Program has several different components. Application dates and timeframes for grants vary based on the component. The Fulbright-Hays Program includes:

• • Fulbright-Hays Training Grants – Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad: This program provides grants to colleges and universities to fund individual doctoral students who conduct research in other countries, in modern foreign languages and area studies for periods of 6 to 12 months.
  • Fulbright-Hays Training Grants – Faculty Research Abroad: This program offers fellowships to faculty members to conduct research abroad in certain areas to improve their language skills and cultural knowledge.
  • Fulbright-Hays Training Grants – Group Projects Abroad: This program provides grants to support overseas projects in training, research, and curriculum development in modern foreign languages and area studies for teachers, students, and faculty engaged in a common endeavor. Projects may include short-term seminars, curriculum development, group research or study, or advanced intensive language programs.
  • Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad – Bilateral Projects: The program provides short-term study and travel seminars abroad for US educators in the social sciences and humanities for the purpose of improving their understanding and knowledge of the peoples and cultures of other countries.