SEARCA Graduate Scholarships in Agriculture for Southeast Asians

The SEARCA Full Master's and PhD Scholarship Program is fully funded by SEARCA to support highly qualified individuals from SEAMEO member countries to pursue advanced studies in priority fields aligned with SEARCA's thrusts. It covers tuition, travel, thesis support, insurance and a stipend.

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

The universities which may serve as study posts vary depending on the specific joint scholarship projects.

Master's or PhD programme in agriculture or related sciences. Proposed thesis research should strategically contribute to any of the following outcomes: increased farmers' income; improved food security and nutrition; greater climate resilience of agricultural systems; empowered farmers, farmer groups, and agricultural stakeholders and their institutions.

Not specified.

Open to nationals of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

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 a stipend for food, lodging and incidental expenses.

The SEARCA Graduate Scholarship is open to nationals of SEAMEO Member Countries (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam) who are regular employees of academic or research institutions or government agencies and not more than 40 years old (Master's Degree) or 45 years old (PhD) at the time of application.

Areas of specialization that scholarship applicants must pursue should be in agriculture or related sciences. Proposed thesis research should strategically contribute to any of the following outcomes: increased farmers' income; improved food security and nutrition; greater climate resilience of agricultural systems; empowered farmers, farmer groups, and agricultural stakeholders and their institutions.

Applicants must first submit the required application documents to their respective Ministries of (Higher) Education from 1 September to 31 October 2026. The Ministries evaluate the applications, shortlist qualified candidates, and endorse them to SEARCA from 1 to 30 November 2026.

Only shortlisted applicants will be given access to the SEARCA iSCHO Portal, where they must upload the same application requirements submitted to their respective Ministries, from 1 to 31 December 2026. SEARCA evaluates the documentary submissions from 1 to 15 January 2027 and interviews qualified applicants from 15 January to 15 April 2027, in person or online. Results are released starting 31 May 2027 only for those with university acceptance letters.

Applicants are highly recommended to process their university admission simultaneously with their scholarship application, as scholarship awards will only be granted to successful applicants who have secured admission to an eligible university.

Applicants are assessed on academic and professional background, relevance of the proposed study program, communication (English) skills, and personal motivation and leadership potential.