What Global Scholarships and Opportunities Are Actually Out There?

Here's Your Starting Point.

If you’ve ever wondered what scholarships are even out there, this is your list.

Over the past month, I asked 100+ past participants of global programs one simple question:
“What global opportunity (or opportunities) have you taken part in?”

The responses were incredible. They ranged from prestigious, competitive scholarships to quiet, lesser-known programs that still changed lives.

Below is a curated list of the scholarships, programs, and fellowships that came up most. Some are long-term and fully funded. Others are short study tours or cultural exchanges. Together, they offer a roadmap of what’s possible—and where to start looking.

Photo by Fabio Comparelli on Unsplash

🎓 Formal Scholarships (Long-Term, Often Fully Funded)

These are competitive, prestigious, and can include more than just study.

• New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholarship – DFAT’s flagship program for undergraduates in the Indo-Pacific

• Rhodes Scholarship – Postgraduate study at the University of Oxford

• John Monash Scholarship – Postgraduate study at any top global university

• Westpac Asian Exchange Scholarship – Semester exchange in Asia + leadership development

• Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship – Postgraduate study in Australia with global experiences

• Yenching Academy (Peking University) – Fully funded master’s in China

• MEXT Scholarship (Japan) – Study in Japan, typically postgraduate

• Darmasiswa (Indonesia) – Language and cultural studies in Indonesia

• ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship (Switzerland) – Short research projects in Swiss institutions

• Zhejiang Government Scholarship (China)

---

✈️ University Exchange & Semester Abroad Programs

Often supported by your home university or through a scholarship:

• ANU Global Programs

• University of Sydney Mobility Awards

• Melbourne Mobility Awards

• Monash Global Intercampus Program

• UTAS UniGo

• NCP Mobility Grants (fund short- and long-term exchange and study tours)

Countries mentioned:
Singapore, South Korea, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Spain, Mexico, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Netherlands, USA, Vietnam

---

📚 Short-Term Study Tours, Language Training & Field Schools

Often 2 to 6 weeks in length, usually topic- or region-specific.

• ACICIS (Indonesia) – Language, development, and health-focused programs

• Sydney Southeast Asia Centre (SSEAC) – Field Schools (e.g. Women’s Empowerment in Indonesia)

• AIYEP (Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program)

• Global Green Growth Institute (Internships + language)

• UQ Startup AdVentures (USA)

• University-led Study Tours (Paris, Nepal, Cambodia, New Caledonia, Malaysia, Prato, Fiji, Timor-Leste, India)

• Curtin Journalism Singapore Program

• Peatland conservation & SDG field trips (Indonesia)

---

🏢 Internships Abroad (Often Scholarship-Supported)

• Mitsubishi (Japan)

• PSCORE (South Korea)

• Herbert Smith Freehills (Tokyo)

• UN ESCAP (Bangkok)

• Australian Embassy (Germany)

• GGGI (South Korea)

• Vietcetera (Vietnam)

• KAUST Photonics Camp (Saudi Arabia)

• ARS Investment Partners (New York)

• JMP Securities (PNG)

• Asia Development Bank Internship (Philippines)

---

🌏 Youth Leadership & Global Forums

Many funded or supported by scholarships or affiliations.

• Global Voices Fellowship – Delegations to UN, G20, COP summits

• ASEAN-Australia Young Leaders Forum (AAYLF)

• Asia Society’s Generation Asia Program

• Universities Scholars Leadership Symposium

• Harvard World Model United Nations

• Millennium Fellowship (UN Academic Impact)

• Debate2Regulate, Bangkok

• ASEAN Youth Summit

• ICC Paris & Hong Kong Mediation Competitions

---

🧠 Other Notable Pathways

• AFS Year Exchange (Japan)

• AIESEC Global Exchange Program

• Think Pacific (Fiji & Remote Projects)

• Asia Future Fellows (China)

• London School of Economics Summer School

• Phillip C. Jessup Moot (Washington DC)

• ISSDC/NASA Programs

• Peace Summit of Emerging Leaders at the UNCC (Thailand)

---

🏁 Where Do You Start?

If you’re an Australian student or early-career graduate, you’ve got options. Many of the scholarships above are under-utilised and funded, meaning you may only be one good application away.

Start by checking if your university has a global mobility office. They can help you identify short courses, exchanges, or funding programs you’re eligible for. If you’re after long-term, transformational opportunities, look into the New Colombo Plan, Westpac Scholarships, and Rhodes/Monash pathways.

And if you’re just curious? That’s a good place to begin.

More soon,
Billy