SEARCA Full Master's and PhD Scholarships

Who can apply

A national of a SEAMEO member country, employed at an academic or research institution or a government agency
No more than 40 years old for a Master's, or 45 for a PhD, at the time of application
Proposed thesis or dissertation research must strategically contribute to one of SEARCA's stated agricultural-development outcomes
Applicants are evaluated by both SEARCA and their home country's relevant Ministry
Choice of study post is limited to SEARCA's partner universities in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, or the Philippines; other SEARCA-affiliated universities are reserved for separate joint scholarship programmes

Built for people already working, not recent graduates

This is not a scholarship for recent graduates: it is built for people already working. You need to already be a regular employee at an academic, research, or government institution in your home country, not simply hold the right degree, and your proposed thesis or dissertation has to strategically tie back to one of a specific set of agricultural-development outcomes SEARCA names directly, rather than agriculture in general.

Comprehensive funding, but a narrower choice of universities than SEARCA’s region

The funding, when it comes through, is genuinely complete: tuition and fees, a round-trip flight plus local transport, thesis support, books and supplies, health insurance, and a living stipend. Where you can study is narrower than the region SEARCA covers, though; you choose from a specific list of partner universities in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines, and other SEARCA-linked universities are reserved for entirely separate joint programmes you cannot access through this one.

Selection isn’t SEARCA’s decision alone

Selection isn’t SEARCA’s decision alone. Applications are evaluated by SEARCA and by the relevant Ministry in the applicant’s own country, so a strong application to SEARCA is only half of what determines the outcome.

Nearly 60 years old, and eligible to a wider region than the host countries suggest

SEARCA itself dates to 1966, established as a non-profit organisation by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) specifically as its specialised regional centre for agriculture. That origin explains the scale of who can apply: eligibility runs to nationals of all 11 SEAMEO member countries, a considerably wider pool than the four countries where you can actually study, since the host universities are a deliberately narrower, vetted subset of SEARCA’s much larger regional network.

No published closing date, and a Ministry step to start early

As of this check, SEARCA’s page describes the programme as open but publishes no specific closing date for the current round. Given the added step of a Ministry endorsement in many countries, that’s not a detail to leave until the last minute; start that conversation with your Ministry well before you expect to submit anything to SEARCA itself.