Scholarships

New Colombo Plan Scholarship - 2026 Round EOI

At a glance

• You must be a current ECU undergraduate(Bachelor or Bachelor Honours) student to be eligible for this scholarship.
• Questions about this scholarship can be directed to international.office@ecu.edu.au.
• 2026 NCP Scholarship guidelines will be released later in 2025.

About the scholarship

The NCP Scholarship aims to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific by supporting Australian undergraduates to undertake the following experiences, in one or more of the 40 Indo-Pacific locations;

• Study Component: Full-time study at a host institution.
• Internship Component: Full-time or part-time internships related to your field of study.
• Language Training: Full-time or part-time language courses to enhance your skills.
• Mentorship: Opportunities for mentorship alongside your study or internship.

Successful applicants for the Scholarship will be awarded a range of benefits, depending on the proposed Scholarship Program. These can include:

• In-country living allowance;
• Travel allowance;
• Language training grant;
• Host university tuition fees (where applicable)
• Access to a highly selective internship network
• Insurance
• A dedicated Case Manager

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for the NCP scholarship you must:

• be an Australian citizen;
• be a current ECU student;
• be nominated by ECU;
• be enrolled in and undertaking, until completion of all study components of the NCP Scholarship Program, at least one Bachelor Degree or Bachelor Honours Degree at ECU;
• be between 18 and 30 years of age (inclusive) for non-Indigenous applicants, or between 18 and 35 years of age (inclusive) for Indigenous applicants, on 1 January 2026;
• have completed at least one Semester at ECU at the time of EOI;
• must be academically capable of successfully completing your proposed overseas study;
• intend to undertake a Scholarship Program at one of the 40 Indo-Pacific Host Locations;
• not be a previous recipient of an NCP Scholarship;
• not be an employee of the branch of DFAT that administers the NCP; and
• not already commenced or have planned to commence a study abroad or Exchange program.

To be eligible, your proposed Scholarship program must (unless otherwise approved by DFAT):

1. include at least one Study component (see Section 5.2 of the Guidelines) commencing within three months of the Scholarship program commencement date. All Study components must be confirmed by the Host institution prior to Program commencement.
2. be for a Scholarship term:
   • of between three and 19 months in duration, and
   • commence on or between January 2026 and December 2026, and
3. at all times during the Scholarship term, you must be undertaking either:
   • a full-time Study component
   • a full-time Internship component
   • a full-time Language training, or
   • a Permitted gap.

In addition, Scholarship programs may include:

1. a part-time internship component (see Section 5.2.2) undertaken concurrently with a full-time study component or full-time language training component
2. a part-time mentorship (see Section 5.2.3) undertaken concurrently with a full-time study component, full-time internship component or full-time language training, or
3. a part-time language training component (see Section 5.2.4) undertaken concurrently with a full-time study component or full-time internship component.

Scholarship Application Process

This is your opportunity to complete an Expression of Interest, ensuring you are one of the first to know when the 2026 guidelines are released.

Further details regarding the requirements to become one of ECU’s nominees as an NCP Scholar will be provided on release of the guidelines.

Previous awardees

Aaron Bywater from the School of Science spent over a year in Fiji as an NCP Scholar, completing his final semester of undergraduate study at the University of the South Pacific. He also worked with an international NGO called Corals for Conservation.

Aaron worked with several local community partners and stakeholders to implement the Reefs of Hope strategy across the Pacific region. This strategic framework paired community-led coral gardening and mangrove farming with alternative livelihood workshops that could be adopted in traditional village communities.

Following his time in Fiji, Aaron studied Bahasa Indonesia in Indonesia for three months and completed an internship with Universitas Bangka Belitung.

Aaron is preparing to commence a Master of Science by Research in 2025 and will focus on researching accelerated ecosystem succession in decommissioned mine pit lakes and defining metrics for successful restoration.

Of his time as an NCP Scholar, Aaron said, “I can’t even begin to adequately explain the full extent of what this experience gave me. It was the hardest and best times of my life. The people, memories, skills, and knowledge I gained along the way are incomprehensibly valuable. My studies, and perspectives as a whole, have been immeasurably enhanced from my time in Fiji.”

For more information

If you have any questions, please contact international.office@ecu.edu.au.