2012 United States–South Pacific Scholarship Program, USA

2011 Competition Announcement

The United States–South Pacific Scholarship Program, authorized by the U.S. Congress and funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, is a competitive, merit-based scholarship program that provides opportunities for degree study at U.S. institutions of higher education. The scholarship program will include a summer internship in Washington, D.C. as well as a four- to five-week community service project in the student’s home country. Candidates from the following countries,
who meet specific selection criteria, are eligible for the program: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The U.S.–South Pacific Scholarship Program is administered by the East-West Center on behalf of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Eligible fields of Study: Standard liberal arts curriculum and other selected fields, with priority given to agriculture, business*, computer science, education, environmental studies, journalism, political science, public administration, and related fields. If a proposed field of study is not among the priority fields, the applicant should give special attention to explaining how this course of study would support the goals of the program. Support is not available for professional degree programs such as medicine (M.D.), masters in business administration (MBA)*, or law (J.D.). *Business study is supported at the undergraduate level only.

Up to five (5) scholarships will be available for studies to begin in August 2012.

Selection: Selection will be made by a U.S.-based academic review committee that may include Pacific Islands and other specialists from the East-West Center, the University of Hawai’i, a representative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and a Pacific Islands student representative.

Eligibility

    * Applicants must have completed the Sixth Form (the final year of high school in many countries) at the time of application. Individuals who have completed some undergraduate level courses but have not obtained the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor’s degree are also eligible. Individuals who have completed a three-year baccalaureate program may apply for a one-year bridging program, which, upon completion, allows for application to a master’s degree program. Some master’s programs may not require the bridging year, depending on prior study and academic performance during the first year. The USSP program does not generally allow direct application and admission to a graduate degree program.

    * Because an objective of the program is to provide an educational exchange experience to those not previously afforded such an opportunity, preference will usually be given to candidates who have not had recent extensive experience in the United States. Preference may also be given to candidates who have not had extensive opportunities for study at educational institutions outside the Pacific Islands region (i.e., outside the countries listed in paragraph one above.)

    * Scholarship recipients must be able to meet the requirements of the Exchange Visitor (J-1 visa) program.

    * Individuals who have dual citizenship, one being that of the United States, are not eligible.

All application documents contained in the application packet may be found at the following Internet site: www.eastwestcenter.org/ussp. Application packets may also be obtained from U.S. embassies or consulates located in Suva, Fiji; Auckland or Wellington, New Zealand; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Apia, Samoa; or from the Award Services Office at the East-West Center, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96848-1601. Further inquiries: Telephone (808) 944-7735; Fax: (808) 944-7730, Email: USSP@EastWestCenter.org. All inquiries should reference the 2011 United States-South Pacific (USSP) Scholarship Program competition.

The application deadline is February 1, 2012 for awards beginning in early August 2012. Awards are expected to be announced on the Internet site provided above by April 1, 2012.
INFORMATION AND FORMS

All application documents contained in the application packet may be found here:

   1. USSP 2011 Application Instructions [pdf]  [doc]
   2. USSP 2011 Application [pdf]  [doc]
   3. USSP 2011 Letter of Reference [pdf]  [doc]
   4. Tips for a Successful USSP Application [pdf]  [doc]

Further Scholarship Information and Application