Eligibility

Is there an age limit to apply for the scholarship?
No. As long as you fulfill all the other listed requirement as detailed on the Eligibility page, your age does not matter.

I already have a Master’s degree. Can I still apply?
Yes.

Will my application be accepted if I don’t have at least 1-2 years of work or volunteer experience in my home country in a field of interest?
Yes. However, having work experience makes you a much stronger candidate for selection.

Do I have to have a Bachelor degree in the same field I am interested in for my Master’s degree to apply?
No. Although a bachelor degree is a requirement, your field of interest for your masters does not have to match you bachelor degree major. It is more important that you have work experience in the field for which you are applying.

I’m currently living outside of my home country. Can I apply to APSC?
No, APSC is for people living and working in their home country at the time of application.
If you are a Myanmar citizen, please visit Myanmar Study Abroad for scholarships that accept Burmese living outside Myanmar, especially Prospect Burma and Supplementary Grants Program.

Can I apply if I will finish my bachelor degree after the APSC application deadline?
No. The APSC scholarship is only for people who have already completed their bachelor degree at the time of application. This also doesn’t allow enough time to gain the relevant work experience that is required of ideal candidates.

Application Process

Do my top three course choices have to be in the same field?
No. You can pick course choices in different fields, but your preferences should reflect your work experience and academic goals.

I am only interested in one or two courses offered by APSC. Do I have to fill in all three choices?
No, you can choose only one or two courses if you wish.

I have finished my bachelor degree but I don’t have the certificate and/or transcript available. Can I apply to APSC?
Yes. However, you should also send in an explanation of why you can’t get the records right now. If you win the scholarship, you will have to send APSC your certificate and transcript as soon as possible after we announce the award because you cannot be admitted to an APSC partner university or get a student visa without original copies of these records.

Can I choose which university I will attend?
Usually no. APSC is only able to offer a limited number of positions at each university. We will recommend scholarship winners to partner universities based on their interests, qualifications and positions available. However, we will give winning applicants a choice whenever possible.

Can we attach extra pages for the essay?
No. Please don’t. We receive a large number of applications and must limit the length of the essays in order to read through all of them in a timely manner.

References

Who should I ask to write my references?
It’s best to get the academic reference from a university professor who has taught you and knows you well. If that is too difficult, the academic reference can be from any teacher who has taught you. If this is still too difficult, you can submit two professional references instead of one academic and one professional reference. Professional references should come from someone who has supervised you, such as an employer, community leader, or church leader.

Does it matter if the referee sends in their references after I submit my application?
No. It is okay as long as both references are submitted by the deadline on November 15.

My referee doesn’t have access to email. Can I send my references myself?
Yes, you can send the reference to apsc.ref@gmail.com on your referee’s behalf; however, you must include a phone number and/or postal address so that we may contact the referee in order to verify the reference and confirm your relationship.

Work Experience

How much work experience should I have?
Anyone with a bachelor degree can apply, but most winning candidates have at least 1 year of relevant paid or unpaid work experience after completing their bachelor degree in a field related to their APSC study goals.

What sort of work experience should I have to make me a strong candidate?
The ideal candidate will have experience related to one or more of the following fields:

• Community Health
• Education
• Humanities & Social Sciences
• Policy, Law & Administration
• Development
• Environment
• Media
• Social Work

English Testing

Will APSC offer a TOEFL/IELTS preparation course this year?
No, not at this time.

What is the minimum English requirement?
The minimum English requirement is based on the average TOEFL and IELTS scores of all candidates and will be determined after the November 15 deadline.

What if I don’t have a TOEFL or a IELTS score?
APSC understands that formal English tests are expensive for some students. In addition to offering the free online EPOP diagnostic English exam to all applicants without an existing score, we will accept even expired TOEFL and IELTS results for diagnostic purposes. If you win APSC, we can support you to take a new English exam, if your university requires it.

What is EPOP?
Exam Preparation Outreach Program Asia (EPOP) is an APSC partner program that makes English testing accessible to students online. The EPOP online diagnostic English exam resembles TOEFL reading and structure components.

How do I know if I have to take the EPOP diagnostic English exam?
If you do not have a TOEFL or IELTS score to submit with your APSC application, you will have to take the EPOP diagnostic English exam.

How can we access the EPOP diagnostic English exam?
Please contact apsconsortium@gmail.com to get registered for the EPOP online diagnostic English exam.

How long is the EPOP diagnostic English exam?
About 1.5 hours.

What is deadline to take the EPOP exam?
November 14, but if there are internet problems we will consider extending the deadline until everyone has had a chance to take the test.