The New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholarship Program involves a highly competitive student application process where Monash University selects eligible students who will be nominated to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for their consideration.
Available to Australian undergraduate students, the prestigious scholarship program supports high-achieving students to undertake a semester (or year-long) exchange or study abroad program at a higher education institution in the Indo-Pacific region. Launched in 2014, the scheme aims to lift knowledge in Australia of the Indo-Pacific by supporting Australian undergraduates through study and internships in the region. The aim is to strengthen Australia’s regional standing by building a diverse cohort of Australian alumni with deeper Indo-Pacific knowledge, capability and connections.
The intended outcomes of the NCP are:
increased number and diversity of Australian university undergraduates with Indo-Pacific capability and Asia literacy;
deeper people-to-people and institutional relationships between Australia and the Indo-Pacific; and
students and alumni connected with leaders in government, business and civil society in the Indo-Pacific.
Check out the article here to learn more about the 2026 Monash cohort and their planned programs.
An online information session was held on Monday 4 May at 3:00pm AEST. You can view the recording here.
We strongly encourage you to watch the above information session and/or attend the live session before starting your NCP Scholarship application.
More information on the 2027 round will be published on this site once announced by DFAT. In the meantime, you can review DFAT’s websiteto learn more about the scheme. Please note that this information may be subject to change in the 2027 round of scholarships.
To be eligible for a Scholarship, and to remain eligible during the Scholarship Program if a Scholarship is awarded, applicants must:
be an Australian citizen;
not be a current citizen or permanent resident of their proposed host location(s);
be enrolled in and undertaking, until completion of all components of the NCP Scholarship Program, at least one Bachelor Degree, Honours Degree or eligible undergraduatelanguage-focused course at an Australian campus of an Australian university;
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 2027;
not be a previous recipient of an NCP Scholarship; and
not be an employee of the branch of DFAT or the contractor that administers the NCP.
Scholars must continue to meet these eligibility requirements during the term of their Scholarship.
Note: As of the most recent round of NCP Scholarship Guidelines, scholars may not undertake any components of the scholarship after completing the final credits of their Australian bachelor degree. This means that if your semester exchange/ISA will be the final semester of your degree, your scholarship period will end at the end of that semester exchange/ISA.
Please note that these eligibility criteria are based on the 2026 round of applications. These are subject to change when DFAT releases their guidelines for the 2027 round.
Students who are interested in applying must submit a written application to Monash Abroad, including a description of the proposed scholarship plan and personal statement responses.
Shortlisted students can only be nominated for the scholarship once DFAT has published the guidelines for the 2027 round of scholarships, as the eligibility criteria are subject to change.
The 38 eligible host locations span South Asia, South East Asia, North Asia and a number of locations across the Pacific. An NCP Scholarship plan may take place in any of the countries, unless the advice from DFAT is not to go there.*
Monash has at least one exchange partnership with the countries that are in bold below.
If you wish to study in a country where we do not have an exchange partner, you would be doing so as an Independent Study Abroad (ISA) student. We recommend contacting Monash Abroad to discuss this before you apply for ISA.
Also note that you must not be a citizen or permanent resident of your intended host country(ies). You must enter the host country(ies) using your Australian passport.
Eligible Host Locations
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
China
Cook Islands
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
French Polynesia
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kiribati
Laos
Malaysia
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Mongolia
Nauru
Nepal*
New Caledonia
Niue
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Republic of Korea
Samoa
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Vietnam
* Any countries rated Level 3 - Reconsider your need to travel or Level 4 - Do not travel on Smartraveller are not available for exchange, study abroad or the NCP Scholarship.
Applications
Applications for the 2027 NCP Scholarship closed on Tuesday, 19 May, 2026 at 4pm AEST. Late applications cannot be accepted under any circumstances.
Applications for the 2028 round of Scholarships will open in Semester 1, 2027.
Note to applicants
Please note that as part of your NCP Scholarship, you must undertake at least one semester exchange or ISA program. This requires a separate application with Monash Abroad for either Semester 1, 2027 or Semester 2, 2027. The deadlines are as follows:
Semester 1, 2027: Application and study plan due by Tuesday, 19 May, 2026 at 4pm AEST.
Semester 2, 2027: Application and study plan due by Tuesday, 20 October 2026 at 4pm AEDT.
You can apply through the host institution brochure page on the Monash Abroad Program Search (including through the Independent Study Abroad brochure if you are applying to an institution with which Monash University does not have an exchange agreement).
