Which ASEAN Countries Are Eligible for Australia Awards Scholarships
By Muntasir • Published Aug 08, 2026 • Updated Sep 27, 2026 • Scholarships & Funding, Study in Southeast Asia
Australia Awards Scholarships are only open to students from countries with an active partnership. In ASEAN, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam have active country programs, Myanmar's program is paused, and Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore have their own separate Australia Awards pathways rather than a traditional aid-funded country program.
🎓 Seven ASEAN countries run active Australia Awards Scholarship programs
Myanmar's program stopped taking new applicants and is set to reopen in early 2027
💵 Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore each have a distinct Australia Awards pathway outside the standard aid-partner model
Thailand has an active Australia Awards program since 2026 through the Mekong-Australia Partnership
Eligibility ties to Australia's foreign aid partnerships, so the list can change
Why Not Every ASEAN Country Gets Australia Awards
Australia Awards Scholarships come from Australia's international development budget, run by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The scholarships exist to build long-term ties with Australia's aid partner countries, so only students who are citizens of a listed partner country, and living there, can apply. Being ASEAN does not automatically qualify you. Your country needs an active bilateral or regional agreement with Australia that includes a scholarship allocation.
ASEAN Countries With Active Australia Awards Programs
Seven ASEAN countries currently run their own Australia Awards Scholarship program, each with a dedicated office or program page.
| Country | Program status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cambodia | Active | Over 1,000 Cambodians supported for postgraduate study in Australia since 1994, per Australia Awards Cambodia |
| Indonesia | Active | Offers PhD and Masters Awards, a Split-Site Masters option, and short courses, per Australia Awards Indonesia |
| Laos | Active | Managed by the Laos Australia Institute on Australia's behalf, per Australia Awards Laos |
| Philippines | Active | A long-running country program with its own selection office |
| Thailand | Active | Active since 2026 through the Mekong-Australia Partnership (MAP), covering postgraduate Master's study; applications for the 2027 intake close 30 April 2026, per the Australian Embassy in Thailand |
| Timor-Leste | Active | One of Australia's largest aid partnerships in the region |
| Vietnam | Active | 7,500+ graduates since 1974, with 107 scholars selected across Intakes 2025 and 2026, per Australia Awards Vietnam |
Myanmar: Program Paused
Myanmar has an Australia Awards program, managed by Palladium on Australia's behalf, but it is not currently open to new applicants. The official Australia Awards Myanmar site states applications closed and are due to reopen in early 2027. Check that site directly before you plan an application, since the reopening date can shift.
Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore: Different Pathways, Not No Allocation
Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore are high-income economies, which puts them outside the traditional official development assistance partner list that funds country programs such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. That does not mean these three countries have no Australia Awards access at all. Each has its own distinct pathway.
Brunei runs its own long-standing country program, with PhD and Master's awards in priority fields such as climate change, economics, food security, defence, and maritime security, and 2026 intake applications opened 27 May 2025. Malaysia has the Australia Awards Malaysia Semester Program (AA-MSP), active from July 2026, aimed at students at Australian transnational-education institutions in Malaysia such as Curtin Malaysia and Monash Malaysia. Singapore has a new Australia Awards PhD and Master's scholarship launched under the Australia-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, announced in October 2025 and set to start in Semester 2 2026, per DFAT's Australia Awards Malaysia Semester Program page .
These three pathways differ in structure from the traditional aid-funded country programs. They are tied to specific partnerships or institutions rather than an open annual country allocation, so check the eligibility details carefully if you are a citizen of Brunei, Malaysia or Singapore.
What the Split Between Countries Tells You
The pattern across ASEAN follows income level and the type of partnership with Australia more than geography or population size. Larger, lower and middle-income economies with an active Australian development partnership, such as Indonesia and Vietnam, keep their own country programs and offices. Higher-income economies such as Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore sit outside that traditional aid model but still have named Australia Awards pathways tied to specific partnerships or institutions. This is worth remembering if your country's status changes in the future, since a shift in program type is a normal part of how Australia Awards works, not a sign the scholarship program itself is ending.
Why Eligibility Changes
DFAT reviews its aid partnerships regularly, and a country's inclusion depends on the current state of that relationship, not a fixed rule. Myanmar's pause after political instability shows how fast the list can shift, and Thailand's 2026 addition through the Mekong-Australia Partnership shows the list can also expand. If your country is not listed here, or you are unsure of your current status, check the country list directly on DFAT's Australia Awards page before you invest time in an application.
How to Check Your Status
If your country has an active program, go straight to that country's official Australia Awards website rather than a general search result. Each country office publishes its own eligibility rules, priority study fields, and application dates, and these differ from country to country even within ASEAN.
Australia Awards vs Other Ways to Study in Australia
Australia Awards is aid funding, tied to Australia's foreign development relationships, not a general merit scholarship open to any nationality. If your country does not fit any current pathway, or you do not meet Australia Awards eligibility, you still have other paths into Australian higher education. Australian universities run their own scholarships for international students, funded by the institution rather than DFAT, and these follow separate eligibility rules based on academic merit rather than your country's aid partner status. A self-funded place under Australia's regular international student visa is also open regardless of your country's Australia Awards status.
The distinction matters when you plan your timeline. Australia Awards intakes run on a fixed annual cycle set by each country office or program, while university scholarships and self-funded applications generally follow each university's own intake dates, which can be more frequent.
What This Means for Your Planning
Confirm your country's current status before you build an application timeline around Australia Awards specifically. If you are from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, or Vietnam, treat Australia Awards as a real option and start with your country's official site to check current priority fields and requirements. If you are from Brunei, Malaysia, or Singapore, check the specific pathway that applies to you rather than assuming there is no option, since each of these three now has a named Australia Awards route.