Donor Scholarships Beyond Australia Awards for Cambodian Students

Why look beyond Australia Awards

Australia Awards is one of the most visible scholarships available to Cambodian students, but several other governments fund full scholarships for Cambodians every year. Each program has its own application channel, eligibility rules and funding structure, so treat them as separate applications rather than one combined process.

Chinese Government Scholarship

China's Ministry of Education funds international students through the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC), administered by the China Scholarship Council. The scholarship covers tuition, on-campus accommodation, a monthly living stipend and comprehensive medical insurance at participating Chinese universities.

Cambodian applicants can apply through the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh for the bilateral program category, or apply directly to a Chinese university that holds its own CSC quota. Requirements and deadlines differ by channel, so check both routes before deciding where to apply.

Korean Government Scholarship Program (GKS)

South Korea's Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) funds thousands of international students yearly across undergraduate and graduate tracks, with quotas set annually, according to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Cambodia . Confirm the current year's exact numbers on the official GKS site. Cambodia qualifies as an ODA-recipient country under the program, which improves your odds compared with non-ODA applicants.

GKS covers tuition, a monthly stipend, airfare and, for undergraduate applicants, a one-year Korean language course before the degree begins. Apply either through the Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh or directly through a participating Korean university, depending on which track that university offers in a given year.

ADB-Japan Scholarship Program

The Asian Development Bank, funded by the government of Japan, runs the ADB-Japan Scholarship Program for graduate study in development-related fields such as economics, management, science and technology. The scholarship is open to citizens of ADB's developing member countries, including Cambodia, and funds study at ADB partner universities across Asia and the Pacific.

You do not apply to ADB directly. Apply to an ADB partner university's graduate program instead, and indicate you want to be considered for the ADB-Japan Scholarship as part of that application. Coverage includes tuition, living costs, books, insurance and travel.

Campus France Eiffel Scholarship

France's Eiffel Excellence Scholarship, run through Campus France, funds Master's and PhD students at French institutions with a monthly stipend of €1,200 for Master's level and €2,000 for Doctoral level (as of January 2026; check campusfrance.org for the current cycle's rate), plus international travel and health insurance. You cannot apply for Eiffel directly. Apply first to your target French Master's or doctoral program, and the institution nominates a limited number of its admitted international students for Eiffel funding.

Because nomination depends on your chosen institution, apply to a French program early enough to leave room for the Eiffel nomination step in the same admissions cycle.

Comparing your options

Tips for applying to more than one

• Keep a single master document with your transcripts, recommendation letters and personal statement, then adapt it for each application.

• Track each scholarship's deadline separately since they don't align with each other or with Australia Awards.

• Apply to more than one scholarship in the same cycle where eligibility allows, since most of these programs don't restrict you to a single application.

• Confirm current stipend amounts, quotas and deadlines on each program's official page before you commit time to an application, since terms change from year to year.