Study Abroad Scholarships for Lao Students: Programs Worth Applying To
By Muntasir • Published May 30, 2026 • Updated Sep 27, 2026 • Scholarships & Funding, Study in Southeast Asia
Five funded routes stand out for Lao students who want to study abroad: Chevening in the UK, Australia Awards, the ADB-Japan Scholarship Program, Singapore government scholarships, and Japan's MEXT scholarship. Each covers tuition and living costs but runs on its own yearly deadline.
🎓 Chevening: fully funded UK master's, 2025 cycle ran 5 August to 7 October
💵 Australia Awards: full tuition, airfare and living allowance, IELTS 6.5 required for the current intake
🎓 ADB-JSP: funds master's study across 27 Asia-Pacific universities, apply 6 months ahead
🎓 Singapore: ASEAN Scholarship (secondary), ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship (transfer route), Dr Goh Keng Swee Scholarship
💵 MEXT: tuition, monthly stipend and airfare for study in Japan, apply via the Japanese Embassy in Vientiane
How funding for study abroad works for Lao students
Lao students fund study abroad mainly through government-to-government scholarships, since domestic university financial aid on its own rarely covers the full cost of studying overseas. The programs below combine admission support with tuition, living costs and travel, and each has its own eligibility rules and application window, so check the official page for the year you plan to apply rather than relying on past cycles.
1. Chevening Scholarship (UK)
Chevening, funded by the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, offers fully funded master's degrees at any UK university and lists Laos as an eligible country on its official Laos page . Applicants need at least 2 years of work experience, about 2,800 hours, after their undergraduate degree. The 2025 cycle opened on 5 August and closed on 7 October 2025, according to the Laotian Times , so expect a similar August to October window each year and confirm the exact dates on Chevening's site. Since Laos has no UK visa centre or TB testing facility, successful applicants travel to a neighboring country to complete both steps.
2. Australia Awards Laos
Australia Awards funds vocational diplomas, master's and doctoral study in Australia, covering full tuition, return airfare, a living allowance, an establishment allowance and health cover, according to Australia Awards Laos . Requirements reset each intake, but as of the current cycle applicants must have lived in Laos for at least a year as of 30 April 2026 and hold an IELTS score of at least 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0, taken after 30 March 2025, per the program's who-can-apply page , so confirm the exact residency and IELTS cutoff dates before applying. Priority fields for the current intake include economic development and trade, environment and climate change, gender and social inclusion, and governance and law, and the program encourages applications from women, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups.
3. ADB-Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP)
The Asian Development Bank's Japan Scholarship Program funds master's study in economics, business, science, technology and other development fields at 27 partner universities across Asia and the Pacific, including institutions in Japan, according to the ADB . It covers full tuition, a living and housing allowance, a book allowance, medical insurance and travel. Applicants must be Lao nationals under 35 with a bachelor's degree and a strong academic record, and must apply through the chosen partner institution at least 6 months before their intended start date.
4. Singapore Government Scholarships
Singapore's Ministry of Education runs three routes for Lao students, listed on the Singapore Embassy in Vientiane 's page. The ASEAN Scholarship covers secondary (GCE 'A' level) study for Lao students aged 14 to 16. The ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship funds a transfer to NUS, NTU or SMU for Lao students already in their first or second year of a local bachelor's degree, after they gain admission to one of the three universities directly. The Dr Goh Keng Swee Scholarship, run with the Association of Banks in Singapore, supports outstanding undergraduate students at Singapore universities.
5. MEXT Japanese Government Scholarship
Japan's Ministry of Education (MEXT) offers scholarships covering tuition, a monthly stipend and round-trip airfare for undergraduate, research and graduate study in Japan. Lao applicants apply annually through the Japanese Embassy in Vientiane , which announces the exact application window, required documents and current stipend amount each cycle, so check the embassy's page directly rather than relying on figures from a previous year.
How to strengthen your application
📩 Start your English test (IELTS or TOEFL) at least 9 months before your target deadline, since most programs above require a set score at the time of submission
🎓 Match your study plan and past experience to the scholarship's stated priority fields, especially for Australia Awards and ADB-JSP
📩 Apply to more than one program in the same cycle where your profile fits, since timelines rarely overlap enough to apply for one after being rejected from another
💵 Budget for costs a scholarship does not cover, such as passport renewal, document legalization fees and pre-departure health checks