Brunei scholarships

Scholarships are offered to Bruneians at all levels of education, from ‘A’ levels and diplomas to postgraduate taught and research courses. The majority of sponsorship comes from the Bruneian Ministry of Education for school leavers who have completed A levels of International Baccalareate, and the Public Service Commission (JPA), an in-service training scheme for civil servants.

Bruneians study a wide range of subjects in the UK, but the government does have priority subjects which will normally relate to areas where there is a shortage of trained staff, or in subjects that are not on offer at higher education institutions in Brunei. Each year the government updates the academic subjects it plans to support, and this list is usually made available at the end of January. The Ministry will normally set the application deadline in February. Between March and May, applications will be processed and students are interviewed, with decisions coming out during the summer.

How do I know if I am eligible?

The eligibility for MoE scholarships is as follows;-

  • An offer of a place from a BDNAC approved university or college (for UK, a top 50 university in the Times League Tables) Remember that many universities not ranked within the top 50 do have strong subject rankings. If you are interested in a university that has a subject ranking within the top 50, we recommend you approach the Scholarship Unit who may be able be able to consider your preference.
  • Bruneian citizenship
  • Pass in ‘O’ level English or ‘A’ level General Paper, or IELTS score of 6.0
  • Pass in ‘O’ level Malay
  • Meet academic criteria (degree)
    • Dentistry/medicine 300pts
    • Science, Engineering 260pts
    • Economics and Business 260pts
    • Arts and Social Science 240pts
    • Physical Education 240pts
    • English/English Literature 220pts
  • HND: 140 points
  • For postgraduate courses, at least a second class honours degree
  • Reference

In-service scholarships from the Public Service Commission

These scholarships can be for HND, Bachelors degree, Masters degree or PhD and are usually available to Bruneian government employees. The aim is for participants to meet a specific training need or skill, usually relating to their own workplace. Applications need to be approved by the head of department in your workplace and are then scrutinised by a selection committee. Remember the course you choose needs to be relevant to your current job, otherwise it is unlikely to be approved for funding.

Other scholarships available to Bruneian students

 

There are currently three additional scholarships available to Bruneians. These schemes are much smaller and are targeted at high-performing students

  • Shell: top students from A levels. Rigorous selection process as the scholarship holders are future employees of Shell. In oil related fields, such as mechanical engineering, petroleum engineering, geophysics, chemical engineering etc
  • Ministry of Defence: top students from A levels. Discipline is chosen by the student. Preference for USA or Oxford/Cambridge/Imperial/LSE
  • Sultan’s scholars. Administered by the SULTAN HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH FOUNDATION. Student is required to have three A grades at ‘A’ levels

Remember that you will need evidence of your scholarship when you apply for a visa to come and study at your chosen university, so your scholarship provider will need to give you a letter confirming and detailing the scholarship.