UGRAD Program - Vietnam

2014 Global UGRAD Scholarship Call for Application

UNITED STATES EMBASSY HANOI UNITED STATES CONSULATE GENERAL HOCHIMINH CITY PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION Call for Applications 2014 GLOBAL UNDERGRADUATE EXCHANGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM The Public Affairs Sections (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy Hanoi and the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City seek candidates for the 2013 Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (UGRAD).  First, second, third-year undergraduate students who demonstrate leadership through academic excellence, community involvement, and extracurricular activities, and who have a good command of English, are invited to apply for the program.  The application deadline is 5:00 PM, November 25, 2013. Program Description Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Global UGRAD provides scholarships for one semester or one academic year, enabling undergraduate students to study in a non-degree program at U.S. universities.  The goal of the program is to provide a diverse group of emerging student leaders with a substantive exchange experience at a U.S. college or university. For the academic year 2014-15, the program will place approximately 64 students from countries in the East Asia and Pacific Region (Burma, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam), at U.S. colleges and universities, starting in August 2014 or January 2015.  Scholarships are for either one academic-year (approximately 10 months) or one semester (approximately five months).  The length of the scholarship award will depend upon the student’s interests and availability, as well as placement options and availability of funds.  In addition, participants who do not meet host institution language requirements will be eligible for two to four weeks of intensive English language instruction in the United States prior to the start of the academic portion of their program. All Global UGRAD participants will be enrolled full-time in undergraduate course work chosen from the host institution’s existing curriculum to allow them ample opportunity to interact with U.S. faculty and student peers, and for exposure to U.S. academic and classroom culture.  To ensure that students succeed in their new academic environments, host institutions will offer tailored instruction on topics including academic research and writing, critical thinking, time management, note-taking, and studying for and taking tests.  Participants will live in university housing on-campus. Students will be provided with opportunities to participate in up to ten hours of community service activities per semester.  Additionally, an internship component will be required for all academic-year participants during the academic component of the program.  Internships will be related to each participant’s field of study and/or career plans. Scholarships are available in all academic fields of study.  Participants in this program must return to Vietnam upon completion of the program and may not stay on for degree study in the United States at that time. Candidate Qualifications Competition will be based on the potential of the candidates to become student leaders through academic performance, community involvement, and extracurricular activities, without regard to their field of study, race, religion, or gender.  Competition is open to all applicants who: v Are currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in Vietnam; v Will have completed their first year of undergraduate study by August 2014; v Have at least one remaining semester to complete at their universities in Vietnam upon the completion of the program in the United States; v Have a good knowledge of English with the minimum ITP TOEFL score of 550 (acceptable) or iBT TOEFL score of 80 (preferred), or IELTS score of 6.5 (acceptable); v Achieve at least 7.5 GPA in the previous semester; and v Demonstrate strong leadership qualities through academic performance, community involvement, extracurricular activities. How to apply? FAQs Applicants must complete and submit their completed application form online.  A full set of the documents below are required:   1.   Completed and signed Global Undergraduate Exchange Program application form; 2.   Official transcripts for years of university study (with notarized English translations if in Vietnamese); 3.   Three letters of recommendation from teachers/professors, including one from the candidate’s secondary level institution (with notarized English translations if in Vietnamese); 4. Official results of the national general secondary school graduation exam (with notarized English translation if in Vietnamese);    Applicants studying at a university in northern Vietnam (from Quang Tri Province to the north) should send their required documents, and any questions regarding the program, to: The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program Public Affairs Section U.S. Embassy, 7 Lang Ha, Ba Dinh, Hanoi Tel: 84-4-3850 5000, ext. 6034 Email: pas.culture@gmail.com  Applicants who studying at a university in southern Vietnam (from Thua Thien-Hue Province to the south) should send by express mail their required documents, and any questions regarding the program, to: The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program Public Affairs Section United States Consulate General 4 Le Duan, District 1 Ho Chi Minh City. Tel:  (84) (8) 3520-4610. Email: LeMuonTK@state.gov Deadline for both online and hard copy submissions: 5:00 PM, Monday, November 25, 2013. Applications received later than 5:00 PM, Monday, November 25, 2013 will not be considered. SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THEIR AWARDS BY MARCH/APRIL 2014