Every year, the U.S. Department of State funds the US South Pacific Scholarship Program (USSP) for students from global south pacific to pursue bachelor’s or master’s degrees.
The 2025 USSP Scholarship is offered by the University of Hawai’i in the United States and covers all fees related to study and travel expenses for all successful candidates.
Eligibility Requirements
To apply for the 2025 USSP Scholarship, you will have to meet the following criteria;
Bachelor’s Scholarship:
- Applicants must have completed secondary school by the deadline for submitting a university application for admission to their undergraduate program.
- In some countries, this means having completed “Form 6.” In other countries, this may mean having completed “Grade 12.”
- Individuals who have completed some undergraduate level courses but have not obtained the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor’s degree are also eligible and strongly encouraged to apply.
Master’s Scholarship:
- Applicants must have completed at least a three-year baccalaureate program.
- Those with a three-year Bachelor’s degree may apply for a bridging program of up to one year, which upon completion allows for application to a master’s degree program.
- Master’s programs may not require a bridging component, depending on prior study and academic performance during the first year.
- The USSP program does not generally permit direct application and admission to a graduate degree program. Those who possess both a bachelor’s degree and a post-graduate diploma or honors degree, or will have earned a post-graduate diploma or honors degree before the scholarship’s August start date, are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Because an objective of the program is to provide an educational exchange experience to those not previously afforded such an opportunity, preference will usually be given to candidates who have not had recent extensive experience in the United States.
- Preference may also be given to candidates who have not had extensive opportunities for study at educational institutions outside the Pacific Islands region.
- Candidates from the following countries, who meet specific selection criteria, are eligible for the program: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Benefits
- The US South Pacific Scholarship Program (USSP) covers all costs related to your study at the University of Hawai’i. This includes tuition, accommodation, living stipends, travel costs, and health insurance.
- The scholarship program will include a mentoring component with a possible follow-on summer internship, and readily accessible opportunities for participation in host family and volunteer service programs.
- It will also enable the recipients to obtain a broader understanding of the United States.
Eligible Fields
- Priority areas of study include agriculture, business, communication/journalism, education, environmental studies, gender studies, NGO management, political science, public administration, public health, STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), and other related fields.
- If a desired field of study is not among the priorities, the applicant should give special attention to explaining how this course of study would support the goals of the scholarship program.
- Support is not available for professional degrees such as architecture, law, and medicine.
Method of Application
- Click the button below to visit the program’s webpage
- Submit an online application for the scholarship via the East-West Center scholarship website.
- Selection will be made, with input from U.S. Embassies in the region, by a U.S.-based academic review committee that may include Pacific Islands and other specialists from the East-West Center and University of Hawai‘i system, a representative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and a Pacific Islands student representative.
- If a prospective applicant experiences problems with the Online Application that s/he is unable to resolve, the EWC Registrar’s Office should be contacted for assistance. Email: USSP@EastWestCenter.org Telephone: (808) 944-7738
