SEARCA graduate scholarships are the prestigious scholarships that are offered to SAMEO citizen. SEARCA stands for Southeast Asian Regional Center For Graduate Study And Research In Agriculture. Eligible students who want to pursue research degrees like Master’s and PhD in agricultural fields can apply for the scholarships. These provide fully funded scholarships to the students that cover tuition fees, travel, monthly stipend and medical facilities.

The SEARCA scholarship program is a well-known program that has offered 1962 scholarships since 2024. 

The main aim of the scholarship is to provide:

  • Institutional development
  • Networking
  • Upgradation of graduate education in the county
  • Collaboration with international education network

SEARCA Joint Scholarships

SEARCA is known for collaborating with some organizations and institutes to develop a joint scholarship program. These offer master’s and PhD degrees to young scholars. These scholarship are open to admission now.

You can visit the individual joint scholarship page to get more details about study posts, courses, and specific admission procedures.

Benefits of the SEARCA Graduate Scholarship

There may be different benefits of the SEARCA Joint scholarship program but the full graduate degree scholarship covers these general financial benefits.

  • Fully funded scholarship
  • Tuition fees and other educational fees
  • Allowances for books and supplies
  • Monthly stipend that ensures to cover the living expenses of the scholarship holder.
  • An allowance of a maximum USD 4500 TO PhD research scholarship.
  • Medical facilities throughout the duration of the scholarship
  • Health and life insurance
  • Thesis or dissertation support to the researchers
  • Travel allowance (it includes the round-trip air tickets from study post to home country)

Apart from the financial benefits it also provides supplementary benefits too.

  •  Basic English training that is done prior to first enrollment
  • Training on writing the thesis proposals and scientific writing for publication.
  • Experimental designs and data analysis
  • Presentation skills training
  • It also provides recreational activities like food festivals and celebrations
  • There is an opportunity to take part in different research conferences and events.

What are the eligibility criteria for the scholarship?

SEARCA and SAEMEO agree on the specific eligibility requirements for the scholarship.

  • Applicants must be national of 11 SAEMEO countries that include:
    • Brunei Darussalam,
    • Cambodia,
    • Indonesia,
    • Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
    • Malaysia,
    • Myanmar,
    • the Philippines,
    • Singapore,
    • Thailand,
    • Timor Leste, and
    • Vietnam
  • The applicant must be a regular employee the of academic or research institutions or government agencies
  • The age of the applicant must be less than 40 years for masters
  • For PhD, the age requirement is less than 45 years.
  • He must be proficient in English language with an IELTS score of 6.5 or more.
  • The interested field of research for the applicants should be agriculture or related sciences. 
  • The research topic must align with the thrusts of SEARCA and joint funding partners.
  • The applicant must have strong academic and professional experience.
  • He must possess the motivation and leadership potential.

What are the priority research areas for research in SEARCA scholarships?

  • Agri-Business Models for Increased Productivity and Income
  • Sustainable Farming Systems and Natural Resource Management
  • Food and Nutrition Security
  • Transformational Leadership for Agricultural and Rural Development (ARD)
  • Gender and Youth Engagement in ARD
  • Enhanced ARD towards Climate Resilience
  • EcoHealth/One Health Applications to ARD

What is the application procedure for the SEARCA Graduate scholarship?

  • Go to the official website of the SEARCA graduate scholarships.
  • Reach out to the application portal for the scholarship at APPLY NOW.
  • Fill the application form with all the details and documents required.
  • Remember the application procedure after the application forms vary by each specific scholarship.

Documents required for the application form:

  • Application form
  • Official endorsement from the employer
  • Recommendation letter from the Dean of Graduate School of the university (you can have a look on the sample recommendation letter here)
  • Dissertation research outline/proposal . it must be approved and verified by the Advisory Committee and Dean of Graduate School;
  • Academic transcripts of the previous studies
  • Degrees, or accomplishments
  • Research timetable
  • Medical certificate (you can download the template from the official website)

Deadline

Deadlines for 2025-26 sessions vary from program to program.

FAQs

  1. What is SEARCA stands for?

SEARCA is an association which stands for Southeast Asian Regional Center For Gradute Study And Research In Agriculture.

  • Who can apply for the SEARCA scholarship?

The citizens of SEAMEO can only apply for the scholarship.

  • What are the host institutions for the scholarships?

Different scholarship program are hosted by different institutions. These below institutions take the scholarship holders for SEARCA.

  • Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB)……………….       Bogor, Indonesia
  • Universitas Brawijaya (UB)……………………       Malang, Indonesia
  • Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM)……………Yogyakarta, Indonesia
  • Kasetsart University (KU)……………………….Bangkok, Thailand
  • Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)…………..       Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
  • University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)……………Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
  • Sejong University…………………………………        Seoul, South Korea
  • Tokyo University of Agriculture…………….       Tokyo, Japan
  • National Taiwan University……………………Taipei, Taiwan
  • Is IELTS required for the scholarship?

Yes, it is required.

  • Which level of degree is taught here?

Graduate degree like Master’s and PhD are taught here.

  • What is SEAMEO?

It is a treaty organization that promotes education, and regional cooperation between 11 member countries. It stands for Southeast Asian ministers of Education organization.

Official website:

You can get  more information about the SEARCA scholarships from its official website.

SEARCA PhD research scholarship

SEARCA Joint scholarships