Level of study
Australia Awards scholarships provide citizens of Laos with the opportunity to obtain a qualification at an Australian tertiary institution, including technical colleges.
Awards will be offered for commencement in 2025 within the following allocations:
- Vocational Education and Training (VET): diploma and advanced diploma,
- Masters Degree, and
- Doctorate Degree (PhD).
While applicants may nominate their preferred level of study, the final decision on which level of study to be offered will be determined by the selection panel.
Fields of Study Supported by the AAS
In recognition of the genuine development challenges across all sectors in Laos, applications are encouraged from all fields of study, except for general business courses (business, business administration and business management), and education management.
Applicants should select courses that align with their experience and qualifications or provide a strong justification for courses that represent a shift in career focus or direction.
Priority fields of study for Laos
The governments of Australia and Laos regularly review priority fields of study together and adjust the emphasis of the program. For Intake 2025, the following fields of study are human resource development priorities:
• Climate change and environment: environmental adaptation and resilience, waste management, renewable energy, sustainable tourism management, sustainable development, disaster management, forest and wildlife conservation, natural resource management, environmental management, sustainable agriculture and food stability.
• Digital economy: cyber security, critical technology (AI, robotics, etc), information technology, digital transformation and multi-media communication.
• Economic growth: public financial management, economic governance, entrepreneurship and innovation, hospitality management, international trade, agribusiness, food science and technology, logistics and supply chain management, quality and standard management.
• Gender, disability and social inclusion: gender studies, disability policy and practices, inclusive education, and human rights.
• Health: public health, allied health, emergency operation management, communicable disease, epidemiology, linkages between human and animal health, gender-based health care, medical technology, nutrition and dietetics, food safety, occupational health and safety, mental health and psychology.
• Infrastructure and connectivity: construction and infrastructure management, digital telecommunication, urban planning and architecture.
• Other: early childhood and basic education, pedagogy and teaching, engineering, human resource management and development, international law, public administration and policy, monitoring and evaluation, social work.
Find a course
Scholarship applicants are not required to have an offer of placement from an Australian university when they apply for Australia Awards.
As an international student on a student visa, you must study with an institution and in a course that is registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).
Applicants must have researched their preferred courses and ensure that their courses are included on the CRICOS register.
During the EAP or Foundation Year program, awardees will be supported by the Academic team through the process of selecting the most appropriate course and university for their study program. At this stage, awardees will be asked to complete the full Australia Awards application form and submit this to the Awards office for submission to Australian Universities and TAFE colleges for placement.
Australian universities and VET colleges will assess the information in the application form and supporting documents and, if awardees meet the criteria, a letter of offer will be sent to the Awards Office for processing and approval. Once approval is obtained from the Australian Embassy, the offer letter will be handed to the awardee for their consideration. Once the offer is accepted, the process of mobilisation will commence.
If a request for placement is rejected by the University or VET college, the second preference is actioned by the Awards Office. If the Awards Office is unable to secure an offer of placement from the awardee’s preferred institutions the scholarship does not proceed.
Course changes and downgrades (e.g., from master’s to graduate diploma) will only be considered in exceptional cases.