StudyDesk Scholarships
About the fellowship
The East-West Center (EWC), based in Honolulu next to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has run one of America’s most distinctive graduate fellowships since the 1960s. The Graduate Degree Fellowship funds master’s and doctoral study at UH Mānoa for students from the United States and across the Asia-Pacific — but it is deliberately more than a fee waiver. Fellows live together in the Center’s international residential community and join a structured program of leadership development, cultural exchange, community service and educational enrichment.
The funding is comprehensive: full-time graduate tuition and fees at the UH rate, single-occupancy housing in an EWC residence hall for the academic year, a stipend toward food and daily expenses, a books/materials allowance, and a subsidy toward health insurance — a package the Center values at about $22,000 per year. Fellows also receive automatic consideration for EWC Alumni and Foundation scholarships and can compete for travel grants for field study and conferences.
Eligibility
- Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, or a citizen of an eligible Asia-Pacific country (not open to all nationalities — the eligible list includes countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, China and Indonesia; check the official list for yours).
- Be applying to, admitted to, or enrolled in a graduate degree program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for the following fall, in a field relevant to East-West Center goals. The UH admission application must also be completed.
- Hold a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the last four semesters/six quarters of undergraduate work and in all post-baccalaureate work.
- Be willing to live in the EWC residential community and take part in its leadership, cultural-exchange and community-service programs.
- Preference is given to master’s-degree applicants, though doctoral applicants are eligible.
Benefits
- Full-time graduate tuition and fees covered toward master’s or doctoral study at UH Mānoa.
- Housing in an East-West Center residence hall, based on single occupancy.
- Stipend partially covering food and incidental expenses.
- Allowance for books, materials and supplies, plus a subsidy toward health insurance.
- Automatic consideration for EWC Alumni and Foundation scholarships.
- Competitive travel grants for field study and conference presentations, subject to funding.
Documents required
- Submit by 1 December 2026: CV or résumé; the University of Hawaiʻi application acknowledgment (screenshot or PDF of the confirmation); passport biodata page for international applicants.
- Submit by 10 January 2027: official transcripts from each institution attended; official IELTS, Duolingo or TOEFL scores sent by the testing agency where English proficiency must be shown; three recommendation letters (two on academic/professional ability, one on community service/civic engagement) via the links referees receive after you apply.
- The University of Hawaiʻi statement of objectives and any additional documents your chosen graduate program requires.
How to apply
- Read the handbook firstDownload the official Application Handbook and FAQ from the East-West Center site and get the academic and civic-engagement letter-of-reference forms — referees use these specific forms.
- Apply online to the East-West Center by 1 December 2026Submit the EWC fellowship application by 11:59 pm Hawaii Standard Time on 1 December 2026.
- Apply separately to the University of HawaiʻiSubmit the UH Mānoa graduate admission application as well (launched each August 1 for the following year’s admission). The two tracks can run concurrently, but the fellowship cannot start without UH admission.
- Get documents in by 10 January 2027Official transcripts and English test scores must reach both offices by 10 January 2027 — even if your UH departmental deadline is later.
- Line up three referees earlyReferees submit online through links they receive after you apply. Late documents may disqualify the application, so brief your referees well ahead of December.
FAQs
No. Applications to the East-West Center and the University of Hawaiʻi can be done concurrently, but both must be submitted; the fellowship cannot start without UH admission to a graduate program.
Citizens or permanent residents of the United States and citizens of many Asian and Pacific countries, including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, China and Indonesia. The award is not open to all nationalities — check the official eligibility list for your country.
The fellowship application closes at 11:59 pm Hawaii Standard Time on 1 December 2026, and all supporting documents for both UH and the EWC must be complete by 10 January 2027. Results are expected around April 2027 for study beginning August 2027.
Yes. The ADB-Japan Scholarship Program is administered through the same office and has its own supplementary application and deadlines, alongside the Graduate Degree Fellowship.
Fellows live together in the EWC international residential community and take part in leadership development projects, internships, cultural exchange, educational enrichment events and community service — the residential and community dimension is central to the fellowship. New awardees attend the Community Building Institute starting in early-to-mid August.
Verified 23 Oct 2026: eastwestcenter.org (official, crawled 23 Oct 2026) — Graduate Degree Fellowship apply page: 2026-2027 competition opened 15 Aug, closes 1 Dec (11:59 pm HST), UH application via manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate (opens Aug 1), documents complete by 10 Jan regardless of departmental deadlines, two reference forms; award-details page: full-time UH Mānoa tuition+fees, EWC housing (single occupancy), food/incidentals stipend, CBI required early-to-mid August, 90 hrs community service; student-life page: EWC residential community required; gksscholarships.com + insurab.com + scholarshipsedge.com — ~$22,000/yr package value, 3.0 GPA, US + Asia-Pacific countries (incl. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Indonesia), preference for master’s, 3 referees (2 academic, 1 civic engagement).
