The U.S Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), is pleased to announce the opening of the 2015 Tibetan Scholarship Program (TSP). The TSP, sponsored by ECA, is administered through a Cooperative Agreement with the Tibet Fund, in collaboration with the Central Tibetan Adminstration’s (CTA) Department of Education (DOE).
Applications will be accepted from eligible Tibetan refugees residing in India, Nepal and Bhutan for two-year Master’s Degree programs in the United States, pending the availability of funds.
Eligibility: A minimum number of 8 slots will be available for two year Master Degree program in USA
Applicants must have secured grades of a minimum of 45% in Bachelor Degree program and their post graduate program
Applicants must have completed at least four years of academic work after class XII including a Bachelor Degree
Partial computer courses, vocational training and diplomas from non-recognized academic institutions will not be accepted
The final selection panel, chaired by the designated Public Affairs Officer for the TSP at the U.S Embassies in India and Nepal will interview all viable candidates nominated by the CTA’s DoE and the TSP Student Selection Committee (SSC) in Nepal.
During the pre-selection process, TSP applicants will not be required to submit TOEFL scores along with their application packages.
The CTA’s DOE and the TSP SSC in Nepal will finalize the list of applicants to take the General Written Test on Tibetan Culture and History (GWTT) based on their academic performance. The GWTT score will be calculated on the number of correct answers obtained out a total of 50 questions.
Applicants must secure a minimum of 17 correct responses out of 50 in the GWTT in order to qualify for the final interview.
Age: Applicants should be born on or after 01st January, 1979
Also See : Scholarships 2019
How to Apply:
Applicants must one passport size photo.
Resume and a Short Essay: The applicant must submit a copy of his/her resume and a short essay, no more than 500-700 words, explaining why you are applying for the Tibetan Scholarship Program (TSP) and what you hope to achieve from participation in this program.
Registration Certificate / Refugee Certificate:
TSP Applicants in India and Bhutan: Applicants must submit photocopies of his/her Registration Certificate (RC), and that of his/her parents and spouse (if married).
TSP Applicants in Nepal: Applicants who reside in Nepal must have a refugee Certificate. If an applicant does not possess a RC, than he/she can submit either one of their parent’s RC with the applicants name stated in the document. In addition, the applicant must obtain a letter from his/her respective Settlement Officer, certifying that he/she is a Tibetan refugee residing in Nepal.
Green Book: Photocopies of the Green Book of applicant, and that of the applicant’s parents and spouse (If married) If your parents or spouse are deceased, you need to submit a copy of their death certificate.
Applicants whose parents live in Tibet or have passed away must produce a certificate to this effect from the concerned settlement officer where they live or a death certificate respectively
Academic Certificates: Applicants must submit their college and university mark sheets and degree certificates.
Attestation: All documents submitted for the TSP must be attested either by a CTA gazette officer (the rank of Joint Secretary and above) or notarized by a Notary Officer / Settlement Officer.
U.S Visa: Participants will require applying for a J-1 exchange visitor visa from the US Embassy. Selection as a TSP candidate does not guarantee approval for a visa.
Applicants who have prior visa denials from the US Embassy must inform The Tibet Fund, the CTA’s DoE and the Tibetan Student Selection Committee (TSP SCC) in Nepal at the time of application.
No Objection Certificate: If the applicant is serving at any institution, he or she should furnish a “No-Objection Certificate” from his/her respective employer.
Program: Applicants should choose one major or program of study from the following fields. The fields of study specified below were identified based on the needs of the Tibetan community by the Central Tibetan Administration (In the consultation with the public Affairs section of the US Embassy an ECA)
They are arranged in alphabetical order.
Fields of Study: Agriculture, Business Administration, Autonomy and Minority Rights and Multiculturalism, Computer Science, Counseling, Development, Education, Environmental Studies, Food Protection, Human Resource Development, International Law, International Negotiation, Inter-Religious Studies, Library and Information Studies, Management and development, Natural Resource Management, Public Administration, Public Health, Refugee and International Migration, Security and Intelligence Study, Sinology, Social Work.
Application Dead Line: Interested applicants are responsible for submitting all application forms and other relevant documents to their respective Jurisdiction on or before 31st March, 2014.
No late or incomplete applications will be considered after the deadline.
Applicants from Nepal: Applicants will submit their application and all supporting documents to TSP SSC Nepal, which has been appointed to administer the TSP selection process in Nepal Separately. The pre and post selection of TSP Nepal Recipients will be administered by TSP SSC Nepal under the direction of the Tibet Fund in coordination with the US Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Applicants from India and Bhutan: Applicants will submit their application and all supporting documents to CTA department of education who will administer the TSP selection process in India and Bhutan separately.
The pre and post selection from these two countries will be administered by CTA DoE under the direction of the Tibet Fund in coordination with the US Embassy in India.
General Written test on Tibetan Culture and History: Applicants will take the GWTT in Tibetan only.
The final test score will be calculated on the number of correct responses obtained out of a total of 50 questions.
The applicants must secure a minimum of 17 marks out of 50 on the GWTT in order to participate in the final interview.
If any questions regarding the scholarship program, can send the queries to the attention of the Tibet Fund’s TSP Program Coordinator, Tenzing Choephel Chumeego [email protected] or Kalsang Rinchen at DoE Scholarship Section at [email protected]
Ms. Chime Tseyang, Joint Secretary, Scholarship Section, Department of Education, Central Tibetan Administration, Gangchen Kyishong, Dist Kangra, Dharamsala-176215, Himachal Pradesh, Tel 01892-226695/222721/222572, Fax 01892-223481, E-mail [email protected], Website www.sherig.org
Mr Tsering Topgyal, Vice Chairman, TSP-Student Selection Committee Nepal, Snow Lion Foundation, PO Box-1313, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tel +977-1-5000036/5000002, Fax 00977-1-5000048, Email [email protected]