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 2026 within the following levels of study:
• Vocational Education and Training (VET)1: diploma and advanced diploma
• Master’s degree
• Doctorate degree (PhD).
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 (e.g., business, business administration, business management, finance, and accounting), 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 2026, the following fields of study are human resource development priorities:
For Intake 2026, the following fields of study are human resource development priorities:
• Economic development and trade: economic governance, entrepreneurship and innovation, tourism and hospitality management, international trade, commerce, agribusiness, food science and technology, and quality and standard management.
• Environment, climate change and clean energy: environmental adaptation and resilience, waste management,
clean energy, renewable energy, climate financing, disaster resilience and management, water resource management, forest and wildlife conservation, natural resource management, sustainable agriculture, and food security.
• Gender, disability and social inclusion: gender studies, disability policy and practices, inclusive and specialised education, women’s studies, social work, development studies, community service, youth work and international community development.
• Governance and law: public policy, public administration and management, public relations, international relations, international law, law and development, social justice, human rights, intellectual property law, legal studies, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Health and wellbeing: public health, allied health, emergency operation management, communicable disease, epidemiology, animal health, aged care, medical technology, nutrition and dietetics, food safety, occupational health
and safety, mental health, and psychology.
• Human resource development and education: human resource management and development, early childhood, basic education, teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), pedagogy and leadership management.
• Infrastructure and connectivity: engineering, cyber security, critical technology (AI, robotics, etc.), information technology, digital studies, data science and innovation, journalism and multi-media communication, logistics and supply chain management, construction and infrastructure management, urban planning, building design, graphic design, interior design, and architecture.
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.