BDGS Frequently Asked Questions

All nationalities can apply. The recent MFA calls are addressed to foreign students and do not limit the scheme to ASEAN, OIC or any other list of countries. The confusion comes from how third-party scholarship sites describe the programme, not from the actual eligibility criteria.

Probably not. The 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 calls said international students who are studying, or have studied, in Brunei tertiary institutions are not eligible. The 2026/2027 call worded it more softly: the scholarship is “intended primarily for international students studying for the first time in Brunei Darussalam”. Unless the 2027/2028 call says otherwise, assume earlier study in Brunei counts against you, and ask the MFA before applying.

Yes. IELTS 6.0 is one of several accepted proofs of English proficiency. GCE O-Level English Credit 6, IGCSE English (Second Language) Grade C and TOEFL 550 are equally valid alternatives. The 2026/2027 checklist marked the English certificate “if applicable”, and institutions may test your English themselves. IELTS is not mandatory.

Marital status is not an eligibility criterion — married applicants can apply. However, the scholarship provides no family accommodation and no allowances for spouses or children. The official terms state a scholar is “not encouraged to bring any family members”. This is a practical consideration, not a disqualifier.

No. The BDGS covers Diploma, Undergraduate and Postgraduate Master’s programmes only. For PhD funding at UBD, the UBD Graduate Research Scholarship (a separate programme administered directly by UBD, which under its 26 May 2026 terms, for the September 2026 intake onwards, pays BND 1,200 a month for up to 36 months) is the relevant option. These two programmes are entirely separate — different administrator, different process, different stipend level.

The MFA has not yet announced 2027/2028 dates (as of 6 October 2026, its scholarship page still lists the closed 2026/2027 session, which ran from 15 December 2025 to 15 February 2026). Based on that pattern, the window is expected to open around mid-December 2026 and close on or around 15 February 2027. Confirm the exact dates on mfa.gov.bn/pages/scholarship.aspx.

Yes. In the 2026/2027 call, applicants to all five institutions also had to apply online to the institution: UBD at apply.ubd.edu.bn, UNISSA at unissa.edu.bn/application/apply, UTB at apply.utb.edu.bn, KUPU SB via kupu-sb.edu.bn and Politeknik Brunei at pbas.pb.edu.bn. Earlier calls named only UBD and UTB, so check the 2027/2028 call.

Not in recent calls. The 2024/2025, 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 announcements asked for neither a government endorsement nor a police certificate. Some older guides still list them. Check the document list in the 2027/2028 call and arrange them only if it asks.

Do not count on it. Recent calls give one fixed closing date (15 February 2026 at 23:59 for the 2026/2027 session) and offer no extensions. Plan well in advance — especially for your reference letters, certified copies and translations, which can take several weeks.

Yes. The 2026/2027 call accepted a certified copy of your passport and/or birth certificate or national ID. If you do not upload a passport, you must provide a copy valid for at least six months from your expected arrival month once you accept an offer.

The official MFA application form asks you to nominate your preferred institution and programme. The form does not clearly publicise a multi-institution option. Once selected, the institution and programme you applied for cannot be changed. Review the programme information on the institutions’ websites carefully before choosing — this decision is binding from the moment of selection.

For the 2026/2027 session, the MFA said both successful and unsuccessful applicants would be notified on or after 1 June 2026, and asked anyone with no news by 1 July 2026 to email its BDGS query address. Successful applicants had two weeks to accept or decline the offer by email. Expect a similar timeline for 2027/2028, but check the new call.

No. An interview invitation means you have been shortlisted by the institution — a positive signal, but not a guarantee. The formal scholarship offer is a separate notification that comes after the selection process is complete. Do not make binding commitments based on an interview invitation alone.

The MFA calls say you may be asked to attend an interview at a place the institution decides, and to sit a written test of English, Malay or Arabic where relevant. They do not say whether interviews are held online, so ask the institution if you are invited.

No, not without prior written approval from the Ministry. Holding any other scholarship, fellowship, grant or loan concurrently — without that approval — results in immediate scholarship termination. If you receive multiple scholarship offers, decline the others or get the Ministry’s written approval before accepting the BDGS.

No. Scholars cannot take paid employment during the scholarship period. This includes work at any country’s representative mission in Brunei. The prohibition is explicit in the scholarship terms and conditions.

No. The programme and institution are fixed from the point of selection. This is explicitly stated in the scholarship terms. If you apply to UBD engineering, you are awarded UBD engineering — there is no mechanism to switch to UNISSA or to a different programme within UBD after the scholarship is confirmed.

For basic daily expenses, yes. Accommodation is provided free on campus, which removes the largest cost. Fuel and many basic services are subsidised. By our rough estimate, canteen meals on campus cost about BND 1–3. The BND 650 (personal allowance + meals allowance) covers food, local transport, phone and personal items reasonably. It does not support international travel, higher-end spending or family costs. There is very little buffer for unexpected expenses.