How to Apply for the BDGS 2027/28

The application timeline

1. 1
   Mid-December 2026 (expected)

   Applications open

   The official announcement is published on the MFA website and the portal opens.

2. 2
   December 2026 – February 2027

   Application window

   Gather documents, get your two reference letters and complete both the MFA form and the institution’s application.

3. 3
   On or around 15 February 2027 (TBC)

   Hard deadline

   The portal closes. Treat the date as final.

4. 4
   March – May 2027 (estimate)

   Shortlisting and interviews

   Conducted by the institutions where required.

5. 5
   From about 1 June 2027 (expected)

   Results notified

   In 2026 the MFA said both successful and unsuccessful applicants would be notified on or after 1 June. Successful applicants had two weeks to accept.

6. July – August 2027

   Academic year begins

   Scholars arrive in Brunei.

Step-by-step application process

1. 1
   Check the official announcement and choose your programme

   Visit mfa.gov.bn/pages/scholarship.aspx for the current year’s announcement. The MFA tells applicants to read all programme information on the institutions’ own websites before applying. Confirm the exact programme name and that your qualifications meet its entry requirements.

2. 2
   Complete the MFA online application form

   Open the BDGS application portal from the MFA scholarship page (for the 2026/2027 session it was hosted at apps.katalyst.gov.bn; the old mfa.gov.bn/pages/online-bdgs.aspx address no longer carries the form). Log in, complete the form and upload the required documents. The MFA has not published a file-size limit, so keep scans compact.

3. 3
   Submit a separate application to your institution

   The 2026/2027 call listed an online application for each 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. These are parallel applications — the MFA form handles the scholarship; the institution handles academic admission. Both must be submitted. (Earlier calls named only UBD and UTB.)

4. 4
   Get your two reference letters (C1 and C2)

   The MFA provides a reference letter form with two copies, C1 and C2. Each referee states how they know you, rates you on qualities such as academic record, English proficiency and research ability, comments on your English and signs it. Ask teachers, supervisors or principals early, because the window falls over the December–January holidays.

5. 5
   Prepare and attach all required documents

   See the full checklist on the Required Documents page. Key items include a passport photo, certified copies of your passport or national ID, academic certificates and transcripts, proof of employment if any, an English proficiency certificate if you have one, and a research proposal for programmes by research. All documents not in English must have certified English translations.

6. 6
   Submit before the February deadline

   The 2024, 2025 and 2026 calls all closed on 15 February; the 2026 call closed at 23:59 Brunei time (GMT+8). The 2027 closing date is expected to follow this pattern but is to be confirmed against the official announcement. Do not count on an extension.

After you submit

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. The calls do not say whether interviews are held online; ask the institution if you are invited. An interview invitation is not a scholarship offer.

For the 2026/2027 session, the MFA said all applicants would be notified on or after 1 June 2026, and asked anyone with no news by 1 July to email its BDGS query address. Successful applicants then had two weeks to accept or decline the offer by email.

Endorsement and police certificate: not in recent calls

Many older guides tell you to get two extra documents. Neither appeared in the document lists of the 2024/2025, 2025/2026 or 2026/2027 calls:

What cannot be changed after submission

Once you are selected, the following are fixed for the entire scholarship period:

• The programme you applied for
• The institution you applied to

This means the choice you make in the application form is binding. Choose your institution and programme carefully. If you are uncertain between UBD and UTB, read both institutions’ programme pages thoroughly before committing, as applying to the wrong institution cannot be corrected after selection.