Government of Brunei Darussalam Scholarship for Foreign Students 2027/28

The Government of Brunei Darussalam Scholarship for Foreign Students, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs abbreviates to BDGS, pays for international students to study in Brunei. It covers diplomas, undergraduate degrees and taught master’s degrees at five public institutions. This page deals with the undergraduate and diploma route. The ministry says the award is meant mainly for international students coming to study in Brunei for the first time.

The 2026/2027 round opened on 15 December 2025 and closed on 15 February 2026 at 23:59 Brunei time. The ministry’s application portal now shows the round as closed, and nothing has been published yet for 2027/2028 (checked 9 October 2026 on the ministry’s scholarship page). If the next round follows the same pattern, it would open in December 2026, but that is our expectation, not an announcement. The academic year in Brunei starts in July or August.

Where you can study

The scholarship is tenable at five institutions:

• Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD)
• Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB)
• Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA)
• Kolej Universiti Perguruan Ugama Seri Begawan (KUPU SB)
• Politeknik Brunei (PB)

You can only apply for programmes on the lists each institution publishes for the scholarship. The ministry links to them from its scholarship page and tells applicants to read the course details before applying. Some lists on the page carry older dates, so check with the institution if a course looks out of date.

What the scholarship covers

Benefit	Under the ministry’s published terms (checked 9 October 2026)
Fees	Tuition, plus acceptance, examination, registration and orientation fees, for the whole programme
Flights	An economy ticket to Brunei before the course and back home at the end
Personal allowance	BND 500 a month
Meals allowance	BND 150 a month
Books	BND 600 a year
Housing	A place in the residential college of your university or polytechnic
Shipping home	Up to BND 250 within ASEAN, or BND 500 outside ASEAN, for your belongings at the end
Insurance	Full insurance cover for the whole scholarship

The ministry still urges scholars to buy extra insurance at their own expense before travelling. There is no marriage or child allowance, no housing for a spouse or children, and the terms say scholars are not encouraged to bring family members. The full terms and conditions are only sent to applicants who receive an offer, and you sign a declaration accepting them.

Who can apply

• Not a Bruneian citizen or a Brunei permanent resident
• Not studying, and never having studied, at a tertiary institution in Brunei
• Aged 25 or under on 1 July of the year your course starts, for diploma and undergraduate programmes
• Proficient in English: a credit 6 in GCE O Level English, a grade C in IGCSE English as a second language, IELTS 6.0, or a TOEFL score of at least 550
• Meeting the entry requirements of the programme you choose, as set by the institution

The age rule is strict. A student who turns 26 before 1 July of the starting year is over the limit, even if they were 25 when they applied. Applicants for master’s programmes have a higher limit of 35.

How selection works

The ministry does not publish a detailed timetable. What it does say:

1. You apply online through the BDGS portal linked from the ministry’s scholarship page, uploading your documents with the form.
2. Ineligible applications are rejected.
3. The institution offering your programme may call you for an interview, and may set a written test of your English, Malay or Arabic, depending on the course.
4. The Government of Brunei makes the final selection. Its decision is final and it will not discuss disputes.
5. Shortlisted applicants are contacted for the next stage. Unsuccessful applicants are told by email.

Other governments often pass the announcement on, so you may first see it on your own education ministry’s website. Apply through the Brunei portal, not through a third party, and never pay anyone to submit an application for you.

Documents to prepare

The 2026/2027 form asked for these uploads:

• Your identity card.
• Certified true copies of your academic qualifications, certificates, testimonials and transcripts.
• Certified English translations of anything not in English.
• Certified true copies of your birth certificate and passport.
• References from two referees, on the ministry’s own reference forms (C1 and C2).

Certification takes time in many countries, and the referee forms have to go to two people who then return them to you. Both can be done well before the portal opens.

The conditions you sign up to

Breaking the rule on other funding can end the scholarship at once. If you have a partial award from home, ask the ministry before you accept.

Getting ready for the next round

With no 2027/2028 dates yet, the sensible steps now are practical ones. Check your English score against the threshold, and book IELTS or TOEFL if your school certificate does not qualify. Start the certified copies and the two references, and look through the programme lists for UBD, UTB and the other institutions. Then watch the ministry’s scholarship page from late in the year. Questions about the last round went to the ministry by email, at an address it lists on that page.

Our guides on asking for a recommendation letter and avoiding scholarship scams cover the two places where applicants most often go wrong. You can also run your profile through the eligibility checker to compare this award with other undergraduate scholarships in Asia.