UCA-Cambridge Trust Scholarship Programme for Young Scholars (Academic Year 2022-2023)

The University of Central Asia (UCA) in partnership with the Cambridge Trust is pleased to announce scholarship opportunities for master and doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. 

The scholarships are for students wishing to pursue graduate studies, only in the following fields: Computer Science, Engineering, Communications and Media, Business Management, Earth and Environmental Sciences, or Economics. The fields reflect the taught majors and research interests at the School of Arts & Sciences, The Graduate School of Development, and the School of Professional and Continuing Education.

Applicants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are strongly encouraged to apply. Students from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Northern Pakistan are also eligible. Applicants must meet UCA’s eligibility benchmarks, and admission criteria to the University of Cambridge.  

The scholarships are part of UCA’s ongoing Central Asian Faculty Development Programme (CAFDP) designed to ensure that scholars from the region are strongly represented in UCA’s faculty. Scholarship recipients will be required to work for three to four years at the University of Central Asia, after the completion of their studies at the University of Cambridge. 

This partnership between UCA and the Cambridge Trust builds on the quality and standing of both UCA and the University of Cambridge, to enhance the academic quality of UCA’s future faculty.

UCA is Central Asia’s sole regional university with fully-residential campuses in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan, and Khorog, Tajikistan, with state-of-the art facilities, and generous support for faculty to engage in research. The Tekeli campus in Kazakhstan is currently in the planning phase.

Interested students are invited to submit required documents to UCA by November 10, 2021. The final deadline for UCA shortlisted applicants for admissions to the University of Cambridge is December 2nd 2021/January 6th 2022, depending on the field of application via their online portal. For further information please contact: cafdp@ucentralasia.org. Early enquiries are welcome. 

The scholarship when confirmed covers the university’s tuition fees paid directly to the university and an annual single person's stipend. Please note the scholarship does not provide any support or funding for any dependents or family members.

Eligibility Criteria and Application Process

1. UCA’s Eligibility Criteria

All applicants will first be required to meet the eligibility criteria that includes:

• Citizens of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan are strongly encouraged to apply. Students from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and northern Pakistan are also eligible. 
• Higher education degree with excellent academic records from a recognised university
• Interest in a Master or PhD programme in fields reflecting UCA academic listed priorities
• Interest in a career within academia, including research and teaching
• Demonstrated competency in the chosen discipline 
• Excellent English language skills: IELTS score of 7.5 (with a minimum of 7.0 in each individual component) or TOEFL score of 110 (with 25 in each element) 
• GRE General Test scores for Economics programmes (not required if the applicant has a degree from a UK institution). GMAT tests are not accepted. 

2. Documentation required for UCA

Please send the following documents in English to cafdp@ucentralasia.org no later than Sunday, November 1, 2021 at 5 pm (GMT+6): 

• Curriculum Vitae/Resume (3 pages maximum)
• A copy of the picture page on your passport 
• Academic Transcripts and Diplomas 
• Personal Statement outlining your short and long-term career goals, field of study and research interests, reason for applying to CAFDP, and what makes you a good candidate for CAFDP (3 pages maximum).
• A short research proposal (3 pages maximum) if the course chosen is entirely or predominantly research-based or equal taught/research based. The course directory can be found here.

Please note, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview before November 5th 2021, and invited to submit a full online application by December 2rd 2021/January 6th 2022 to the University of Cambridge.

The University of Central Asia reserves the right not to consider applications which are not complete by the due date.