First through third year undergraduate students who demonstrate leadership through academic work, community involvement and extracurricular activities and have a good command of English are invited to apply for the program. The application deadline is 5:00 PM, November 29, 2010.
Program Description: 
Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program provides scholarships for one semester or one academic year, enabling undergraduate students to study in a non-degree program at American universities. The goal of the program is to provide a diverse group of emerging student leaders with a substantive exchange experience at a U.S. college or university.

For the academic year 2011-12, the program will place approximately 90 students from countries in Asia at U.S. colleges and universities, starting in August 2011 or January 2012. Up to eight scholarships are available for Vietnamese students. Scholarships are for either one academic-year (approximately 10 months) or one semester (approximately five months). The length of the scholarship award will depend upon the student’s interests and availability, as well as placement options and availability of funds. In addition, participants will be eligible for two to four weeks of intensive English language instruction in the United States prior to the start of the academic portion of their program.

All Global Undergraduate Program participants will be enrolled full-time in undergraduate course work chosen from the host institution’s existing curriculum to allow them ample opportunity for interaction with U.S. faculty and student peers, and for exposure to U.S. academic and classroom culture. To ensure that students succeed in their new academic environments, host institutions will offer tailored instruction on topics including academic research and writing, critical thinking, time management, note-taking, and studying for and taking tests. Participants will live on-campus with American students.

Students will be provided with opportunities to participate in up to ten hours of community service activities per semester. Additionally, an internship component will be required for all academic-year participants during the academic component of the program. Internships will be related to each participant’s field of study and/or career plans.

Scholarships will be available in all academic fields of study.  

Participants in this program must return to Vietnam upon completion of the program, and may not stay on for degree study in the United States at that time.

Candidate Qualifications:

Competition will be based on the potential of the candidates to become student leaders through academic performance, community involvement and extracurricular activities, without regard to their field of study, race, religion, or gender. Competition is open to all applicants who:  

• Are currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in Vietnam;

• Will have completed their first year of undergraduate study by August 2011;

• Must have at least one semester to complete at their universities in Vietnam upon the completion of the program in the U.S;

• Have a good knowledge of English with the minimum ITP TOEFL score of 550 (acceptable) or iBT

• TOEFL score of 80 (preferred); or IELTS score of 6.5 (acceptable). 

• Achieved at least 7.5 GPA in the previous semester;

• Demonstrate strong leadership qualities through academic performance, community involvement and extracurricular activities.

How to apply? 
To apply for the program, applicants must download, complete and submit their completed application

form online at http://sites.google.com/site/ugradvietnam/. In addition to the online submission, a full

set of documents listed below must be sent to our office:

1. Completed, signed Global Undergraduate Exchange Program application form

2. Official transcripts for years of university study (with notarized English translations if in

Vietnamese)

3. Three letters of recommendation from teachers/professors, including one from the candidate’s secondary level institution (with notarized English translations if in Vietnamese)

4. Official results of the national general secondary school graduation exam (with notarized English translation if in Vietnamese)

5. TOEFL score report (or other Standard English Test score report) if available.
Applicants who are studying at a university in northern Vietnam (from Quang Tri Province to the north) are requested to send their required documents, and any questions regarding the program, to: 

The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program

Public Affairs Section

U.S. Embassy, 7 Lang Ha, 

Ba Dinh, Hanoi

Tel: 84-4-3850 5000, ext. 6034

Email: pas.culture@gmail.com  

Applicants who are studying at a university in southern Vietnam (from Thua Thien-Hue Province to the south) are requested to send by express mail their required documents, and any questions regarding the program, to:

The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program

Public Affairs Section

United States Consulate General

4 Le Duan, District 1

Ho Chi Minh City.

Tel: (84) (8) 3520-4619.  3

Email: phamltk@state.gov

Applications received later than 5:00 PM, Monday, November 29, 2010 will not be considered.
Successful candidates will be notified of their awards by March/April 2011.