Scholarships for Cambodians

Illustration inspired by a university campus in Phnom Penh.

Scholarships for Cambodians are awards that pay for people from Cambodia or of Cambodian descent to study, train or do research. Governments abroad fund degrees for Cambodian citizens, and community groups in the United States fund Cambodian American students.

Most programs open once a year. For the 2027 to 2028 cycle, Chevening applications closed in October 2026, and the Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) Scholarship opens on November 15, 2026.

Study abroad on a government scholarship

Several governments pay for Cambodian citizens to study or train in their countries.

• Australia Awards Cambodia: postgraduate study in Australia, paid for by the Australian Government; more than 1,000 Cambodians have studied this way since 1994.
• Chevening Scholarships: a one-year taught master's degree in the United Kingdom.
• Global Korea Scholarship: master's and doctoral study in South Korea, with a year of Korean language first.
• JDS Scholarship: the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship, two years of master's study in Japan, in English, for young government officials.
• Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships: undergraduate and postgraduate study in New Zealand, with Cambodia on the list of eligible Asian countries.
• ASEAN Scholarship (Singapore): the Association of Southeast Asian Nations scholarship, four years at a Singapore school from Secondary 3 to Pre-university 2.
• YSEALI Fellowships: the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, whose Academic Fellows Program brings students and recent graduates aged 18 to 25 to a five-week exchange at an American university.

Study in Cambodia

• Harpswell Foundation: four years of free housing, meals and leadership training in Phnom Penh for women from the provinces who are starting university there.
• PEPY Empowering Youth: the Scholarship for Higher Education Program, for rural young people from low-income families at university or vocational school, mainly from Kralanh district in Siem Reap province.
• Ponheary Ly Foundation: scholarship, tutoring and leadership programs that carry students from its rural schools in Siem Reap and Preah Vihear provinces through vocational training and university.

Arts and research

• Arn Chorn-Pond Living Arts Scholarship: $1,500 a year from Cambodian Living Arts toward arts or culture study in Cambodia, for 10 new students a year.
• Cambodian Living Arts Mobility Grant: three travel places in 2026 for artists and cultural practitioners working on art and social action.
• CKS Junior Resident Fellows Program: six weeks of summer study in Cambodia from the Center for Khmer Studies, with five places a year for Cambodian undergraduates.
• CKS US Scholar Research Fellowships: research fellowships in Cambodia from the Center for Khmer Studies, for researchers from the United States.

For Cambodian Americans

Community groups in the United States give smaller awards, some only to students from one area.

• Rosana Chanou Memorial Scholarship: for Southeast Asian American high school graduates from Long Beach and nearby cities; 27 Cambodian American students received awards from 2020 to 2025.
• LAM Family Foundation Scholarship: from the Light Ahead Movement, a Cambodian American family foundation, which puts Cambodian American and first-generation students first.
• CHPAA Scholarship and Dara Thong Memorial Scholarship: awards from the Cambodian Health Professionals Association of America for students preparing for health careers.
• APIA Scholarship (Cambodian eligibility): awards of $2,500 to $20,000 from APIA Scholars for undergraduates at accredited colleges in the United States.
• Dr. Tony Vang and Mayor Lee Brand Scholarships: $1,000 toward college from The Fresno Center for Fresno County high school seniors; Cambodian American students can apply.
• Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund: college scholarships for Southeast Asian American high school seniors, Cambodian Americans among them, in a different US area each year.
• Sok Impact Scholarship: $500 to $1,500 toward college or vocational training for students of Cambodian descent in the United States, in any field.
• Vanna Christian Sun Legacy Scholarship: for students of Cambodian descent in the United States studying science, technology or business; its first awards, $20,000 shared among three students, went out in June 2026.

See also

• Scholarships and donations
• All scholarships
• All opportunities