Research
U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program
U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program

U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program Scholarships

Notice: Scholarships on Hold

Scholarships for PhD and Masters

The 2nd Call for Applications invites citizens from USP member countries, including the Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, which were not represented in the 1st Call. This round offers fully funded research scholarships: 3-year scholarship for full-time Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) studies, equivalent to six semesters, and an 18-month scholarship for full-time Master’s degree studies, equivalent to three semesters at USP.

The Program

The U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program is funded by the U.S. Department of State. The Program is designed to support the University of the South Pacific (USP) in its goal to develop the next generation of leaders to effectively tackle the challenges facing the South Pacific caused by climate change.

Climate change and subsequent impacts, including rising ocean levels and temperatures, ocean acidification and increased intensity of severe weather events, are already changing ecosystems at an unprecedented pace and in ways we may not fully understand for decades.  The complex and varied impacts of climate change are creating critical new environmental challenges and threaten the natural environment’s (land and ocean) capacity to absorb shocks. The majority of Pacific Islands countries are highly vulnerable to climate change – threatening food systems, livelihoods, community health and security.

The Scholarship Scheme offers fully funded 3-year scholarships for full-time PhD studies to citizens from all member countries of the USP. This scholarship will provide an opportunity for exceptional candidates to undertake their PhD research in close collaboration with selected U.S. partner universities, including:

Themes for Inter-disciplinary PhD Research

The program offers an exciting opportunity for PhD candidates to undertake world-class research on a wide range of topics critical to understanding how the Pacific region can respond to the severe impacts of climate change and build a resilient future. Much of the research supported by this program is anticipated to be inter-disciplinary and provide academic pathways across a wide range of themes, such as the following:

  1. Natural Resource Management
  2. Business and Economics Resilience
  3. Marine Ecology and Ocean Science
  4. Food Systems
  5. Renewable Energy
  6. Food and Water Security
  7. Waste Management
  8. Public Health
  9. Public Policy
  10. Sustainable Development

For further details about the range of academic programs offered by individual Schools/Centres, click here.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must meet the following requirements:

  1. Applicants must be a citizen of a USP member country. SPECIAL CONSIDERATION WILL BE GIVEN TO APPLICANTS from Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Potential PhD candidates from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Kiribati are welcome to apply.
  2. Applicants must be 35 years or below when applying for Masters and 45 years or below for PhD.
  3. Applicants applying for Masters by Research should have completed one of the following:
    • A Bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 4.0 or above, or
    • A Post Graduate Diploma preferably with one of the Research Method courses with a GPA of at least 3.5 or above with a relevant Bachelor’s Degree with a GPA of at least 3.5 or above.
  4. Applicants applying for PhD should have completed one of the following master’s degrees:
    • A master’s degree by thesis, or
    • A master’s degree including a Supervised Research Project, or
    • A master’s degree with 25% or more independent research and a mini-thesis.
  5. Preference may be given to PhD applicants who have:
    • 5 years or more of relevant industry / professional experience,
    • Research publications in the area relevant to the proposed research,
    • Be willing to commence their full-time research as soon as possible.

The Selection Committee reserves the right to select applicants to ensure an overall balance among the Program’s candidates in terms of age, gender, nationality and academic disciplines.

Scholarship Benefits 

The scholarship benefits for each candidate based at USP’s Laucala campus (or otherwise approved) will include:

  • Annual tuition fees (paid directly to USP)
  • Annual general service fee (paid directly to USP)
  • Annual health service fee (paid directly to USP)
  • Annual living allowance of FJ$24,000 for PhD or FJ$21,600 for Masters (or equivalent local currency)
  • Annual book allowance of FJ$750.
  • Laptop for use during candidature
  • Annual dependent allowance of FJ$11,000/year in Fiji for eligible candidates. Click here for dependency allowance criteria.
  • Establishment allowance of FJ$1,942 as one-off-payment at the beginning of the first year (if candidate is required to relocate to USP Laucala campus). Click here for the establishment allowance criteria.
  • Return economy air ticket for candidates required to travel to the Laucala campus to accept their offer (please note that dependent airfares are not included).
  • Research grant of a maximum of FJ$45,000 for PhD or FJ$20,000 for Masters (or equivalent local currency) (to be approved and administered by the relevant USP School).

Scholarship Conditions

The scholarship is offered to candidates under the following conditions:

    1. This scholarship is for full-time PhD and Masters studies only at USP. Once research projects are approved, candidates may undertake travel to various locations within the Pacific region and to a U.S. partner university for research purposes.
    2. Candidates are not permitted to be in paid employment, including consultancy or part-time contracts, during the tenure of the scholarship.
    3. Candidates must dedicate a minimum of 40 hours per week for PhD and Masters research for the entire duration of the scholarship, unless otherwise approved.

Application Requirements

  • Completed U.S.-PRAFP Scholarship Application Form. 
  • Cover letter stating why you wish to apply for this scholarship.
  • Curriculum vitae with current details and contact details of three referees
  • Letter of support from 2 referees who can evaluate the applicant’s research potential
  • Certified copies of relevant academic transcripts and certificates
  • Proof of citizenship (e.g. certified copy of passport bio-data)
  • Research Intent (details on research intent) outlining proposed research interest and plan (no more than 2 pages). A full research proposal is not required at the application stage but a clear overview of the nature of your intended study.

How to Apply

Submit your application in PDF format via email to prakriti.rachna@usp.ac.fj with the subject line “US-PRAFP Scholarship Application – [YOUR NAME]”

Public Information Session

We invite you to join our Public Information Sessions.

Session 1

January 16, 2025 from 11:00AM – 1: 00PM FJT

Zoom session link:

https://usp-fj.zoom.us/j/87549653731?pwd=gMG0R0D7ZsEUKZdEaYhvI5uVb17eYX.1

Passcode: Zf!2bcwJr

Session 2 – CANCELLED 

February 14, 2025 from 11:00AM – 1: 00PM FJT

 Zoom session link: 

https://usp-fj.zoom.us/j/88585630455?pwd=cG9aH79roN84SnyDdXl3o4fXEBeMSm.1

Passcode: Sjy8#Z*Fh

Session 3 – CANCELLED 

March 19, 2025 from 11:00AM – 1: 00PM FJT

Zoom session link:

https://usp-fj.zoom.us/j/82398799687?pwd=D6HUDaHGNTqd1Fk0ZseEliCLbqHe6c.1

Passcode: u4QD?TrQ@

Further information

Prakriti Rachna, Program Coordinator, U.S.-Pacific Resilience and Adaptation Fellowship Program, prakriti.rachna@usp.ac.fj