Applications for the 2027 Round of the New Colombo Plan (NCP) are now open!
The 2027 Round consolidates key reforms announced by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong in 2025.
This includes a continued focus on strengthening Australia's Indo-Pacific capability and Asia literacy, increasing scholarship numbers, placing greater emphasis on students learning Asian languages, and better supporting long-term immersive experiences.
In addition, key changes in the 2027 Round include:
- strengthened First Nations engagement in the Indo-Pacific under the NCP Mobility Program, including growing First Nations trade and investment with our region
- increasing the language learning target for the NCP program to 40 per cent (from 15 per cent in the 2026 Round)
- reforms to consolidate the NCP Scholarship Program's expansion to around 400 scholarships in 2027, including the introduction of an Expressions of Interest process for universities to nominate eligible students, and program support and administration funding for Australian universities
- embedding student recruitment and pipeline planning in the 2027 Semester and Mobility programs.
Applications for the 2027 Round across the 3 NCP programs – Scholarship, Semester, and Mobility – close on 4 August 2026.
Australian universities can apply, including through consortia arrangements, for funding under the NCP Semester and Mobility programs.
Under the NCP Scholarship Program, Australian universities are required to put forward all eligible Australian undergraduate students from their institution who express interest in applying for an NCP scholarship. Those students are then invited to submit an application. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is unable to accept applications from Australian undergraduate students directly.
To access the 2027 Round NCP Program Guidelines – which contain information about eligibility requirements, selection processes and how to apply – please visit the Current Grant Opportunities page on GrantConnect. If you are new to using GrantConnect, you will need to register to receive a login.
- New Colombo Plan Scholarship Program 2027 Round
- New Colombo Plan Semester Program 2027 Round
- New Colombo Plan Mobility Program 2027 Round
For more information, including Frequently Asked Questions for each NCP program, please visit the following pages on the DFAT website:
- New Colombo Plan Scholarship Program
- New Colombo Plan Semester Program
- New Colombo Plan Mobility Program
- New Colombo Plan resources
University staff and eligible undergraduate students interested in the 2027 Round of the NCP Program should contact their university's study abroad/international liaison office for more information, or DFAT's NCP Secretariat at ncp.secretariat@dfat.gov.au.