FAQs about VEF Fellowship Program
Yes. The Congressional legislation that established VEF specifies that we support ONLY Vietnamese citizens who are interested in pursuing graduate programs in the United States in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM).
No, you are not eligible. Applicants must be Vietnamese citizens, and not considered “permanent residents” of Vietnam, or permanent residents or citizens of any other country. Applicants with dual citizenship are not eligible to apply for the VEF Fellowship.
Yes, Vietnamese citizens are eligible to apply no matter where they are located around the world, provided that they are not permanent residents of other countries and do not have dual citizenship with any other country.
No, applicants do not have to pay any fees in order to apply for a VEF Fellowship.
No, VEF does not provide any scholarships for undergraduate study. As stated in our legislative mandate, VEF supports only graduate level education, both Master’s and doctoral degrees, in the STEMM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine).
No, it doesn’t matter. The Fellowship program is based strictly on merit and is open to all qualified citizens of Vietnam, regardless of gender, region of origin, social or political background, or work sector.
No, VEF Fellowship applicants do not need to have work experience.
College graduates with at least a Bachelor’s degree in fields supported by VEF (Click
here for detailed information on the fields of study supported by VEF) or
college juniors (3rd or 4th year) or
seniors (final year students), who will graduate with at least a Bachelor’s degree in fields supported by VEF by the time they depart for the United States under the VEF Fellowship may apply.
If you have not graduated, please provide evidence of your current program, certified by your university. The certification must have your full name, date of birth, program name, and expected month-year of graduation. Your transcript must include an accumulated GPA from the first semester to the latest semester that is certified by the university or department.
VEF seeks highly qualified applicants in the major disciplines of the natural sciences, including agricultural sciences, biological sciences, earth sciences (i.e., atmospheric sciences, geology, meteorology, and oceanography), and environmental sciences; the physical sciences (chemistry and physics); engineering and technology (including information technology); mathematics; and medicine (such as biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, and public health).
Click
here for detailed information on the fields of study supported by VEF.
Applicants are encouraged to contact the U.S. Universities that they would like to attend. Applicants may refer to a list of highly-regarded universities that are VEF Alliance member universities. Students may attend a school or department that is NOT a member of the VEF Alliance, but that institution must agree to VEF's cost-sharing policy. VEF does not contact the U.S. universities for the applicants.
Online VEF Fellowship applications may be accessed through our website
www.vef.gov. Check periodically for updates on the next round of application dates. The Process A Application form is usually available in early December and through the beginning of the following April. Process B applications are usually available from mid-January to mid-March each year. Applications will be available ONLY online and ONLY during these application periods.
In order to apply, applicants must prepare the following documents:
For Process A:
- Notarized, English translation of transcripts and diplomas from undergraduate study;
- Notarized, English translation of transcripts and diplomas from graduate study (if any);
- An Academic Statement, which is a narrative essay on academic and work experience that includes a description of any research undertaken with all terms defined and the significance of the work noted. If no formal research has been completed, a description of a project done as part of coursework may be substituted.
- A Personal Statement, which is a narrative essay that includes a description of any examples of leadership and involvement in the applicant’s university or home community, intended future plans upon returning to Vietnam at the completion of the program of study, and contribution of the applicant’s proposed research or project(s) to the development of science and technology in Vietnam;
- Copy of TOEFL/IELTS score report or certification/degree from an English-speaking country;
- Copy of GRE score report;
- Three letters of recommendation to VEF in English;
- Notarized, English translation of awards and/or academic certificates (if any).
For Process B:
- Notarized, English translation of transcripts and diplomas from undergraduate study;
- Notarized, English translation of transcripts and diplomas from graduate study (if any);
- Letter of admission from a U.S. university;
- Complete and signed VEF Financial Agreement Form from the admitting university that agrees to VEF’s cost-sharing terms;
- An Academic Statement, which is a narrative essay on academic and work experience that includes a description of any research undertaken with all terms defined and the significance of the work noted. If no formal research has been completed, a description of a project done as part of coursework may be substituted;
A Personal Statement, which is a narrative essay that includes a description of any examples of leadership and involvement in the applicant’s university or home community, intended future plans upon returning to Vietnam at the completion of the program of study, and contribution of applicant’s proposed research or project(s) to the development of science and technology in Vietnam.
There is no standard format for letters of recommendation. However, letters must come from persons who have knowledge of your capabilities, education, and research/working experience. VEF does not accept letters from your doctors, friends, and relatives. Letters of recommendation must be from individuals who have supervised your academic or professional work for at least two years and who know your academic and professional performance well. The letters must be written in English and on official letterhead with the signature of the referee. These letters should be distinctly different. Importantly, each referee should demonstrate in his/her letter that they are well-acquainted with you by giving specific examples of interactions and situations observed by the writer that exemplify your outstanding qualities.
No, you cannot submit transcripts from graduate studies instead of undergraduate transcripts. In the first round of the selection process, we use the undergraduate GPA to screen applications. Graduate transcripts should also be submitted if you have completed any graduate work.
Yes, VEF encourages all applicants to reapply for a VEF Fellowship if they are not successful in the first attempt(s). There is no limitation to the number of times an applicant may apply for a VEF Fellowship.
No, an acceptable alternative to the TOEFL or IELTS score is a degree from an English-speaking country for the initial phase of application. The applicant needs to demonstrate that s/he is studying for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, or completed a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree recently (not more than two years ago), from a university that conducts all courses in English in one of the following English-speaking countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales), or the United States. Please be aware that U.S. universities may still require an official International TOEFL or IELTS score to apply to graduate school.
GPA is an acronym for Grade Point Average (GPA) and an applicant must have earned at least a 7.0/10.0 overall GPA in order to apply for a VEF Fellowship. Applicants with an undergraduate 6.5 to 7.0/10.0 GPA are eligible to apply ONLY if they completed a Master’s degree with a GPA of at least 7.0/10.0 in the same field as the intended field of study.
VEF may also make available a secondary application process, known as “Process B,” which is for applicants, who have already received admission to a U.S. university graduate program. This application period is typically announced at the VEF website in early spring. You may apply through Process B to be considered for a VEF Fellowship.
Yes, Vietnamese nationals who have earned a degree from a foreign country may apply to the VEF Fellowship program.
The GRE General Test is compulsory to apply for a VEF Fellowship since most U.S. graduate programs in science require submission of GRE scores as part of the application process. The minimum scores vary from university to university, so VEF will not establish minimum scores for the GRE General Test. Scores can be no more than five years old because the GRE is only valid for 5 years.
VEF will reimburse the GRE General test fee to all Process A Fellowship applicants who become VEF Fellows. Applicants must keep the test fee receipt for reimbursement purposes.
Yes, you MUST list the Vietnam Education Foundation code of 8559 on the GRE registration form as one of the institutions to receive your official GRE score report. The code is 8559 for both GRE and TOEFL tests. In order to find this code from the dropdown menu of the U.S. states in the registration form, please select Virginia (since VEF is located in Arlington, Virginia), and then select the Vietnam Education Foundation.
Yes. The second undergraduate degree must be in a field that VEF supports and the GPA of this degree can be no less than 7.0/10.0.
Yes. The type of official Bachelor’s degree, whether it is standard or in-service, is not an issue for VEF as long as you meet all the other requirements stated in the VEF Fellowship Program announcement.
Yes. The source of a legitimate Bachelor’s degree, whether from a public or a private university, is not an issue for VEF as long as you meet all the other requirements stated in the VEF Fellowship Program announcement.
Submit the letters of recommendation online when you apply for a VEF Fellowship. If the referees wish to send the letters directly to VEF, please provide them with the VEF email address as listed in the VEF Fellowship Program announcement. VEF will collect the original letters of recommendation from you at the Oral Exam Orientation (OEO) Meeting in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.
No. Applicants have to submit all required documents on or before the application deadline. Any missing information or documents will result in an automatic rejection of the application. VEF cannot accept incomplete applications and cannot extend the deadline.
The present rankings of the National Academies do not include these fields. You must search through other means, including publications such as the U.S. News and World Report (USNWR). Some USNWR rankings are available free, but usually only the top three institutions are given. Here are the websites.
General USNWR page: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/cohome.htm
Best Graduate Schools: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/rankindex_brief.php
You should also be able to get detailed information at specific university websites where a particular program or department typically describes all awards and rankings.
Yes. The admitting university must agree to the VEF Financial Terms in order to for VEF to agree for a Fellow to attend that school. Over the years, VEF has placed a good number of Fellows at various non-Alliance schools that accept the VEF Financial Terms to support VEF Fellows.
VEF is the J-1 visa sponsor for the Fellow and the J-2 visa sponsor for the Fellow’s dependents. Your dependents may join you during your program in the United States with a J-2 visa. You are fully responsible for all the expenses related to your dependents who accompany or visit you while you are in the United States.
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