Most scholarships make you write a second set of essays. The MUST Admission Scholarship does not. Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) looks at every non-local undergraduate applicant for a scholarship while it reviews the admission file, and the best applicants are offered one of three tiers along with their offer letter. If you are a Pakistani student with strong A-Level or equivalent results and you are open to studying in Macau, this is a scheme you should understand before you apply. You can see the full scholarship details before reading on.
The catch is simple: you cannot improve your chances with a clever scholarship essay, because there is no scholarship essay. Your grades and exam results do almost all the work. And once you have the award, you have to keep earning it every year.
The MUST Admission Scholarship in one table
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) |
| Country | Macau |
| Level | Bachelor's (all fields) |
| Funding | Full or partial, depending on tier |
| Tiers | Distinguished, Full (100% tuition), Half (50% tuition) |
| Separate application | Not needed. Assessed with your admission application |
| Deadline | Follows the undergraduate admission cycle, which typically opens around February/March for September intake. Check the current cycle with MUST |
| Official site | MUST admission scholarships page |
Three tiers, and what each one actually pays
The scheme has three levels. The top one, the Distinguished Scholarship, waives tuition and also covers accommodation and a living allowance. This is the only tier that touches your day-to-day costs. The Full Scholarship covers 100% of tuition fees. The Half Scholarship covers 50% of tuition fees.
Read that again if you are planning your budget. Full means full tuition, not full funding. A Full or Half award leaves you paying for housing, food, travel and everything else yourself. The source material does not give tuition amounts or the value of the living allowance, so ask the admissions office for the current fee schedule before you work out what you would still owe. For a Pakistani family, that gap matters more than the name of the award.
Places are limited. MUST typically gives around 30 principal-recommended Hong Kong students the award, plus roughly 10 more Hong Kong admission-scholarship recipients, around 10 from Taiwan, around 10 from Malaysia, and around 10 from the wider international pool. The university notes that these numbers can shift from year to year. If you are applying from Pakistan, you would be competing in that last international group, which is small. Plan as though you may not get a tier, and treat any award as a bonus on top of a workable financial plan.
Where Pakistani applicants fit
The scheme is open to non-local undergraduate applicants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and other international countries. Pakistan is not named, but a Pakistani applicant would normally apply under the international category. Because the international quota is small and the rules can change, confirm with MUST that your nationality is assessed under that category for the current intake.
The basic requirements are:
- You are applying to a MUST undergraduate programme from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia or another international country.
- Your secondary school results are outstanding.
- Your public examination results are strong. MUST mentions HKDSE, GSAT, SPM, A-Levels, IB, SAT or an equivalent national exam.
- You meet the general admission requirements of the programme you choose.
There is no published minimum grade, so nobody can tell you "you need X to get the Full tier". For FSc students, it is sensible to ask the admissions office how your board results are treated as an equivalent national exam. Students with A-Levels or IB will find the comparison easier because those exams are named directly.
Keeping the award: the yearly ranking rule
This is the part applicants underestimate. The award is reviewed every year against your class rank:
- Distinguished holders must stay in the top 10% of their cohort.
- Full holders must stay in the top 20%.
- Half holders must stay in the top 25%.
Think about what that means in practice. You arrive in a new city, possibly studying in a second language, and your funding for the next year depends on beating most of your classmates. Some students thrive on that pressure. Others lose the award after year one and suddenly face full fees. If you could not afford the degree without the scholarship, ask yourself honestly how confident you are of a top 10%, 20% or 25% finish every single year.
Instruction at MUST is in English and/or Chinese depending on the faculty. Check the language of instruction for your programme before you apply. Ranking near the top of a class taught in a language you are still learning is much harder.
Paperwork you will submit with the admission file
Since the scholarship rides on the admission application, the documents are the normal admission documents:
- Completed MUST undergraduate admission application
- Secondary school transcripts and certificates
- Public examination results (HKDSE, A-Level, IB, SPM or equivalent)
- Valid passport or ID copy
- Personal statement, where your programme asks for one
- English or Chinese language proficiency proof, if applicable
MUST advises getting transcripts and certificates translated and certified in advance so the review is not delayed. For Pakistani students, this usually means sorting out attestation early. Our IBCC and MOFA attestation guide explains that process, and the documents checklist for international scholarships is useful for getting everything ready in one go.
From admission form to scholarship letter
- Apply for undergraduate admission through MUST's online admissions portal and choose the correct applicant category. Most Pakistani students will choose International.
- Upload your secondary school transcripts and public examination results with the standard application.
- The admissions committee evaluates eligible applicants for the Distinguished, Full or Half tier automatically. You do not fill in a scholarship form.
- You receive a combined admission offer and scholarship tier notification.
- Enroll, then keep your class ranking high enough to renew the award each year.
Timing for a September start
Applications typically open in February/March for the September intake. The closing date varies by applicant category and is described as typically rolling through spring/summer, so there is no single fixed deadline to quote. Admission and scholarship tier notification is also rolling, arriving several weeks after a complete application. Enrollment is in September.
Rolling review rewards early, complete applications. The scholarship tier is assessed alongside how strong your admission file is, so submitting your exam results early and in full is one of the few things you can control. Confirm the exact dates for your category on the official MUST admissions page.
The Belt and Road Scholarship is a different thing
MUST also takes part in the Macau Foundation's Belt and Road Scholarship. It is separate from the admission scheme and you must apply for it directly. It is open to students from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Hungary, Portugal, Brazil and Mongolia. Pakistan is not on that list, so Pakistani students should not count on it. Award numbers are adjusted periodically and should be checked on the Macau Foundation scholarship page.
Advice before you hit submit
Choose the programme carefully. MUST is known for Medicine, Pharmacy, and Hospitality/Tourism, and also has engineering and business programmes. Competitiveness varies by programme, so match your exam profile to the faculty rather than applying to the most popular course by default.
Do not assume Full means free. Only the Distinguished tier includes accommodation and a living allowance. If you get a Full or Half award, you still need a clear plan for living costs, and you should be able to show where that money comes from. Our guide to bank statements and proof of funds covers how families usually prepare.
Ask before you guess. Recipient caps and tier thresholds can change each year. MUST suggests contacting the Admission Office at admission@must.edu.mo to confirm the current year's numbers. A short, specific email about how your qualifications are assessed and how many international places exist is worth sending.
Who should skip it? If your grades are average and you need full funding to study abroad at all, this scheme is a long shot. The international quota is small and nothing in the source guarantees a minimum award. If you are a strong A-Level or IB student who can cover living costs, it is a much better fit.
For more options in the same city, see all Macau scholarships.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate application for the MUST Admission Scholarship?
No. All Admission Scholarships are considered automatically with your undergraduate application. The only exception is the Belt and Road Scholarship, which needs a direct application to the Macau Foundation.
Can Pakistani students get this scholarship?
The scheme covers applicants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and other international countries, so Pakistani students would normally be considered in the international group. That group has around 10 places, and numbers can change, so confirm your category with MUST.
Does the Full Scholarship cover accommodation?
No. The Full Scholarship covers 100% of tuition. Accommodation and a living allowance are only part of the Distinguished Scholarship.
What happens if my ranking drops?
Renewal depends on staying within the required band each academic year: top 10% for Distinguished, top 20% for Full and top 25% for Half. Ask MUST how a drop is handled, since the source does not say whether you move down a tier or lose the award.
Is there a version for Master's or PhD study?
This scheme is for undergraduate applicants. MUST separately offers postgraduate tuition waivers and scholarships for outstanding Master's and PhD applicants.
Before applying, read the current rules on the official MUST scholarship page and check the full MUST Admission Scholarship details for a quick summary.