The OAS-UWI Scholarship Programme is a joint award from the Organization of American States (OAS) and The University of the West Indies (UWI). It gives a partial tuition waiver plus some allowances to students from OAS member states who study at one of UWI's Caribbean campuses or online through UWI Global Campus. You can read the full scholarship details on our listing, but this guide goes further into who the award actually suits and where applicants trip up.
Before anything else, Pakistani readers need a straight answer. This award is restricted to nationals of OAS member states, the 34 countries across North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Pakistan is not one of them, so a Pakistani passport holder cannot receive this specific scholarship. If you hold dual citizenship with an OAS member state, that changes things, and you should confirm with UWI which nationality the award will assess. If you only hold Pakistani citizenship, keep reading for the parts that still apply to you, because UWI itself remains an option.
The award in one table
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provider | Organization of American States (OAS) and The University of the West Indies (UWI) |
| Funding | Partial: tuition waiver plus allowances |
| Levels | Bachelor's, Master's, Postgraduate Diploma |
| Where | Cave Hill (Barbados), Mona (Jamaica), St. Augustine (Trinidad and Tobago), Five Islands (Antigua and Barbuda), UWI Global Campus (online) |
| Deadline | July 1 (annual) |
| Who is eligible | Nationals of OAS member states |
| Official site | uwi.edu/gsr/oas-scholarships |
A partial waiver, so plan for the gap
This is the single most misunderstood part of the programme. The OAS-UWI award is not fully funded. It reduces your UWI tuition through a partial fee waiver and adds some financial allowances toward study-related expenses. You still pay the remaining tuition, and you still pay for your living costs.
The source material does not give a fixed percentage for the waiver or a fixed amount for the allowances, so treat any figure you see quoted elsewhere with care and check the current terms on the official OAS-UWI page before you build a budget around it.
Who does this suit? Mainly two groups. The first is applicants who already have part of their funding sorted, through savings, family support or an employer, and need the discount to close the remaining distance. The second is nationals of Caribbean and Latin American OAS member states, for whom a partial waiver on international tuition can make UWI affordable when it otherwise would not be. If you are counting on a scholarship to pay for everything, this is the wrong award, and it is better to know that now than in August.
Five campuses, one of them online
The award can be used at any of UWI's physical campuses: Cave Hill in Barbados, Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, and Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda. It also covers the UWI Global (online) Campus, which lets recipients study remotely without moving countries.
The online route deserves more attention than it usually gets. Because the scholarship is partial, relocation and living costs are often what break the budget. Studying through UWI Global removes most of that. If the remaining tuition balance is manageable but the cost of moving to Barbados or Jamaica is not, the Global Campus may be the sensible choice.
UWI is a regional public university with English-medium teaching and internationally recognized degrees, and its costs are lower than most North American or European institutions. That is a fair reason to consider it, whether or not this particular scholarship is open to you.
Which programmes and levels qualify
The programme covers undergraduate and postgraduate study: Bachelor's, Master's and Postgraduate Diploma. Fields listed include Early Childhood Development and Family Studies, business, social sciences and natural sciences. The eligible fields can vary by cycle, so do not assume a programme that was covered last year will be covered this year. Check the current call before you commit to a course on the strength of this award.
Eligibility comes down to nationality and admission
There are four requirements, and two of them do most of the filtering:
- You must be a national of an OAS member state.
- You must hold a confirmed UWI admission offer or an official status letter for the programme you plan to study.
- You must meet the academic entry requirements of that specific UWI programme.
- You must meet any extra citizenship or residency criteria set for that year's award cycle.
The last point matters. Criteria can be adjusted from cycle to cycle, so even an OAS national should confirm the current rules rather than relying on a past year's notice. A good habit is to contact the specific campus's International Office or Student Financing office early and confirm which awards are open to your nationality in a given cycle.
Why the admission offer comes first
The OAS-UWI award is tied to an existing UWI admission. You cannot apply for the scholarship and then go looking for a place. You need an offer letter or a status letter from your chosen campus and programme before the scholarship form becomes useful to you.
This is where many applicants run out of time. Admission timelines vary by campus and intake, while the scholarship deadline is fixed at July 1. If your admission decision lands late, you may miss the scholarship window entirely. Apply for admission as early as your campus allows.
The paperwork
The documents required are:
- UWI admission offer letter or status letter
- Completed OAS-UWI scholarship application form
- Valid national passport
- Academic transcripts and certificates
- Proof of OAS member-state citizenship
Most of the process is handled online, so keep clear scanned copies of your passport and citizenship documents ready. For general advice on preparing transcripts and certificates for overseas applications, our documents checklist for international scholarships is a useful reference.
Applying, in order
- Apply for and secure admission to a UWI programme at your chosen campus: Cave Hill, Mona, St. Augustine, Five Islands or Global Campus.
- Once you have an admission offer or status letter, open the OAS-UWI application form through the UWI Graduate Studies and Research portal at uwi.edu/gsr/oas-scholarships.
- Submit the completed form with your supporting documents before July 1.
- Wait for review and selection by the joint OAS-UWI scholarship committee.
Applications are processed centrally through UWI's Graduate Studies and Research office using an online form. That office handles postgraduate applicants, so undergraduate applicants should confirm with their campus exactly where and how their application goes. UWI also lists its other awards on the Graduate Studies and Research scholarships page.
How the year usually runs
| Stage | Timing |
|---|---|
| Admissions applications open | Varies by campus and intake |
| OAS-UWI scholarship applications open | March (approximate) |
| Scholarship deadline | July 1 |
| Results announced | Before the academic year starts (August-September) |
The March opening date is approximate, so watch the official portal from early in the year. Results come shortly before classes begin, which leaves little time to arrange the remaining funding if you were waiting on the award. Have a plan for the balance before results arrive, not after.
Mistakes to avoid
Treating it as fully funded is the most common error. Budget for the remaining tuition and your living costs before you accept an offer.
Leaving admission too late is the second. Without an offer or status letter, your scholarship application cannot go forward, and the July 1 deadline does not move for you.
The third is assuming eligibility. If you are not sure whether your nationality qualifies in the current cycle, ask the campus International Office or Student Financing office before you spend time on the form.
For Pakistani students specifically, the mistake would be applying at all on a Pakistani passport alone. A better use of your effort is asking individual UWI campuses about general international scholarships. UWI does periodically consider limited partial scholarships for other outstanding international applicants through its International Office, though these are not guaranteed in any given year. Our scholarships guide for Pakistani students covers awards that are open to you.
Frequently asked questions
Is the OAS-UWI Scholarship fully funded?
No. It provides a partial tuition waiver plus allowances. Recipients cover the remaining tuition and their living costs.
Can Pakistani students apply?
Not with Pakistani citizenship alone. The award is limited to nationals of OAS member states in the Americas and the Caribbean. Pakistani applicants should ask individual UWI campuses about general international scholarships instead.
Can I study online and still receive the scholarship?
Yes. The UWI Global (online) Campus is one of the eligible study options.
Do I need an admission offer before applying?
Yes. You need a confirmed UWI admission offer or an official status letter before you submit the scholarship application.
What is the deadline?
July 1 each year. Since admission timelines vary by campus, confirm the current cycle's dates on the official portal well in advance.
Does the award cover every field of study?
Eligible fields vary by cycle. Recent listings include Early Childhood Development and Family Studies, business, social sciences and natural sciences, but check the current call for your programme.
For the current rules, forms and dates, go to the official OAS-UWI scholarship portal, and see our OAS-UWI Scholarship Programme page for a summary of the key details.