AGCID Scholarships for Foreign Students (Programa de Becas República de Chile)

Eligibility runs well beyond Chile's immediate neighbors. The program is open to nationals of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, and CARICOM member states, plus a separate Pacific Alliance stream for Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. A dedicated Nelson Mandela Program extends scholarships to professionals from Angola, Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, and South Africa, and AGCID also coordinates offers for ASEAN member nations, so the applicant pool spans several continents even though it is not open to every nationality worldwide.

The core award is a master's scholarship of up to 24 months, aimed at mid-career professionals with a completed undergraduate degree, current work experience (typically in the public sector, academia, or an NGO), and an unconditional acceptance letter from a Chilean university. Priority fields include public administration and policy management, disaster risk reduction, environment and climate change, democratic strengthening, food security, and technology and innovation; MBA programs and medical specializations are explicitly excluded from funding.

Coverage is substantial: full tuition and enrollment fees at the host university, a monthly maintenance allowance covering housing, transport, food, and personal expenses, life and accident insurance, access to Chile's public health system, and a one-time allowance for study materials, with thesis-completion support for those who meet grade requirements. The Pacific Alliance and Nelson Mandela streams add round-trip international airfare, which the standard Republic of Chile track does not cover.

The distinctive feature of this program is that it is not applied for directly. Candidates must submit their application through their home country's designated 'Punto Focal' (national focal point, usually a foreign affairs or planning ministry office) and copy Chile's embassy in that country; AGCID does not accept individual applications submitted straight to Santiago. This channel means timelines and internal deadlines vary by country and are set by each government's own nominating office ahead of AGCID's overall November closing date.

Because the program funds professionals already working in fields tied to national development, it suits candidates who can show how the degree connects to their current role and to their country's development priorities, rather than fresh graduates with no work history.