Villa College International Student Scholarship (Maldives)
A scholarship scheme run by Villa College, Maldives, offering two annual awards to non-Maldivian applicants for any on-campus undergraduate degree programme at the college's Q.I. Campus in Male'.
Quick Facts
Status
Applications OpenFunding
Full / PartialDeadline
Rolling / tied to intake admission cycles -- confirm current cycle deadline with Villa College Admissions
Country
MaldivesAbout the Villa College International Student Scholarship
Villa College is the largest private higher education institution in the Maldives, founded in 2007 and based primarily out of its Q.I. Campus in the capital, Male', with additional campuses across the country. It runs a broad portfolio of foundation, undergraduate, and postgraduate programmes, several of them delivered as joint or top-up degrees with partner universities such as UWE Bristol and Taylor's University, alongside its own locally awarded qualifications in fields like business, IT, hospitality, nursing, and the built environment.
Within its wider scholarship scheme -- which mostly reserves awards for Maldivian nationals (alumni scholarships, community-engagement scholarships, underprivileged-student scholarships, and so on) -- Villa College carves out one specific category open to foreign applicants: the International Student Scholarship. It is a small, targeted award (two slots per cycle) meant to bring a handful of talented international students into the college's undergraduate cohort each year, rather than a large-scale funded program.
The scholarship is open to any on-campus undergraduate degree programme offered at Villa College, so the field of study is essentially the applicant's choice among the college's undergraduate catalogue -- business administration, information technology, hospitality and tourism, the built environment, and other bachelor's-level tracks. Because it is undergraduate-only and campus-based, it is not available to distance/online students or to postgraduate applicants.
For a Pakistani student, this is a niche but genuine option: the Maldives is not a traditional study-abroad destination and does not otherwise run a national scholarship scheme open to foreign undergraduates, so Villa College's own award is effectively the main formal scholarship route into Maldivian higher education for an international applicant. Studying in Male' means a small, English-medium campus environment, a tropical island setting, and proximity to South Asia, but also a limited range of majors compared to larger study-abroad markets and a cost of living that, while lower than many Western destinations, is not negligible for an island nation reliant on imports.
Because the college does not publish a fixed tuition-coverage percentage for this award on its financial aid page, applicants should treat the scholarship as a competitive, merit-assessed discount or waiver applied against the normal course fee schedule rather than assume full funding -- confirming the exact benefit with the Marketing/Admissions office at the time of application is essential.
Eligible Levels
Eligible Fields
Why Choose This Scholarship?
One of the only formal, verifiable scholarship routes for international undergraduates to study in the Maldives, a market with very few inbound scholarship programs
English-medium instruction throughout, so no language barrier for Pakistani applicants
Small, safe island campus environment in Male' with direct flight connections to South Asia
Access to internationally affiliated degrees (UWE Bristol, Taylor's University) delivered locally at Villa College fee levels
Dedicated International Student Support Team to help with visa (IMUGA portal), accommodation, and insurance processes
What the Scholarship Covers
Studying in Maldives
The Maldives is a small Indian Ocean archipelago nation with a limited but growing higher-education sector. The Maldives National University (MNU) is the country's main public university, but its student scholarships are restricted to Maldivian citizens. Villa College is the largest private institution and, notably, is the only Maldivian higher-education provider that publicly offers a dedicated scholarship category for international/non-citizen applicants. There is no broad Maldivian government scholarship scheme open to foreign students studying in the country; most Maldives-related scholarship listings online actually describe scholarships for Maldivian citizens to study abroad, not the reverse, so applicants should verify any claim carefully against official .edu.mv or .gov.mv sources.
Eligibility Requirements
4 requirements
Documents Checklist
5 documents required
How to Apply - Step by Step
Step 1: Choose an eligible on-campus undergraduate programme from Villa College's course catalogue and apply for admission through the college's online application portal.
Step 2: Once an offer of admission is received (or in parallel, per the college's current process), prepare the scholarship application form along with all supporting documents.
Step 3: Write the required statement of purpose (300-500 words) addressing academic and career goals and why the scholarship matters to your plans.
Step 4: Obtain two letters of recommendation from teachers, mentors, or professionals who can speak to your academic potential.
Step 5: Email the completed scholarship application form and all supporting documents to marketing@villacollege.edu.mv (or the current designated scholarship contact -- confirm on the Financial Aid page before applying).
Step 6: If shortlisted, expect an interview or further verification from the Villa College scholarship committee before a final award decision.
Application Timeline
Varies by intake (commonly ~February and ~September cycles)
Programme application opens
Apply for admission to an eligible undergraduate programme first
Rolling within the admission cycle
Scholarship application submission
Email application form and documents to marketing@villacollege.edu.mv
After documents review
Shortlisting / interview
Committee may request an interview
Before the relevant intake's enrollment deadline
Award decision
Confirm exact dates with Villa College Admissions
Insider Tips & Pro Tips
Contact marketing@villacollege.edu.mv directly before applying to confirm the current cycle's deadline, exact scholarship coverage, and whether the scholarship application is submitted alongside or after the admission application.
Because only two slots are typically available per cycle, apply as early as possible in the intake window rather than close to any informal deadline.
Tailor your statement of purpose specifically to why you want to study in the Maldives and at Villa College -- generic study-abroad essays are less competitive for a niche destination like this.
Budget realistically: even with a scholarship discount on tuition, living costs in Male' (estimated around $120/week for food and roughly $25/month for mobile data, per MNU's published estimates for the country) should be planned for separately.
Start the student visa process (IMUGA portal, sponsor declaration IM21, then student visa IM23) only after receiving a confirmed offer letter -- do not travel to the Maldives before visa approval.
If the International Student Scholarship slots are unavailable in a given cycle, ask Villa College directly about the Government Grant Scheme and other discount schemes, though most of these are restricted to Maldivian nationals.
Important Links & Contacts
🔗 Official Links
Frequently Asked Questions
5 questions - click any to expand
Villa College does not publish a fixed tuition-coverage percentage for the International Student Scholarship; treat it as a merit-based fee discount or waiver and confirm the exact benefit with the college directly.
Yes. The scholarship is open to any applicant who is non-native to or not a citizen of the Maldives, which includes Pakistani nationals.
No, it is limited to on-campus undergraduate degree programmes at Villa College.
No. MNU's published student scholarships explicitly require Maldivian citizenship; there is no equivalent open category for international applicants at MNU.
Villa College lists two slots for the International Student Scholarship per cycle, for any on-campus undergraduate programme.
Ready to Apply?
Head to the official portal and start your application today.
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Deadline: Rolling / tied to intake admission cycles -- confirm current cycle deadline with Villa College Admissions