Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship

Source: https://employability.uq.edu.au/westpac-australia-asia-fellowship Parent: https://employability.uq.edu.au/global-enrichment-experiences

The Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship is a new, world-class, immersive leadership experience open to high-potential undergraduate and postgraduate students who have already completed a learning abroad program in the Asia-Pacific. It represents a bold step towards shaping the next generation of leaders who will navigate the challenges of our region through cultural agility and connection beyond borders.

Fellows will take part in a 9-month leadership development program, including two residential programs exploring four countries across Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam) where they will gain the skills, confidence, and connections to make a real impact — whether in business, government, academia, or the community — opening doors to global trade, technology, innovation and leadership.

Designed for students who have already engaged with the Asia-Pacific and want to deepen that connection, the Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship includes:

1. World-Class Leadership Development Program
2. A 9-month immersive experience designed for high-potential undergraduate and postgraduate students who have already engaged with the Asia-Pacific through learning abroad programs.
3. All major expenses are covered, including flights, accommodation, and program costs (valued at approximately $16,000).
4. Two Residential Leadership Programs in Southeast Asia
5. Residential 1: Singapore and Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
6. Residential 2: Jakarta, Indonesia and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
7. Skill and Career Development
8. Online workshops and modules complement the residentials, enhancing Asia-capability and leadership skills — building cultural agility and strategic thinking.
9. Opens doors to careers in business, government, academia, and community leadership with a strong Asia-Pacific focus.
10. Exclusive Networking Opportunities
11. Lifelong membership of the W100 Scholars Network — a diverse and growing community of inspiring Aussies ready to collaborate, challenge and offer support. Plus, hard-to-access networking and professional development opportunities.
12. Attendance at the Westpac Scholars Summit in Sydney.

See full details on the Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship webpage.

• Application Process
• Eligibility Criteria
• Costs and Funding

Application Requirements:

Students should apply to the Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship directly. If accepted, you should then apply to UQ (see link below).

To Apply to the Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship:

Apply through the link on the Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship webpage

To Apply to UQ:

Once you have been accepted to the Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship 2026, complete the Global Enrichment Experiences application (link below) and include the following submission documents:

1. UQ studies report (downloaded from mySI-net).\ Master's students in their first semester can provide their undergraduate transcripts.

UQ applications will only be accepted through the submission link below.

Apply to UQ

Application Timeline:

Experience Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to participate in this global enrichment experience, you must:

1. Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
2. Be studying full-time at one of 14 participating Australian universities (undergraduate or postgraduate) during your fellowship year.
3. Currently hold, or have graduated, with a minimum of a credit average.
4. Have completed a learning abroad program in the Asia Pacific. Eligible experiences must:
5. Have been undertaken in-person for a minimum of 1 semester (or 4 months)
6. Be an approved program conducted through an Australian university
7. Have commenced during or after semester 1, 2023
8. Have been undertaken at one of 38 eligible destinations (see Westpac FAQ tab for full list)
9. Be able to attend:
10. The Westpac Scholars Summit in Sydney: April 29-30, 2026
11. Leadership Development Residential 1: July 5-10, 2026
12. Leadership Development Residential 2: October 4-9, 2026

See more details about Westpac's eligibility criteria on the Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship webpage.

Students from all fields of study are encouraged to apply. Please check Westpac FAQs for more details.

Exams and assessments

It is your responsibility to ensure that participation in a Global Enrichment Experience does not impact your exams or assessments at UQ. Please be aware that you may not be eligible for deferred or supplementary exams or assessments if there is a conflict.

Costs and Accommodation

The fellowship is valued at $16,000, covered by Westpac. This includes the cost of fellow participation for most aspects of the program, including:

• airfares
• accommodation
• logistics
• transportation
• meals
• other expenses

Fellows may incur some minor expenses relating to travel and other incidentals, such as vaccinations (if required), passport or visa costs, and discretionary spending.

Students will be covered by UQ's Corporate Travel Insurance for the duration of the experience. If you plan to travel for a longer duration that the experience covers, or outside the country of the experience, you are liable for the cost of additional travel and health insurance.

Visa Information

It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct visas for the countries where you will be undertaking your experience. As the Global Experiences team is not a visa-issuing authority we cannot provide visa advice.

Please review the DFAT webpage for visa and immigration information for each country.

Funding

No additional funding is available for the fellowship.

Visit the Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship website

Key Dates

Application Deadlines

Host: 09 December 2025\ UQ: 21 February 2026

Program Dates

Westpac Scholars Summit (Sydney)\ Start: 29 April 2026\ End: 30 April 2026

Residential 1:\ Start: 5 July 2026\ End: 10 July 2026

Residential 2:\ Start: 4 October 2026\ End: 9 October 2026

Fast Facts

Type: Leadership Development Fellowship\ Mode: Study Abroad​\ Location: Sydney, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, & Vietnam (in-person)\ Credit: Not-for-credit*\ Cohort: Undergraduate, Postgraduate\ \ * Students may seek credit from their faculty directly if it meets the faculty requirements for credit.

Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship Online Information Session

Join the Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship Online Information Session to learn more.

Date: 25 November 2025

Time: 3:30pm Brisbane time (4:30pm AEST)

Register now: register here

Need more information

Contact UQ's Global Experiences by email or phone (+61 7 3443 8649) for more information.