27.6.2013 The pre-selection period has finalized. Only the applicants continuing to the interview stage have been contacted. If you have not been invited to an interview it means you do not continue in the selection process.

Once the application period has closed, only the applications that satisfy all the eligibility requirements and the supporting documents required for the assessment will be preselected.

The incomplete applications will NOT be assessed and will NOT participate in the selection process.

Of the preselected candidates, only the best assessed will be invited to a personal interview; assisting to the interview is compulsory for those who wish to continue in the process. This is estimated to occur in July 2013 (exact date yet to be defined).

In the interview, a selection panel of international education experts will consider the work experience of the candidate, the link between the undergraduate studies and the postgraduate course that the candidate wants to participate in; and most importantly, the potential impact and contribution of the candidate to the development of his country, in one or more of the priority sectors when he/she returns.

Candidates with a successful interview will finally be selected to receive the Australia Awards Scholarship. Besides selecting the awardees, the selection panel will recommend those who it considers could receive the additional benefit of participating in the Australia Awards Leadership Program.

Immediately after announcing the selection, the process of application to the university begins. This process is managed by the AusAID Australia Awards Scholarships Team. Only once the candidate has been accepted in the university, has signed the scholarship contract, and has obtained the visa, will the scholarship be effective and will he/she be considered an ALUMNI (AusAID Scholar). On the contrary, if any of the mentioned processes is not completed, the candidate will not obtain the scholarship.

Scholarship recipients must participate in a compulsory Pre Departure Briefing (PDB) before departing to Australia. This is estimated to occur between October and November 2013 (exact date yet to be defined).

Both activities --the interview and the PDB- may mean that the applicant must travel to a city or country different from his or her home country and country of residence within the region, the applicant must be available to do so.

AusAID covers the travel expenses from the home country and residence city, not from anywhere else, within or outside the region.

Awardees must be available to begin their studies in Australia from December 2013.

Applicants must inform the AusAID Australia Awards Scholarships for Latin America Team of any connection or relationship to Australian Government staff in Latin America (embassies, consulates), so that the application may be properly and transparently managed. This is done through the application form in section 15, subsection 7.

For more information on dates, check out the important dates section.