ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Q Is the APLP Fellowship open only to candidates of Asian descent? What is the age cutoff? And what if my country isn't considered a part of the Asia Pacific region?
A The APLP Fellowship is intended for any individual with a deep interest in leadership training and promoting peace and prosperity in the Asia Pacific region - regardless of citizenship, age or ethnicity. Anyone who meets the minimum criteria is eligible to apply. There are no age restrictions in the APLP. In fact, the APLP has had participants as old as 52 years of age.
AThe APLP is a nine-month program (mid-August to mid-May) with an initial five-month residency requirement in Hawai‘i. This means you live in Honolulu for a minimum period of August – December. However, you may choose to live and work in Hawai‘i for the full nine months.
During the initial five-month period (fall semester), all participants are based at the East-West Center and live on campus. The first five months involves coursework and living and working within a diverse community. In the first semester program content focuses on three areas: 1) understanding regional trends; 2) leadership development; and 3) professional development.
In the second semester (January – May), participants engage in a range of flexible, customized activities for an additional 4 months. These activities include: working in internships in Hawai’i, the continental United States, or Asia Pacific; coursework at the University of Hawai‘i; developing applied leadership projects; carrying out extended field studies; or returning to employment. In all cases, including if the participant returns to employment in his/her home country, there is a continuation of the program through online and/or face-to-face meetings. The program concludes with a May graduation re-union in Honolulu.
Q Can I take elective classes at the University of Hawai‘i Manoa (UHM) while enrolled in the APLP?
ADuring the fall semester, elective classes are not permitted. The first five months of the APLP are an extremely intensive, full-time experience; it is NOT like taking normal graduate courses. Aside from individual coursework, the program involves teamwork projects and multiple activities outside the classroom, including field trips, evening lectures, weekend exercises, and off-campus conferences.
During the spring semester, participants who are US citizens may elect to take a full load (9 credits) of coursework at UHM in elective classes. Participants choose which classes they would like to take, subject to availability. Q What does "equivalent to a 4-year bachelor's degree" mean?
A Yes, this is a requirement for all international students (unless automatically exempt, see below). Your TOEFL test results can be no more than two years old . The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) may be substituted for TOEFL (see below).
Please take the TOEFL test as soon as possible.We recommend that this is the first thing you do when applying to the APLP as the process can take a long time. TOEFL fees are at your own expense.
a) All applicants from countries in which English is not the only official language (including U.S. Nationals and Permanent Resident Aliens for whom English is not their native language) are required to demonstrate advanced proficiency in the use of the English language. Proficiency is demonstrated by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The East-West Center minimum TOEFL score is 550 (213 for computer based and 79-80 for internet based TOEFL examination).
b) Only applicants in the following categories are automatically exempt from taking the TOEFL.
1) Native speakers of English from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand or Singapore.
2) Students who have received a bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree within the last five years from an accredited college/university in the United States, Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand, Singapore, and universities in Canada and Africa where English is the language of instruction. The TOEFL must be retaken if the degree was completed more than five years ago.
c) The Educational Testing Service at P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6151, USA, can provide information on registering for the TOEFL examination. Website: www.toefl.org
d) Official test score reports that are sent directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) are the only acceptable reports. The “Applicant’s Score Confirmation Report” will not be accepted by the UH Office of Admissions and Records. Please be sure to mark the EWC (Code No. 4868) on the answer sheet on the day of the test to enable ETS to send the score reports as quickly as possible. As part of the test fee, you are allowed to have your score sent to four institutions.
e) A photocopy or a student’s copy, even if certified is not acceptable as a substitute score report.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
a) The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) academic test (not the general test) may be substituted for TOEFL. Results must be from a test taken within the last two years. The East-West Center’s minimum is 6.00. Official score report must be issued to the East-West Center in a sealed official test center envelope.
b) Applicants should contact the nearest British Council/Embassy/Consulate or IDP Education Australia Office in their country for the nearest testing center. It is advised that you also check the IELTS web page for information on testing centers. Website: www.ielts.org
AAll degree certificates and official transcripts submitted for your APLP applications must be submitted to the EWC Awards Services Office:
Award Services/APLP
East-West Center, JAB 2066
1601 East-West Road
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96848-1601
U.S.A.
All official transcripts and degree certificates must be mailed directly by the institution or Ministry of Education to the EWC Awards Office. These documents should be mailed in an official university or Ministry envelope and mailed by that institution to the East-West Center. Documents mailed or hand-carried by the applicant or a third party will not be accepted as official or used for admissions consideration unless they are contained in an envelope that has been sealed by the university.
AAll APLP participants are granted a generous APLP Entry Fellowship by the East-West Center to cover the majority of program fees. The value of these fellowships is approximately $15,000.
Regarding the supplemental costs of participation in the APLP (accommodation, living expenses etc.), a number of East-West Center funding opportunities are available. However, these supplemental scholarships are competitive and require a separate essay found on the application form ( see Verification of Funds for Expenses beyond the APLP Entrance Fellowship [PDF] [form-fillable DOC]). Supplemental funds are awarded based on merit, proven need, program goals (such as diversity), and scholarship availability. Priority is given to the five-month residency period in Hawai’i, as well as supporting participants from under-represented countries in the Asia Pacific region in line with the mission of the EWC. Almost all supplemental awards are partial scholarships.
All APLP fellows are encouraged to find their own funding. In the past, the majority of APLP participants have been partially or fully funded by employers, government agencies, NGOs, fellowships, minority scholarships, and other external sources, including sponsors and family support; or participants have been self-funded.
Only after we review your application, and if you are accepted into the Asia Pacific Leadership Program (APLP), do we then award supplemental scholarships.
For further details on specific supplemental scholarships, please see the Scholarships listings page. This information varies from year to year and is always subject to change.
A During the first five-months (fall semester), the answer is yes. Living in an East-West Center residence hall, either Hale Manoa or Hale Kuahine, is required. Building a living and learning community is an integral part of the EWC experience. The EWC is unique among international institutions in its focus on community building at the campus level as a stepping-stone to community building at the regional level. For more information about housing see the Center’s housing facilities web page (see http://www.eastwestcenter.org/about-ewc/housing/).
During the spring semester, if you are living in Hawai‘i, you may live off campus. However, it has been our experience that participants choose to remain on campus. East-West Center accommodation is inexpensive (by Hawai‘i standards), very convenient, and you have direct access to a rich community life, as well all UHM and EWC facilities and personnel.
Q What are the EWC residence halls like?
AThere are two main buildings: Hale Manoa and Hale Kuahine. Hale Manoa is 12-stories high, while Hale Kuahine is a smaller, quieter, low-rise building. There are options for all-male units, all-female units, or co-educational (mixed) units. All units have shared bathroom facilities. There are two handicapped accessible rooms in Hale Manoa.
Q What sort of cooking facilities are available for residents?
AEach floor in both residence halls is equipped with a communal kitchen for the use of all residents. The kitchens have multiple stoves and sinks and can be used by a number of people at once. Residents are given their own private cabinets for storage of food and cooking supplies, and space to store private refrigerators if they choose to purchase them. A communal refrigerator is available to all residents. Local supermarkets, including two excellent health food stores, can be reached by a fifteen-minute walk, or by bus, bike or a weekly shuttle sponsored by the East-West Center.
Q Can I bring my family with me?
ADue to the intensive nature of the APLP experience in the fall semester, as well as the extended travel by the APLP during Field Studies, it is highly recommended that spouses and/or children do not join participants in Honolulu during the first five months (August – December).
In the spring semester, wherever possible, the EWC will support visa applications for those participants living in Hawai’i who wish to bring a spouse and/or children to the United States. This is for the duration of the spring semester (January – May) only. The participant is responsible for all costs involved. For safety reasons, the EWC residence halls do not accommodate children, so participants with families must live off-campus in the spring semester.
Q What type of computing and internet facilities are available to participants?
AAll APLP participants receive 24-hour access to the two Burns Hall (the Center’s main building) computer labs which feature sixteen computers, all wired to high-speed internet and all equipped with word processing software and printing services. The University also has multiple computer labs throughout the campus with high-speed internet access.
The EWC residence halls have high-speed internet access in each room. It is highly recommended that participants bring a laptop computer to the East-West Center.The APLP has an intranet communications system called “The Hub”, which is used daily. This can be loaded onto personal laptops or accessed in the EWC computer labs. Hub training is provided.
Q What sort of exercise and athletic facilities are available to participants?
A The University of Hawai'i, Manoa's state-of-the-art exercise facilities, including a large swimming pool, are just a two-minute walk from the EWC campus. The East-West Center is also a short walk from UHM tennis courts and a nearby park with tennis and basketball courts. In addition, Hawai'i's mild weather and beautiful landscapes offer ample opportunity for ocean swimming, cycling, surfing, paddling, hiking, jogging and other forms of outdoor recreation. Using public transportation, participants can reach numerous beaches; the EWC is located only 3 miles from Waikiki Beach.
A Yes, a valid passport is required for all participants including United States citizens. Non-U.S. participants will need passports to enter the U.S. and all participants will need passports to participate in the Field Studies. If you are accepted into the program and do not have a passport, please apply for one now. As a general rule, your passport must be valid for at leastsix months beyond the ending date of your APLP program. If you need a new passport, please apply for it now.
Q Must I enter the U.S. on a J-1 visa?
ANon-U.S. participants are expected to enter the U.S. under the J-1 (exchange visitor) visa sponsorship of the East-West Center. The Center will provide the necessary documents for the J-1 visa application. Application for a J-1 visa is made at a US Consulate, usually in your home country.
Exception:Non-U.S. participants currently in the U.S. on an F-1 visa may participate in the APLP for their optional practical training (OPT) component. Full-time, active University of Hawai‘i students on F-1 visas may also be eligible to enroll in the APLP in the fall semester if they can receive written permission from their current UH degree program/UH-International Student Services Office, or possibly after graduation while on optional practical training (OPT) without changing their F-1 visa status, provided that their EWC participation is for a period of less than six months.
Q What are the terms of the J-1 visa?
APlease see the document entitled “Terms and Conditions of the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program” on the APLP website.
Q If accepted into the program, do I make my own travel arrangements to and from Honolulu?
A Yes. Please note that ALL APLP participants must arrive prior to the first day of the Community Building Institute (CBI) and must not leave before the end of the fall semester. This is non-negotiable.
A Please reapply for the APLP the following year. No exceptions will be made for late arrivals. Everyone must attend the EWC's Community Building Institute (CBI), including Hawai’i residents.
A APLP fellows will notreceive authorization to work during the fall semester of APLP (August – December). The program workload is too intense. You will not be able to sustain a full load of APLP classes, field studies, outside class projects and activities, as well as a job. You will also not be able to participate fully in the EWC community and the APLP experience.
In the spring semester, employment may be possible, upon program approval. Please note that on-campus employment opportunities are very limited and not guaranteed. Participants working on full-time internships during the spring may be paid, however paid internships are increasingly difficult to find.
Q By when must I pay the EWC Program Fees?
A EWC Program Fees will be due by August 20, 2012. Failure to pay the program fee by this date will result in dismissal from the program and termination of the EWC Award agreement.
