DHARAMSHALA: The final selection process for the Fulbright Scholarship or the Tibetan Scholarship Program (TSP) 2013 has been conducted successfully on 7 June 2012.

Mr Tenzin Choephel, co-ordinator for the Tibetan Scholarship Program, told Tibetnet that 24 Tibetan candidates from across India appeared for the scholarship exam, out of which 7 are selected for a fully paid master’s degree programme in various prestigious universities in the United States.

Speaking on the standard of the selected candidates, Mr Choephel, himself an alumnus of TSP, said this year’s candidates were all very well-educated and highly competitive, and the panel had a tough time selecting the candidates.

The panelists consisted of two officials from the US State Department and two Tibetans, and another two observer from the Central Tibetan Administration, said Mr Kalsang Rinchen, a staff from the scholarship section of the Department of Education.

This year, 24 Tibetans appeared for the scholarship exam out of which 7 are selected. The next seven candidates are kept on an “alternate” list and the remaining ten were kept on waiting list. No candidates were written off this year.

Currently, eight seats are available for Tibetans. Seven of which are for Tibetans in India and one for Tibetans in Nepal. But if circumstances change and more funds are sanctioned, the candidates on the “alternate” list will get the opportunity to study abroad too, Mr Rinchen further stated.

A candidate we interviewed earlier, said he is deeply satisfied with the way the selection process was conducted. He said the questions were all within context and the topics discussed during the interview were all issue based.

On 8th June, a workshop organised by the US embassy was held for the selected candidates as well as for the candidates on the alternate list. Mr Choephel, the co-ordinator described the workshop as a personality test to find out what kind of a person you are, an introvert or an extrovert.

Meanwhile, a two-day orientation programme is currently being held for the selected candidates of last year’s Tibetan scholarship program, who will be joining universities in the US this year. The program will touch topics like Tibetan Buddhism, Tibet’s environment, the human rights situation in Tibet and the middle way policy of the Central Tibetan Administration.

The Tibetan Scholarship Program is an annual scholarship awarded to merit Tibetan students and academics, for a two year masters program in the US. It is funded by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and supervised by the Tibet Fund and the Department of Education, CTA.