U.S.-CAEF Enterprise Student Fellowship Program — Fellowship

U.S.-CAEF’s Enterprise Student Fellowship funds a four-year undergraduate degree at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek. The U.S. Department of State funds the program, U.S.-CAEF governs it, and American Councils for International Education administers it. Fellows study business administration, economics, software engineering, or applied mathematics and informatics.

The award combines full financial support with academic, professional, and personal development. The current official page still describes the closed 2025–26 cycle. The program normally accepts applications from October to mid-January, but no exact date for the next cycle is published.

Benefits & funding

Full tuition and fees for four years at AUCA.
Housing allowance, monthly living stipend, and travel allowance.
Competitive, fully funded regional summer internships.
Academic advising, tutoring, professional and personal development activities, study-abroad co-funding, and alumni-network access.

Eligibility

Applicants must hold citizenship in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, or Uzbekistan and normally reside in one of those countries; current FLEX participants may reside abroad.
Applicants must not already be university students and must seek an AUCA undergraduate degree in one of the four supported majors.
Applicants must demonstrate spoken and written English proficiency, academic excellence, financial need, professional aptitude, and leadership potential.
Non-Kyrgyz citizens must be able to obtain and maintain the required immigration documents.
Applicants must meet AUCA entrance requirements, apply in AUCA’s first admissions cohort, and secure AUCA admission before receiving the fellowship.
U.S. citizens or permanent residents, people with citizenship or permanent residence outside the participating countries, and their spouses are ineligible. U.S.-CAEF or American Councils employees and specified close relations are also ineligible.

Can you apply?

Here's who can apply

Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.

Eligible nationalities
Kazakhstan · Kyrgyzstan · Tajikistan · Uzbekistan
Education required
High School

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Application process

1
Check the official application page for the next cycle and create a Part 1 profile when applications reopen.
2
Prepare an identity document, emergency contact details, and a personal photo for Part 1.
3
Follow the confirmation email to complete Part 2 with the required documents, financial information, essays, transcripts, and recommendation letters.
4
Separately register for AUCA entrance tests and submit both the first-cohort undergraduate admission and AUCA financial-aid applications.
5
Complete the three-stage fellowship selection process: document review, semifinalist interview, and final review.

Program timeline

Applications for the most recently published cycle opened.
Oct 1, 2024
U.S.-CAEF application deadline.
Jan 22, 2025, 17:00 Bishkek time
Applications reviewed and semifinalists selected.
January–March 2025
Semifinalist interviews.
April 2025
Finalists and alternates decided.
June 2025
New fellows began study at AUCA.
August 2025