
UQ’s most successful and largest New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholar cohort to date was announced by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) yesterday.
All 11 shortlisted UQ students were awarded scholarships, including 2 Bachelor of International Studies students who applied for the ‘Language Stream’ – a new initiative introduced into the 2025 guidelines which aims to increase language study.
Hannah Smith was UQ’s first student to apply under this new stream, focusing her 18-month study on Japanese at Waseda University.
A Bachelor of International Studies (Japanese Advanced and Economics) student, Hannah is the first member of her family to attend university, making her scholarship especially significant.
“I plan to start my program with a year in Waseda's Japanese Language Program, an immersion course for students studying Japanese,” Hannah said.
“During the semester breaks, I’m planning to intern at two different translation companies in Tokyo to give me valuable work experience, and to help me figure out what areas of my Japanese need improvement.
“After that, I plan to spend 6 months at a language school that focuses on the Japanese used in professional workplaces.
“I’ll focus on picking up useful vocabulary that isn’t always taught in class, making an effort to use new grammar and words in everyday conversations, immersing myself fully in the language.”
Fellow scholarship recipient and Bachelor of International Studies student Matilda Keenan has chosen to study at The University of Tokyo for 6 months.
Matilda, Hannah, and the 9 other UQ students receive an internship/mentorship/research or language study within the academic components of their program as part of the New Colombo Plan Scholarship.
These are offered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and open to eligible Australian undergraduates currently studying at Australian universities.