Opportunity Grants at PAEF

March 2014 update: PAEF might not be offering these anymore. To know for sure, better call them at 63-2-812-0945.


For wannabe MBA students like me who want to study in the US, the PAEF office is definitely a must-visit.

PAEF stands for the Philippine-American Educational Foundation. It "is the premier organization in the Philippines dedicated to advancing international education and exchange between the United States of America and the Philippines." Its EducationUSA Advising Center is a good source of information for Filipinos who want to study in the US. It's through the PAEF that one can apply for Fulbright scholarships (I bet you've heard of that!), Hubert Humphrey fellowships and opportunity grants.

Learn more about PAEF's opportunity grants here. In a nutshell, these grants can help pay for testing fees, application fees to US schools, student visa fees and even transportation to the US. I learned about opportunity grants one lucky day that I was scouring the Internet for possible scholarships.

Before submitting your application, you have to set an appointment with the EducationUSA adviser. You also have to prepare an official copy of your transcript, as well as the filled-in opportunity grant form. According to the good people of PAEF, results are out in a month.

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I just submitted my opportunity grant application today, and am crossing my fingers for any good news. Hope it goes through!

I got some helpful tips from my adviser:

1.  Take TOEFL first to get it out of the way. Having a successful exam result could provide some motivation for the tough GMAT.
2.  For any difficulty in GMAT review, ask help from my old teachers.
3.  Prepare my Statement of Purpose then set it aside for review by friends or colleagues, preferably someone from a different field/industry.

It's kinda scary to be taking the first step towards something as big an investment as an MBA, and a US MBA at that. I feel like taking a deep breath and not letting it go for a month until the result is out. Ah, the price we pay for education.
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For more information on PAEF and EducationUSA, you can check out their website.