About Pre-collegiate
Empowering Myanmar's Youth for Global Leadership
The Pre-Collegiate Program (PCP) of Yangon was founded in 2003 to develop critical reasoning, civic engagement, and understanding of the diverse communities within Myanmar among a cohort of Myanmar youth as they prepare to attend colleges abroad. Our students come from a diverse range of religious, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds in Myanmar. The mission of the Pre-Collegiate Program (PCP) is to create a society of educated innovators, leaders, and change-makers who solve important challenges in Myanmar and beyond. PCP graduates are distinguished by their ability to read and write critically, learn both in and out of the classroom, empathize across differences, and use innovation and teamwork to solve problems.
After PCP students complete their studies with the Program, they go on to earn Bachelor’s degrees at many reputable colleges and universities around
the world. Nearly 95% of PCP graduates receive scholarships covering at least half of their college-related expenses. Once they get to college, over 90% of them earn their bachelor’s degrees in four years.
Mission Statement
The PCP serves as a bridging platform for Myanmar youth from varying backgrounds to continue holistic development by joining programs and colleges around the world. With the aim of fostering innovative changemakers, PCP has run for over two decades.
Within our 12-month program, students are taught about liberal arts subjects in student-centered, discussion-based classrooms. (Additionally, students are encouraged to join community service organizations within the last few months of the program.)
As a need-aware program, students from a different economic background are admitted into our program based on their academic background. PCP also provides scholarship opportunities for students with financial challenges. Diversity and inclusion is one of the core values of the program. Ethnic students from all around Myanmar are given an opportunity to develop their academic skills at PCP so they are ready to study at a university outside of Myanmar.
Fast Facts
- More than 300 students have been admitted to colleges and universities in the past 20 years.
3:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
Our History
In 2003, the former Myanmar Minister of Education, Dr. U Khin Maung Win and Drs. Dorothy and Jim Guyot who were burma scholars, founded the Pre-Collegiate Program. They established a program where Myanmar students can develop their means and passion to succeed at universities abroad and become agents of change in Myanmar communities.
With the provision of unique learning opportunities, we plan to help Myanmar students overcome the challenges that they face when joining and participating in international colleges and universities. Our goal is for students to be engaged actively in both the professional and civic developments in the country by becoming independent, critical, and creative thinkers who value a liberal education. The opportunities that students gain from our program will make them extremely competitive candidates for admissions and scholarships at excellent universities in the United States and elsewhere.
Hence, this brings along the chance for students to become representatives of Myanmar, which has the capability to exchange knowledge and information worldwide. In the past, most of the PCP graduates returned to their mother country to make positive contributions in a variety of ways. With the ability to engage and overcome the challenges Myanmar is facing, PCP graduates truly act as a major driving force towards Myanmar’s development.
What kind of students is PCP looking for?
Age Requirement
The age range of our students is between 16-21 years old, with the majority of our students being 17-19 years old. We had some cases where our students were 22-23 years old. If you are older than 21 years of age; We will consider you on a case-by-case basis.
Educational Requirements
We accept many different forms of education. It includes the Burmese government’s matriculation certificate, IGCSE or GED.
Personal Attributes
Other qualities we look for in a student are commitment to community service, strong relationships with the community, great contributions to society, and participation in extracurricular activities. Each of our students is expected to undertake a half-day weekly volunteer service on Fridays from Term 2 to Term 4 (Each term lasts 10 weeks).
Why do parents choose the Pre-Collegiate Program?
From the parents’ point of view, they choose our Program for their children’s college education as we have a legacy of success in securing scholarships (both full and partial) from colleges in the U.S, Europe, and Asia. With our Program, parents can dream of sending their children to reputable colleges in the U.S with a yearly financial contribution of 15,000 USD to 20,000 USD when the actual cost of attendance is as high as 75,000 USD to 80,000 annually. With us, parents can realize their dream of letting their children study at a recognized university in Asia at a fraction of the cost or with affordable education loans from Zomia. They can also make sure their children are going to graduate within 4 years as they are ready for college education as they graduate from our Program. Our students get to get acquainted with college education
culture, such as the use of syllabi, work load, and college-level academic rigor. Our Program is best suited for students with high academic standing, but insufficient funding, and with a strong desire to study at liberal arts colleges in the US or at reputable universities in Asia such as Ashoka University, King Mongkut University of Thonburi (KMUTT), Silliman University, Asia Pacific University (Japan), some universities in Hong Kong (such as Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), Lingnan University, and City University of Hong Kong or in Europe such as Constructor University in Germany, (formerly Jacobs University). If you have strong academic integrity and resilience, together we can help you achieve your dream. Let’s take a look at some real-life examples of our students.