UK Scholarship ProgramsOSI/FCO Chevening/University of Edinburgh Scholarships
These scholarships aim to provide opportunities for independent postgraduate study in the United Kingdom for students who have demonstrated both academic excellence and the potential to become leaders, decision makers and opinion formers in their own country. Subject to satisfactory progress, the scholarships lead to the award of a master's degree.
Scholarships are available for one-year taught master's programs: MSc in Nationalism Studies, MSc in Policy Studies, MSc by Research in Political Theory, and MSc in Social Research, MSc in Comparative Public Policy, MSc in Social Anthropology, MSc in Global Health and Public Policy, MSc in Health Inequalities and Public Policy, and MSc in Health Systems and Public Policy.
Each scholarship provides twelve months’ tuition fees at the University of Edinburgh, a stipend to cover living costs (for one person only), and return air travel from the scholar’s home country.
Please note that the award provides no financial assistance in the event of a student wishing to remain in the UK after the normal scholarship period pending an appeal against an academic decision, or for any other reason. In such cases, no additional financial obligation on any of the parties is assumed or implied.
Eligibility
The scholarships are open to applicants from Georgia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (Palestinians normally resident in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, including East Jerusalem, as well as Arab citizens of Israel are eligible to apply), and Syria.
Applicants will normally be expected:
- to be nationals of, and normally resident in one of the countries above during the academic year in which they apply for the award; applicants who are temporarily out of the country (for a total period of less than three consecutive months) may be treated as being resident;
- to have an excellent knowledge of English;
- to already hold a degree of an equivalent standard to at least a good UK second-class Honours degree;
- not to have already received or be currently receiving financial benefit from a previous British government-funded scholarship;
- to return to their home country at the end of the scholarship period to continue their studies/work there;
- not to be employees, employees’ relatives (of former employees who have left employment less than 2 years before) of FCO (including FCO posts), the British Council, the Educational Advising Centers or other OSI-NSP representations in the region and the participating universities.
A preference will go towards applicants who have not previously studied outside of their home country.
To Apply
Although the University’s preferred method of application for postgraduate study will soon be via an on-line system, for this scholarship the application should still be submitted on paper.
Applicants should complete the following forms, which are available from the web:
- Scholarship Application form:
www.hss.ed.ac.uk/Postgraduate/infostaff/PraticalGuide/documents/OSIApplicationForm2009.rtf - The University of Edinburgh’s postgraduate application form for the scholarship:
www.hss.ed.ac.uk/Postgraduate/infostaff/PraticalGuide/documents/PGApplicationForm-OSIAwardOnly.rtf - Guidance notes for helping to complete the University’s postgraduate application form:
www.hss.ed.ac.uk/Postgraduate/infostaff/PraticalGuide/documents/PGApplicationFormGuidanceNotes-OSIAwardOnly.rtf
Applicants should also provide copies of the other documents listed on page 1 of the application form.
Deadline
Completed forms and other documents must be received by the local scholarship coordinator office by January 30, 2009. (See below for address and contact details.) Please note that each applicant is requested to submit one original application and two further copies.
Selection Process
All completed applications received by the local scholarship coordinators by the deadline will be forwarded to the University of Edinburgh. Academic staff at the university will compile a short-list.
Short-listed applicants will be invited for an interview and an English language test in their home country between late April and mid-May 2009. Candidates should be available between these dates. Candidates will be informed by the local scholarship coordinator in early April 2009 whether they have been short-listed or not.
Interviews will be carried out by representatives of Open Society Foundation and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In certain cases, there may also be a panel member representing the interests of the university.
The final awards will be decided jointly by the university, the FCO, and OSF. Candidates will be informed by the end of May/early June. In addition, certain candidates may be offered a scholarship if one of the successful candidates withdraws from the program. The twelve-month scholarship period begins in September 2009.
Please note that the local scholarship coordinator/s is/are not involved at all in the decision-making process. They will notify applicants as soon as they can whether or not they have been successful.
Please note that all successful applicants may be requested to attend a 1-month preparatory academic writing summer school in July or August 2009. The exact date and location of the summer school will be available at a later stage of the selection process.
Further Information
Read the University of Edinburgh’s Postgraduate Prospectus, available on the web at www.ed.ac.uk/studying/postgraduate/. The local Educational Advising Center or British Council office will be able to make a copy available for consultation. The copy may not, however, be taken home.
Visit the university’s homepage www.ed.ac.uk.
Contact Information
Please make use of all of the written documentation available to you: these guidance notes, the university’s Postgraduate Prospectus, and the guidance notes included with the university’s "Application for Admission as a Postgraduate Student."
Queries about these guidance notes should be directed to either the local Educational Advising Center or the local British Council office (see below ) or:
Margareta Mamaliga
UK Programs Coordinator
Network Scholarship Programs
Open Society Foundation (London)
Fax or email only:
Fax: +44 20 7031 0201
Email: Margareta.Mamaliga@osf-eu.org
For academic questions, contact the School of Social and Political Studies at Soc.Sci.Gradschool@ed.ac.uk.
Local Scholarship Coordinators
Georgia
Intenational Student Advising Center
10/a Chovelidze Str.
380008 Tbilisi
Georgia
Tel.: +995-32-938999, 250463
Fax: +995-32-291052
Contact persons:
Natia Nanava, natia@isac.osgf.ge
Nino Chinchaladze, nino@isac.osgf.ge
Kyrgyzstan
Educational Advising Center
55A Logvienko Street
Bishkek 720040
Kyrgyzstan
Tel.: +996-312-663475, 663495, 664240, 664306, 664346
Fax: +996-312-663448
Contact person:
Rakia Rustemova, rakia@soros.kg
Jerusalem/Occupied Palestinian Territories
British Council
31 Nablus Road
PO Box 19136
Jerusalem 91191
Tel.: 00 972 (2) 626 7111
Fax: +972-2-628-3021
Contact person: Merna Kassis
Merna.Kassis@ps.britishcouncil.org
Jordan
British Council
First Circle, Jebel Amman
P.O. Box 634
Amman 11118 Jordan
Tel.: +962 6 4636147
Fax: +962 6 4656413
Contact person: Safa Al-Qudah
safa.alqudah@britishcouncil.org.jo
Syria
British Council
Maysaloun Street, Shalaan
PO Box. 33105
Damascus, Syria
Tel.: +963 (11) 331 0631
Fax: +963 (11) 332 1467
Contact person: Vanda Hamarneh
Vanda.Hamarneh@sy.britishcouncil.org
Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel should submit applications to:
British Council
8th Floor, POS Suite
Sha’are Ha’ir Building
216 Jaffa Road
Jerusalem 94383
Israel
Tel: +972 (0)2 531 9019
Fax: +972 (0)2 531 9018
Contact person: Claire Levy
Claire.levy@britishcouncil.org.il
