Masters Scholarships in UK for Middle East Citizens

Deadline: 31 January 2013 (although universities may have earlier deadlines)
Open to: citizens of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, or Palestine (including Palestinians inside Israel) wishing to obtain a master’s degree in the UK
Scholarship: full and partial scholarships at UK universities

Description

The Saïd Foundation is able to provide full or partial scholarships for masters’ degrees at universities around the UK depending on the level of financial need or whether other grants are available to applicants. While they are able to provide full funding, they are also happy to provide matching funds. The Foundation can also consider distance learning courses and shorter postgraduate courses at accredited UK academic institutions.

There are no quotas per country and scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit. Each application is carefully considered by the Trustees and staff of the Foundation and the candidates who are judged to best meet the Trustees’ criteria are chosen. The Foundation bases its decisions on academic record, financial need, likelihood to succeed in their proposed course, usefulness of subject to the applicant’s country, motivation, future career intentions, practical ability to make use of the knowledge to be gained in the UK on return to the Middle East, and personality.

Eligibility

To apply for a Saïd Foundation Scholarship you need to:

• have a good first degree
• provide evidence of your proficiency in English
• be under forty years of age
• be Jordanian, Lebanese, Syrian or Palestinian (including Palestinians inside Israel) and be resident in the Middle East
• demonstrate that your chosen course of study will be of use to your home country or the Middle East region
• have at least two years’ work experience
• apply for a place on a course at one of the Foundation’s partner universities, if your proposed course is offered there. For a list of the partner universities, please click here and see below.
• sign a binding undertaking to apply the skills and knowledge you have gained in one of the Foundation’s target countries

Partner Universities

The Foundation has joint scholarship schemes with the University of Birmingham, the University of Cambridge, Durham University, the University of East Anglia, the University of Essex, the University of Exeter, the University of Glasgow, Goldsmiths College, The Institute of Education (University of London), King’s College London, the University of Leeds, the University of Leicester, London School of Economics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the University of Nottingham, the University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University, Royal Holloway, the School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of Southampton, the University of St Andrews, University College London and the University of Warwick. You MUST apply to these universities if they have courses meeting your needs.

Study at Oxford and Cambridge

There is a separate application procedure for Oxford and Cambridge Universities. You can download the guidance notes for Oxford and Cambridge applications HERE.

Application forms for Saïd Foundation Oxford and Cambridge scholarships are available from the university websites: Oxford University HERE and Cambridge University HERE.

The deadline for Oxford applications is 18 January 2013 for most courses but please check the Oxford University prospectus. You must send your completed forms directly to the university (see university website for address).

The deadline for Cambridge applications is 4 December 2012. You must send your completed forms directly to the university (see university website for address).

Applicants for all other universities should complete the Saïd Foundation application form.

Application

Download Application Form in PDF format HERE or in MSWord HERE.

Applications must be submitted via the British Council in Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine by 31 January. Please note that must submit your application to your nearest office. For example, if you are a Jordanian living in Lebanon you should submit your application to the British Council in Beirut.

Syrian applicants

As the British Council is not currently operating in Syria, applicants living in Syria must submit their forms by email by 31 January to the following address applications@saidfoundations.org.  However, please note that Syrians living in Jordan or Lebanon should submit their applications to the British Council in those countries.

Applicants living outside the Foundation’s target countries

If you are not currently resident in one of the Foundation’s target countries, you must apply through the British Council in your home country (unless you are Syrian in which case you should apply by email to the address above). If you are living outside of the Foundation’s target countries you must include documentary evidence with your application which proves you intend to return to your home country or another of the Foundation’s target countries on completion of your course (eg evidence of a job offer).

Download and carefully read the Guidance Notes for Applicants AVAILABLE HERE for more information and instructions. You will need to submit the Financial Summary Form AVAILABLE HERE.

Please complete these forms carefully and enclose all requested information when submitting your application.

For information on the British Council offices, see the Contact website HERE. Send your application to your respective office, or find your office’s contact information there.

The original call for applications is AVAILABLE HERE.