Scholarships for Zimbabweans – Ruth First Master Scholarship at University of Durham in UK, 2015

Ruth First Educational Trust is offering scholarship for southern African students for the academic year 2015-2016. Scholarship support student taking a one-year taught course leading to the award of a Master’s degree at Durham University. Student should hold a relevant honours degree of sufficient standard to be admitted to their chosen Master’s course. Scholarship covers the full fees for the programme chosen and the Scholar will receive a monthly allowance to cover living and other expenses for 12 months, as well as free accommodation and meals at St Chad’s College .The application deadline is 1st March 2015.

Study Subject(s): Scholarship is awarded for studying the courses offered by the university.
Course Level: Scholarship is available to undertake postgraduate study at Durham University.
Scholarship Provider: Ruth First Educational Trust
Scholarship can be taken at: UK

Eligibility: Student should:
-hold a relevant honours degree of sufficient standard to be admitted to your chosen Master’s course (further conditions apply to the MBA programme), and
-not hold a Master’s degree, nor have previously studied at a university outside southern Africa, and
-show evidence of active involvement in and commitment to voluntary work for the benefit of causes such as rural or urban community development; young people or educational projects; charitable organizations; health or AIDS awareness projects; student welfare or guidance. If you have a paid job that involves working in such areas, you should show evidence of leadership and commitment beyond the requirements of the job.
-English language requirements for international students coming to study in the UK were tightened in 2011. The person selected for the Ruth First Scholarship will need to provide evidence of possessing a qualification in English language that meets the minimum requirement for the programme applied for. The general minimum set by the UK Government is Level B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Requirements for particular programmes at Durham are listed here. If you already have a suitable qualification (such as Cambridge English, IELTS, TOEFL or Pearson Test of Academic English), send a scan of the certificate with your application. If you haven’t, don’t do anything about it now: we’ll sort his out with the successful applicant.
-If you are employed, or receiving a grant or sponsorship, you must be able to provide written evidence that an agreement has been made with your employer or sponsor approving your absence for the period of the Scholarship and confirming any arrangements for continued payment of salary or sponsorship.
-The Trust aims to award the Scholarship to individuals who not only have the academic and personal qualities to enable them to complete and benefit from a postgraduate course, but who will also act as positive ambassadors for their home countries in Durham and put their enhanced knowledge and skills to good use for the benefit of the societies to which they return in Africa.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Scholarship is open to students from southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Republic of South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe)

Scholarship Description: The Durham University South African Scholarship Fund was set up in 1964-65 by students and staff of the University of Durham. Funds were raised in order to “bring to Durham one of the many South African young men and women who are fully qualified to benefit from a higher education but who are denied it for purely racial reasons”, and over the next three decades a dozen students from disadvantaged backgrounds in southern Africa successfully took Bachelor’s degrees at Durham. After the death of Ruth First in 1982, the Fund was renamed in her honour. Many of the students supported by the Ruth First Memorial Studentship Fund came to Durham from exile and could only return to South Africa after the end of apartheid.

Number of award(s): One scholarship is offered.

Duration of award(s): Scholarship is offered for one year.

What does it cover? The University, with the agreement of the Department concerned, will award a tuition fee scholarship covering the full fees for the programme chosen. Through a Gift Agreement between the Trust and the University, the Scholar will receive a monthly allowance to cover living and other expenses for 12 months, as well as free accommodation and meals at St Chad’s College (the cost of which is shared between the Trust and the College). In 2014-15 the allowance is £500 per month and the value of the full-board accommodation is approximately £465 per month. The Scholar will also receive a settling-in allowance on arrival and a contribution to the cost of sending belongings home before departure if necessary. The Trust will pay for one return air ticket from the home country to the UK and the cost of return travel between the UK airport and Durham City. The Trust cannot provide additional support for dependants, nor for travel during the period of the Scholarship. The Scholar is required to attend all taught components of the chosen course and complete all assignments prescribed, including a dissertation. The normal starting date for most Masters programmes is the beginning of October.

Selection Criteria: Not Known

Notification: Not Known

How to Apply: Application forms (5 pages plus 2 referee report forms) have been sent to universities in South Africa and other southern African countries. You may download the form as a Word document here and type into the boxes. The application and references may be submitted as e-mail attachments. Academic results transcripts should be sent by post, or by e-mail as scans of the original documents (please compress image files sent electronically).

Scholarship Application Deadline: The application deadline is 1st March 2015.

Further Official Scholarship Information and Application