BEIT TRUST POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP GUIDANCE NOTES

(Malawi/Zimbabwe)

Intake 2019

This CHECK LIST should be read very carefully before formal application is made for a Beit Trust Scholarship. Please ensure that you have all documents ready/available (in PDF format) that require to be uploaded. Allow yourself a minimum of 45 minutes to complete the application.

PURPOSE OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS

Up to 8 Scholarships may be awarded annually to enable those domiciled in Malawi/Zimbabwe to undertake postgraduate study (not first degrees) at top universities in the UK or South Africa.

Applicants will NOT be considered unless their first degree is of 2.1 (2A) or Merit or Distinction standard.

TENURE

The Scholarships are for study for a Master’s Degree. They are tenable for one (1) year in the UK; and two (2) years in South Africa, with a maximum of four (4) years for Medical or Veterinary. (These latter are increasingly rare and competitive.)

The Scholarships are held on the approval of the Beit Trustees, who may suspend or terminate a Scholarship at their discretion.

Only under very exceptional circumstances will the Trustees agree to an extension of a Scholarship beyond the agreed maximum period.

AGE OF APPLICANT

Candidates must be under the age of 30 (or 35 in the case of medical doctors or veterinary surgeons) on the 31st December in the year in which application is made. Medical doctors should have completed 18 months of internship and preferably a one year rural posting.

VALUE OF SCHOLARSHIPS

The Trust will pay:-

Cost of tuition

A personal allowance of not less than £13,612 per annum in the UK (which is adjusted annually to the cost of living in accordance with recommendations from an independent review authority). No extra allowance is paid for the spouse or children of a Scholar.

A personal allowance of not less than £10,625 per annum in South Africa. No extra allowance is paid for the spouse or children of a Scholar.

An arrival allowance of £1,200 in the UK and £250 in South Africa.

A laptop allowance of up to £450 in the UK and South Africa.

A thesis printing allowance of up to £100 in the UK and £125 in South Africa.

A departure allowance of £250 in the UK and £250 in South Africa paid on return to Malawi/Zimbabwe.

An allowance for approved travel within the UK or South Africa when necessary as recommended by the Scholar's tutor.

In addition, the cost of economy air passage for an outward journey, and a return passage when returning to work in Malawi/Zimbabwe.

NB Excess baggage allowance charged by the Airlines is expensive. This must be covered by the Departure Allowance.

Since the cost of living in South Africa is lower than in UK, stipends are reduced, but compare very favourably to those paid in UK.

SCHOLARSHIPS AT UNIVERSITIES ABROAD

Applicants are warned that both the UK and South African Governments apply strict immigration and academic controls to the attendance of foreign students; and visas can take time to acquire.

The Beit Trust is focused on academic distinction. The Trustees will withdraw their sponsorship of any Beit Scholar whose activities bring the Trust into disrepute. It operates without consideration of race, gender or religion.

APPLICATION and CHECK LIST

The following information is required:-

·  Evidence of age and nationality (certified copy of birth certificate OR relevant pages of your passport OR National Registration Card).

·  Evidence of domicile in Malawi/Zimbabwe (certified copy of I.D. – National Registration Card)

·  Recent photograph

·  Certified copies of A Level certificates

·  Certified evidence of first degree awarded by a university or institution.

·  Certified copy of academic transcript of grades

·  Completion and return of medical certificate signed by a fully qualified doctor (see below).

·  For bonded candidates, a letter from your employer stating that leave of absence will be granted.

·  Personal statement.

·  Applications, with all the above information, must reach the Beit Trustees’ Representative by 31st May 2018. All applications are to be submitted using the online process.

MEDICAL CERTIFICATE

Please download and print the Medical Certificate Form from the Beit Trust website (under Scholarships). Ensure that the doctor completes and signs the form. You then need to scan it and upload with your submission.

REFEREES

Share the links with your referees. Ensure you state/include your Unique I.D. No (which you will receive once you have submitted your application), plus details of your undergraduate degree(s) including year(s) of graduation. You also need to advise your referee(s) what course(s) you wish to read for and the intended university(ies). The referee will need to include this information in the actual reference. You also need to impress upon your referees that the references must be submitted by the 31st May.

All three (3) referees must agree to provide a testimonial for you and must do so using the online form available on the website.

No referee may write more than one testimonial for a candidate.

Provide name, email address, and residential address of all referees.

All references requested must be submitted online on or before 31st May 2018.

A Character Testimonial from a distinguished person who has knows you well. (A testimony from a friend or relative is unlikely to be sufficiently credible).

A testimonial from your current or recent Employer

An Academic Testimonial from a Tutor under whom you studied.

INTERVIEW

Applicants who are short-listed will be expected to make themselves available for interview by the Selection Board. Such interviews will take place in Blantyre/Harare in August 2018. Reasonable expenses incurred by applicants attending an interview from their places of residence in Malawi/Zimbabwe will be reimbursed by The Beit Trust. Such expenses should be claimed for bus travel, not air.

An unconditional offer from the University of your Choice would be highly advantageous. This must be a university on the list of Beit-partner universities.

Lobbying the Beit Trustees/staff or Members of the Advisory Board is not permitted and, if attempted, will disqualify the candidate.

REQUIREMENTS OF SCHOLARS

Scholars are expected to pursue their studies diligently, to keep full terms and to take research degrees where applicable. They will not be permitted to read for degrees or diplomas other than those sanctioned, except with the specific, written permission of the Secretary.

At the end of the course, each Scholar is required to provide a copy of their thesis to the Secretary, for Beit Trust records. This should be in PDF or CD format. It is customary to include sponsors in a note of acknowledgement.

PUBLICATIONS BY SCHOLARS

Any Scholar who, during their tenure of the Scholarship, wishes to publish a book or work on a subject connected with his/her course of study is welcome to do so, but shall first obtain the Secretary’s agreement; and shall use the words "Beit Scholar" after his/her name in the title of the book or work.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND PARTNER UNIVERSITIES:

In all cases, an early, individual application to one of the universities below is strongly recommended:

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY, UK:

The Beit Cambridge (BC) Scholarship is jointly funded by The Beit Trust and Cambridge University Trust. Please visit http://www.cambridgetrust.org before completing the application form.

UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, Cape Town, South Africa:

The Beit University of Cape Town (B/UCT) Scholarships are jointly funded by The Beit Trust and the University of Cape Town. Please visit www.uct.ac.za before completing the application form.

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH, Scotland, UK:

The Beit Edinburgh (BE) Scholarship is jointly funded by The Beit Trust and Edinburgh University. Please visit http://www.ed.ac.uk before completing the application form.

UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW, Scotland, UK:

The Beit Glasgow (BG) Biomedical Scholarship is jointly funded by The Beit Trust and Glasgow University. Please visit http://www.gla.ac.uk before completing the application form.

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, UK:

The Beit Leeds (BL) Scholarships are jointly funded by The Beit Trust and the University of Leeds. Please visit http://www.leeds.ac.uk before completing the application form.

OXFORD -WADHAM COLLEGE, UK:

The Beit-Oxford-Wadham (BOW) Scholarship is jointly funded by The Beit Trust and Wadham College. Please visit http://www.ox.ac.uk; or http://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk before completing the application form.

RHODES UNIVERSITY, Grahamstown, South Africa:

The Beit Rhodes (BR) Scholarship is jointly funded by The Beit Trust and Rhodes University. Please visit http://www.ru.ac.za and http://www.ru.ac.za/postgraduategateway/gateway before completing the application form.

STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY, Cape Town, South Africa:

The Beit Stellenbosch (BS) Scholarship is jointly funded by The Beit Trust and Stellenbosch University. Please visit http://www.sun.ac.za/international before completing the application form.

UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE, Scotland, UK:

The Beit Strathclyde (BSC) Engineering Scholarship is jointly funded by The Beit Trust and Strathclyde University. Please visit http://www.strath.ac.uk before completing the application form.