Deadline: April 14, 2023
Applications are open for the Andrea Levy Scholarship 2023-2024 to Study at the University of Edinburgh. The University of Edinburgh is privileged to offer scholarships to support Black African and Caribbean heritage applicants from socio-economically challenged backgrounds, made possible by a gift from the family of the late Andrea Levy.
The Andrea Levy Scholarships were established in 2020 in memory of multi-award winning novelist, Andrea Levy. Born in London to Jamaican parents, Ms Levy held longstanding family and personal links to Edinburgh and to Scotland, and the University of Edinburgh is honoured to contribute to her legacy by hosting this scholarship programme.
Scholarship
The Scholarship will cover:
- your tuition fees*, and
- a stipend of £5,000 per annum to help with your living expenses.
The Scholarship is tenable for the duration of your programme of study, which is typically four years, but can be longer. This award does not affect your eligibility for an Access Edinburgh Scholarship (£1,000 – £5,000 per annum, depending on your circumstances), and both awards can be held at the same time. The total available towards your living expenses is therefore up to £10,000 for every year of your course.
*The full cost of your tuition fees, which for most ‘rest of UK’ students is £9,250 per annum, will be covered by the scholarship. If you are resident in Scotland your fees will be covered by SAAS.
Eligibility
Applicant must:
- have one of the following categories of ethnicity: Black Caribbean; Black African; Black Other; Mixed – White/Black Caribbean; Mixed – White /Black African; or Other mixed background that includes Caribbean heritage. They particularly encourage applicants with any form of Caribbean heritage to apply.
- Be starting a first undergraduate full time degree programme at the University of Edinburgh in the 2023-24 academic year.
- Have been assessed for fee status as a ‘home’ student (meaning that you ordinarily live in Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland).
- Have a household income below £34,000 per annum.
Assessment Criteria
They will assess applications using the following:
- Household income – Priority will be given to applicants whose household income is assessed as £23,999 or less. Applicants with a household income of between £24,000 and £33,900 may also apply.
- Your application statement of between 600 and 900 words explaining:
- What achievements, academically and/or personally, you are most proud of. This could include overcoming a challenging personal circumstance. There is no right or wrong answer, we are keen to hear your story.
- Why the scholarship would be beneficial to your studies and how it would help you to achieve your academic goals.
- How your education would be of future benefit to your community and/or society.
Other factors – They may consider any other personal or academic circumstances that could have influenced or impacted applicants in their education to date
Application
As part of the application process you will be asked to confirm the following information:
- Full name
- Student number (e.g. S1234567) or if not known your UCAS number
- Programme of study
- Name of School or College you are currently attending
- Ethnicity
- Email address
- Confirmation that you have applied, been assessed for and expect to be in receipt of the maximum level of support from the government through Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS), Student Finance (England, Wales or Northern Ireland) for tuition fees and maintenance loans and that you have provided consent to share your information with the University.
- Confirmation this is your first undergraduate degree programme, and you have not started a degree programme previously
- Confirmation you understand external representatives supporting this scholarship will be reviewing your application and any submitted documentation as part of the selection process.
- Agreement that your UCAS references (personal and supporting statements) will be used as part of the selection process.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview to discuss their aspirations and to answer any questions they have. Further information and guidance will follow.
For more information, visit Andrea Levy Scholarship.
