Nov 27, 2012

The Felix Scholarships for Students from Developing Countries


The Felix Scholarships for students from Developing countries (furthering graduate education by attending a UK university) - 2012/2013

Study Subject(s): Various fields of study
Course Level: Postgraduate (Masters, PhD)
Scholarship Provider: Felix Foundation
Scholarship can be taken at: UK

Scholarship Description:

"Felix" translated from Latin means: happy, good omen, successful, favourable.
The Felix Scholarship was the dream of a generous individual who wished to remain anonymous and is referred to as "the Founder". It was the Founder's wish that the scholarships would allow gifted underprivileged students the chance of furthering their education by attending a university in the UK.
The primary objective of the Felix Scholarship is to stimulate the Felix scholars by exposing them to academic study, cultures, experiences and friendships that they would not otherwise have had the chance to sample. It is hoped that this in turn will endow them with skills and visions, enabling them, when returning to their country of origin, to contribute to the culture and welfare of their home communities.

Eligibility
The Scholarships are open to:

    Academically gifted and underprivileged nationals of India, under 30 years of age, who must hold at least a first class Bachelor's degree from a recognised Indian university or a comparable institution; or
    Academically gifted and underprivileged non-Indian nationals, under 30 years of age, who must hold at least a first class Bachelor's degree from a recognised university or a comparable institution and who are recommended by their chosen university.

Selection Criteria: The Scholarships are awarded on the basis of outstanding academic merit and financial need.

Eligible groups
Students from Developing Countries: India (85% of awards); and gifted underprivileged students from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cameroon, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Belarus, Peru, Czech Republic, Kenya, Ghana, Turkey, South Africa, Egypt, Nepal and Hungary.

Participating Institutions
After consultation with various agencies, it was decided that scholarships would be offered at three universities - the University of Oxford, the University of Reading and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), part of the University of London.

Fields of study
All subjects offered by the participating universities, except for medicine, are considered.

Number of awards
The first six scholarships were awarded for the year 1991/1992. The number of scholarships has now risen to approximately 20 per academic year. A total of 314 scholarships have been awarded since the scheme began, of which 24 have been to students from countries other than India.

Scholarship benefits
100% of university and college fees, a grant for living expenses (the grant for 2011-12 was £13,680), and flight (e.g. India-UK or UK-India) at the start and end of your course.
Awards are made for the full duration of a student's fee liability for the agreed course. If your scholarship is offered for a course lasting more than one year, the continuation of your scholarship each year is subject to an annual renewal process based on satisfactory academic progress.

NOTE: No extra allowance will be granted for married applicants who are successful. The cost of living is very high in the UK and the spouses of married students have to make their own arrangements to support themselves. The Scholarship does not provide funding to spouses.

Method of Application
Application Forms: Please click here to download an application form (pdf).
Candidates should note that an application can be made to only one institution.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
1). Candidates for the Felix Scholarships at Oxford should not complete the application form. Instead they should check the Felix Scholarship box in the Scholarships section of the University's Application Form for Graduate Study when applying for admission to their course. Candidates elected for interview must also complete a short questionnaire. This will be sent to them when they are short listed for interview.

2). Candidates for the Felix Scholarships at Reading and SOAS must complete application forms. The completed application form (together with only the supporting material specifically requested in the application form) should be returned to the address given below for the academic institution in which the candidate wishes to study. There is no need to send additional supporting material with the scholarship application form.

NOTE: Only those candidates who have been accepted for admission will be considered for short listing. Short listing by all three universities will take place in March 2012 with the short lists available April 2012.

Contact
For further enquiries, please contact:

a). Oxford:
Graduate Admissions Tel: (0)1865 280487, Fax: (0)1865 270077
and Funding University of Oxford
Wellington Square
Oxford OX1 2JD, UK.
Web address: www.ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding

b). Reading:
The Graduate School Tel: (0)118 378 6169 Fax: (0)118 378 4252
University of Reading
Old Whiteknights House
Reading
RG6 6AH, UK.
Web address: www.reading.ac.uk
E-mail address: c.robson@reading.ac.uk

c). SOAS:
The Scholarships Officer Tel: (0)20 7074 5091, Fax: (0)20 7074 5089
(Registry) Registry, SOAS
Thornhaugh Street
Russell Square
London WC1H 0XG, UK.
Web address: www.soas.ac.uk/registry/scholarships
E-mail address: scholarships@soas.ac.uk

Scholarship Application Deadline: The closing dates for the receipt of Felix Scholarship application forms are as follows:-

    Oxford: 06 January 2012 for Medical Sciences and Philosophy
    20th January 2012 for all other subjects
    Reading: 10 February 2012
    SOAS: 31 January 2012

Scholarship Open for International Students: Yes

Resource: FAQs