The R&A International Scholarship

Scholarship principles

1. The main purpose of the scholarship is to give each successful applicant the opportunity to plan a year of travel to broaden his or her mind and learn from and interact with different communities.
2. The scholarship will be for travel, accommodation, subsistence and, only exceptionally, tuition fees. There will be at least two scholarships worth up to £15,000 each awarded for 2025.
3. The Scholarship Selection Committee will assess applicants on their all-round ability and not merely on academic excellence. Evidence of engagement with University or town life will also be considered useful.
4. Each applicant is required to describe the key aspects of a well-thought-out programme in their application, with an indication of how the scholarship will be of long-term benefit to the candidate. The project outline should provide some element of telling a coherent ‘story’ for the year of travel or providing a theme to draw the various activities together.  Identifying how this project will relate to the applicant’s previous experiences or study, and/or will provide a springboard to future aspirations, should form a key focus of the project outline and personal statement uploaded during application.
5. There should also be an intention to provide some kind of ‘output’ from the year of exploration. A blog, journal, artwork, collaborative artefact, publication, film/video, podcast or other form of record would provide suitable evidence of this element, and the proposal submitted should indicate how the successful candidate intends to incorporate this into their plans.
6. The Scholarship Selection Committee will seek to identify individuals who, in carrying through their programmes, will have an ability to undertake an ambassadorial-type role for both the University and The R&A.
7. The successful applicants will be expected to be able to talk knowledgeably about The R&A as part of their ambassadorial roles and should be able to demonstrate an interest in, and understanding of, the work of The R&A.

Application guidelines

Eligibility

• Applicants must be matriculated undergraduates or will be immediate graduates of the University of St Andrews when taking up the Scholarship. (Note: the scholarship is unlikely to be awarded to an undergraduate with less than three years’ study at the University).  Sabbatical Officers are eligible to apply.  This scholarship is NO LONGER available to students in the School of Medicine, due to the increased demands of proceeding from a pre-clinical programme to partner medical schools. 
• Successful applicants will not be able to defer their scholarship but must reapply in the following year if they wish to be reconsidered.
• Applicants must submit their application online, through the MySaint portal, prior to the deadline of Friday 31 January 2025.
• Applications should demonstrate an interest in, and understanding of, the work of The R&A.
• Late or incomplete applications will not be considered under any circumstances.
• Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the first round of the selection process by late-February 2025.
• If short-listed, applicants must be available to attend an interview in person or via Teams on Monday 17 March 2025, at which they will be expected to give a short presentation on their proposed use of the scholarship award.
• The award of the scholarship to a current student is subject to the successful applicant being granted a year’s leave of absence by the University. The successful applicant will be expected to have passed all module exams and not be carrying any deferred assessments prior to taking up the scholarship.
• The successful applicant will be expected to fulfil an ambassadorial role and present an account of their travel activities to the University and The R&A as well as to submit reports during the period of travel (if requested), and at the completion of travel.
• Students may undertake travel at any point from June 2025 to September 2026.
• Joint applications are accepted – each applicant must upload the SAME project outline and then also upload their own personal statement to provide context for their individual application. Joint applicants, if selected for interview, will present their project to the panel together.  The panel reserves the right to pro-rate the available funding in the case of successful joint applications.

Safety and travel guidelines

• Applicants should adhere to up-to-date travel advice from their home governments when planning their application, and, if successful, when travelling. Applicants should not travel to areas or undertake any activities which would place them in unreasonable danger.
• The successful applicant will be required to make all their own arrangements in connection with their period of travel, including booking transportation, accommodation, visas, insurance, immunisations, liaising with overseas agencies and all other aspects of their travel plans.
• All travel plans under this programme must adhere to the guidelines outlined on the University Travel pages https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/study-abroad/travel/, including ensuring all risk assessment and Covid-19 related travel documentation has been lodged and approved prior to departure.

Leave of absence

• Where applicable, the University may grant a year’s leave of absence from studies to allow the successful candidate to take up the scholarship.
• Students are required to have passed all their module exams and not be carrying any deferred assessment at the time of the proposed leave of absence.
• Applicants are advised to consider the academic, financial and other implications of a leave of absence prior to submitting their application. A meeting is not required with the Registry Support Officer at the initial stage of the application process but provisional advice should be sought if a candidate is selected for interview.
  (https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/advice/academic/loa/thingstoconsider/requestingaleaveofabsence/ )
• Applicants who require a VISA to study at the University must seek advice from one of the International Advisers in Student Services about the implications a leave of absence will have on their immigration status.
• The award of The R&A International Scholarship does not constitute approval of a leave of absence. The successful applicant will be required to make a formal request for a year’s leave of absence on notification of the award.

Privacy policy and use of data

• The successful applicant agrees to the publication of their name, degree intention, travel plans, photos and reports on the University’s website and in printed publications.
• Applicants should note that the information provided in their application form and associated paperwork will be held in compliance with the University’s data protection principles which can be found at: st-andrews.ac.uk/students/rules/dataprotection/ This data will also be held by the Development Office which is administering this scholarship https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/development/your-data-and-privacy/