St Andrews Education for Palestinian Students (STEPS)

Value of award (per year)

At least one award available, consisting of:

• full tuition fees
• accommodation fees to cover residential University costs
• maintenance stipend of £400 per month
• travel to and from the UK (one ticket for each way)

Duration of award

This award is available for one year of postgraduate study.

At what stage of my course application can I apply for this scholarship?

You can apply for this scholarship after you have submitted your application for a place at the University of St Andrews. You do not need to wait until you have received a course offer before applying for this scholarship, but you MUST have an offer by the time of the scholarship deadline in order to be considered. Therefore, you should submit an application for your chosen course at least six weeks before the STEPS deadline.

Additional criteria

Applicants must:

• have an offer of a full-time place on a one-year postgraduate taught Masters course (MLitt, MSc, MRes)
• have Palestinian nationality. Priority will be given to those who are resident in the West Bank, Gaza or one of the Palestinian Refugee Camps. Your fee status classification must be international.

• not have previously taken a degree course at a university outside the West Bank, Gaza or Lebanon.
• not have previously completed a postgraduate degree, or be studying for a postgraduate degree at time of application.

Further criteria apply - please see Terms and Conditions below for full details.

English language requirements

You must have a valid English language qualification, for example, IELTS, in order to be considered for STEPS and will be required to enter your test results in the STEPS application form. You do not need to supply your English language test certificate with the STEPS application, however, you must have already provided this documentation with your postgraduate course application.

For academic year 2025-2026 entry only the following guidance applies to applicants from Gaza:

• The University of St Andrews will accept any applicant who meets our published language conditions, with appropriate evidence provided.
• If you cannot attend an in-person test centre due to the current situation in Gaza, the University now accepts IELTS Academic Online and TOEFL iBT Home Edition. These tests are available globally and do not require you to attend an in-person test centre. No other online tests are accepted.
• If you can demonstrate that you have been taught and assessed fully in English and that your studies are complete, this may be acceptable as evidence of your ability, however, as explained on our website, we will look to verify this through an ECCTIS English Language Comparability Statement.

Application fee exemption

STEPS applicants do not need to pay the £50 application fee. At the point of submitting your application to St Andrews, please email pgscholarships@st-andrews.ac.uk for further advice.

How to apply

This scholarship is available for application through the ‘Scholarships and Funding catalogue’ in the Scholarships and Funding section of My Application.

After you have applied for your chosen postgraduate course beginning in the 2025-26 academic year, you must allow at least two working days for processing and issue of your log in details before you can apply for this scholarship.

Details about applying to a postgraduate course at St Andrews may be found on the Postgraduate Taught pages of our website.

References

You must also provide details of two referees, both of whom you must ask to submit current references on your behalf:

• The first referee must be an academic faculty member who can provide an academic reference.
• The second referee must be either an employer or community leader who can provide a personal reference.

References must be sent directly from the referees by email to pgscholarships@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Please note it is your responsibility to ensure these references are received by the application deadline of Thursday 10 April 2025.

Your application will not be considered unless both references have been received.

Terms and conditions

If applying to the STEPS Scholarship, you must agree to the following terms and conditions:

STEPS Scholarship Criteria

1. You must be Palestinian. Priority will be given to those resident in the West Bank, Gaza or one of the Palestinian Refugee Camps. Your fee status classification must be international.
2. You must hold an offer of a full-time place on a one-year postgraduate taught course at St Andrews. Applicants without an offer by the time of the scholarship deadline will not be considered for the scholarship.
3. You must, at time of the STEPS application, meet the minimum English language requirements set by the University of St Andrews for your chosen course (see the section on English language requirements).
4. You are able to explain how your studies will enable you to contribute to Palestinian civic society.
5. You are able to live in Scotland for one year as a single person and agree to come alone.
6. You must not have already studied at a university outside the West Bank, Gaza, Israel or Lebanon.
7. You must not have previously completed a postgraduate degree, or be studying for a postgraduate degree at the time of your application.
8. You agree to speak or write about your STEPS experience in Scotland.
9. You agree that STEPS financial commitment for your maintenance ends at the end of your one-year course. STEPS will provide a return flight home, valid up to the end of your initial visa.
10. You give STEPS permission to contact your Director of Studies and other referees.
11. You agree to accept accommodation arrangements that may be a single room in a shared University apartment or a single room in a family home.

The Trustees of STEPS make the final selection in May. The Trustees’ decision is final and there is no right of appeal. Please do not use your contacts to lobby for your scholarship application. This will make no difference to your application.

Any personal data you provide will be processed in strict confidence and will not be passed on to a third party.

Please read the University of St Andrews scholarships terms and conditions.

When will I know the outcome?

The outcome of your scholarship application will be available in the Scholarships and funding section of My Application by early May 2025.