Study in the UK with British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM
Are you looking for a full tuition-paid scholarship for a STEM program in the UK? The British Council is offering scholarships for women who wish to study abroad in the UK for the upcoming academic year of September/October 2024-25 in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Details of the eligible countries, a list of universities and courses that Indian students can pursue, the scholarship eligibility requirements, etc have been provided.
The British Council is offering scholarships for women who wish to study abroad in the UK for the academic year from September/October 2024-2025 in the STEM fields, that is, science, technology, engineering and math. 
[Image source: official notification]Overview
To be eligible for the scholarship, other than academic abilities, you need to have a strong interest in a career in STEM and demonstrate a case for financial need. It is admirable to know that one of the requirements is that you must return to your country for a minimum of 2 years once the scholarship award has ended. As the official notification states, "The spirit of the scholarship programme is based around returning home and giving back." Three cheers to that!
The scholarship programme does not initially involve an application process through the British Council. You need to first submit your application for the course of study to the respective higher education institution in the UK, and then the British Council's review panel will step in.
A heads-up before you take that first step towards applying for the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM- You are welcome to apply to more than one university from the list of eligible universities. If you are recommended for a scholarship at more than one of these universities, the British Council's review panel will make the final decision on your allocation. However, before applying for the scholarship, ensure that you fulfill all the entry requirements of the higher education institution in the UK for the course that you apply for, such as the academic equivalents and English language level. Note, too, that one of the conditions of applying for the scholarship is to agree to have your personal data shared with the British Council for purposes of assessment and promotional activity.
Students from the following countries are eligible to apply for the scholarships-
Americas: Brazil, and Mexico.
South Asia: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
East Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Philippines, and Hong Kong.
Wider Europe: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.Scholarship Features
The scholarship covers the following-
Eligibility requirements
Only women who will be pursuing a course of study in the UK for the academic year from September/October 2024–2025 are eligible to apply for the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM.
Other criteria are as follows-
Age criterion: There is no age limit to be eligible for the scholarship.
Academic Qualifications: You should have an undergraduate degree that will enable you to get admission to one of the pre-selected postgraduate courses at a UK university (for the Master's level). Make sure that you have completed all the components of an undergraduate degree at the time of applying for the scholarship.
If you have obtained the UG Degree in the UK, then you are not eligible to apply, because this scholarship is only available for women who have not previously studied in the UK. A distance learning programme at a UK university or studying at a UK branch campus in another country will also be considered as studying in the UK. Furthermore, you should not have lived recently in the UK.
Finance support indicator: You need to demonstrate a need for financial support, and neither be a recipient of financial support or funding from any other source towards your study programme in the UK nor have the means to privately fund your studies in the UK.
Language skills: While you are not required to complete IELTS (the well-known acronym for the International English Language Testing System) to apply for the scholarship, you must attain the level of English required for postgraduate study at a UK university. You need to clarify with the university to know the level of English required.
Work experience: You should be active in the field with work experience or a proven interest in the subject area. Secondly, you need to be keen to engage other women and girls in STEM from your home country.Post-scholarship requirements
You must agree to return to India (or whichever is the country of citizenship) for a minimum of 2 years once you have graduated from the UK institution of higher education and your scholarship award has ended. You will be required to stay in touch with the British Council and act as an ambassador for the UK, engaging with activities as part of the Scholarships for Women in STEM alumnus during and after your studies in the UK.
Applicants are advised to go through the official notification of the eligibility requirements to know about those who are not eligible to apply for the scholarship, such as if you are holding dual British citizenship, are an employee of the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM-eligible countries, etc.Application procedure
You have to select the UK university from the list of universities specific to the country you belong to and make a direct application to that university through their university page.
For students from India, the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM are available for these universities (scholars can check the full list of courses for each at the official website)-
You can make more than one application, but you will need to apply through each UK institution separately.
Closing date to apply: Since you need to apply for the course of study to the university, you should be aware that the application deadline will differ from one university to another. As informed by the British Council's notification, the earliest deadline is late March and the latest on 30th April 2024. Hence it is important to check the website of your chosen university to know the key dates of the application schedule and the application process.
After you submit the application to the university, wait for the university admissions team to communicate with you the status of your application.Contact information
For any queries related to the STEM-related course or the application process for it, you need to contact the university directly.
If you have questions specifically about the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM, then you can contact the British Council by sending your queries by email to WomenInStem.Scholarships@britishcouncil.org
You can also send an email to the above email ID in case you are unable to locate the university's contact information.
Website: https://www.britishcouncil.org/study-work-abroad/in-uk/scholarship-women-stem
While you wait for the green signal from the UK university about your admission application, explore other Study Abroad options. Back home you can pursue further studies in the S T E M fields.
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