The Open Society Foundations/ University of York Awards aim to provide opportunities for independent postgraduate study in the United Kingdom for individuals who have demonstrated academic and/or professional excellence and the potential to become leaders, decision-makers and opinion formers in their
own country. Subject to satisfactory progress, the scholarships lead to a Master of Arts award. The Scholarships will enable suitably qualified individuals and/or young professionals to pursue the following taught postgraduate program at the University: MA Post–War Recovery Studies.
Each award will provide for payment of academic tuition fees, examination fees, a monthly stipend for living expenses sufficient for a single individual, and other agreed allowances including one return economy airfare.
Eligibility
The scholarships are open to applicants from Afghanistan.
Applicants must:
• be nationals of, and normally resident in Afghanistan during the academic year in which they apply for the award: applicants who are temporarily out of the country (for a total period of less than three consecutive months) may be treated as being resident;
• already hold (or expect to hold by the time of taking up the award) a relevant first degree with good grades or have a proven record of exceptional professional experience;
• display intellectual ability and leadership potential;
• have passed an appropriate English language test by the time of taking up the award;
• have a dedication to return to their home country at the end of their scholarship period to continue their studies/ work there.
A preference will go towards applicants who have not previously studied outside of their home country.
Please note that if you have applied, or are applying, for other grants, fellowships or scholarships with the Open Society Foundations you should alert us to this in your application. While you may apply under more than one scheme simultaneously, you can be awarded only one Open Society Foundations scholarship or grant for a given period.
Employees, employees’ relatives (or former employees who have left employment less than two years before) of the Educational Advising Centers or local Open Society Foundations representations directly involved in the Open Society Foundations Scholarship Programs administration in the region and the participating universities will not be eligible to apply for these awards.
Application Procedure
Applicants for the above-mentioned scholarship should complete the University’s paper application forms available on the web at www.york.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/paper/ or for download below.
• Application form
• References form
• Equal opportunities monitoring form
• Self-assessment form
Applicants should also provide copies of the other documents listed in Section 15 of the application form. The completed forms and other documents must be returned to Open Society Institute Afghanistan OSIA in Kabul by February 20, 2012. One original set of the application pack and one additional set of copies should be submitted.
Further information on this program and required application forms are also available from OSIA.
Deadline
February 20, 2012
Selection Procedure
All completed applications received by OSIA by the deadline will be forwarded to the University of York. Academic staff at the University will consider the applications for university admission and will compile a shortlist of applicants to be interviewed for the scholarship.
By mid April 2012, applicants will be informed as to whether they have been invited for interview and English language tests. It is expected that these will take place in mid-late April 2012.
The final awards will be decided jointly by the University and OSF-London.Candidates will be informed in June/July.
Please note that all successful applicants will be expected to attend a one-month preparatory academic writing summer school in August 2012. The Open Society Scholarship Programs Pre-Academic Summer Program is designed to prepare Open Society Scholarship Programs grantees for a successful academic experience in the UK. Successful applicants will be provided with the opportunity to refine their research and writing skills through intensive courses in academic writing and social sciences. The exact date and location of the summer school will be available at a later stage in the selection process.
Find out more about the University of York
Visit the University’s Home Page: www.york.ac.uk and the Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit’s Home Page: www.york.ac.uk/depts/poli/prdu/.
Contact Information for Scholarship Queries
Please contact the local scholarship coordanitor for Afghanistan
or
Inga Pracute
Programs Coordinator
Open Society Scholarship Programs
OSF-London
Email: inga.pracute@osf-eu.org
Fax: (+44-207) 031 0201
