Information for Applicants

How to apply for a scholarship

The application is now available for the d1090 scholarship for study in 2019/20. 

(updated 21st January 2019)

Information for Potential Applicants

Rotary District 1090 in the Thames Valley, UK, is looking to award one scholarship for post-graduate study in the academic year 2019/20. This scholarship is for USD 30,000 to study in District 1090 either in the area of Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution or Economic and Community Development.  Applicants must be from a low or middle-income country.

If you think you are eligible for a Rotary Scholarship but not eligible for this Rotary District 1090 Scholarship, then scroll to the foot of this page.

Background

The Rotary Scholarship programme is one of the largest privately funded scholarship programmes in the world. In 2017 Rotary International celebrated 70 years of the scholarship programme.  In the last 15 years this District has supported over 200 Scholars on either the former “Ambassadorial” scheme or the current Global Grant scheme. The majority of these have studied within our District and been funded by their home Rotary Clubs and Districts, but District 1090 has also funded one scholar each year (and very occasionally two scholars) to study overseas or in our District.

Rotary Graduate Scholarships are funded by Rotary Foundation Global Grants and all applications for Global Grants must fit one or more of the Areas of Focus. To read more about the Areas of Focus, visit the Rotary Foundation webpages on the Rotary International website.

Scholarships can be for a single year, or for up to four years, of academic graduate full time study. The scholarship may not be used for unsupervised research, medical internship or residency, or for full time employment.

Students in receipt of a Rotary Scholarship are not prohibited from applying to or receiving funds from other scholarship schemes.

Visit the Rotary International ‘My Rotary’webpages to read more about the activities funded by Global Grants, including graduate scholarships.

The Scholarship on Offer and Eligibility

This scholarship is for students from outside the UK, who are planning to take up a place on a graduate course within District 1090. To be eligible:

1. Applicants must be from (a citizen of) a low to middle income country, as defined by the UK Government’s Department of International Development.
2. Applicants must have been offered a place, or expect to receive an offer of a place to study on a graduate course in the academic year 2019/20. Applicants must expect to be in receipt of an offer by April 2019
3. The planned university course must fit either under Rotary’s first Areas of Focus “Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution” or the sixth Area of Focus “Economic and Community Development”.
4. Applicants must be planning to study at a university within Rotary District 1090. This covers Brunel, Bucks New, Oxford, Oxford Brookes and Reading Universities.
5. Applicants must be planning to start on a new course in the academic year 2019/20, ie this scholarship will not be awarded to a student about to move into year two of a two-year graduate course.
6. Rotarians are not eligible to apply. Applicants may not be related to a Rotarian (partner, child or grandchild of a current Rotarian or someone who has been a Rotarian in the last three years). Scholarships are funded by Global Grants and this fits with the rule that Rotarians and their families may not be beneficiaries of a Global Grant.

Application Process

This is a two-stage application process.  This Scholarship is awarded by Rotary Foundation central offices in the USA, but must first be endorsed by Rotary District 1090.

Applicants should complete the online application form and submit this before the deadline of 5pm on 31st March 2019.

click here to start the application form

Applications will be evaluated by a committee representing the Rotary District 1090 Foundation Committee, and short-listed applicants will be requested to attend an interview (by Skype or in person) in mid April 2019. A preferred applicant and runner-up will be selected for the scholarship.

The selected District-endorsed applicant will then be linked to a ‘sponsoring’ Rotary Club in District 1090. The District 1090 Foundation Committee will also find a partner Rotary Club and Rotary District from the applicant’s home country. It is not necessary to be supported by a Rotary Club when submitting the application to District 1090.

The final decision on award of the scholarship will be made by the central Rotary Foundation offices in the USA. The selected District 1090 candidate will be given full support to complete the Rotary Foundation Global Grant online application form. There is no requirement to complete the Rotary Foundation online application form when submitting an initial application to District 1090.

Applicants will be required to provide evidence of acceptance from the university of their choice before the scholarship is awarded.

Award of Funds

Once the scholarship is awarded, the sponsoring Rotary Club will be responsible for managing the funds. Both the Club and the Scholar are required to submit reports to the Rotary Foundation.

Rotary Scholarships for those wishing to study in District 1090 in the Thames Valley, at the universities of Brunel, Bucks New, Oxford, Oxford Brookes and Reading

If you are applying to or have been offered a place to study at a university in our district, and you are not eligible to apply for the above District 1090 Scholarship, then you should apply to your home Rotary District for a scholarship. If successful, then you or your sponsoring Rotary Club or District would contact the District 1090 Scholars Committee to ask for a partner club to host you and to support your Global Grant application to Rotary International. See the links above for further information on the Areas of Focus and the links to the My Rotary webpages.

For more information please visit official website