The Beit Trust has partnership agreements with the universities below. This enables the Trust to share costs, and to increase the number of scholarships it can fund. For this reason, only applicants with acceptances from the universities listed will be eligible for Beit Scholarships.
There are seven universities in the United Kingdom: Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow (bio-medical disciplines only), Leeds, Oxford, Strathclyde (engineering disciplines only), and St Andrews (computer science only).
There are currently four active partners in South Africa: Rhodes, Stellenbosch, UCT and Wits.
These partnerships allow us to award joint scholarships (e.g. Beit-Cambridge, Beit-UCT, etc.), and may change from time to time. Applicants must first apply to, and be accepted by, a Beit partner university before applying to the Trust for a scholarship.
Beit Trust Scholarships are for Postgraduate degrees. We do not provide scholarships for undergraduate work.
Our postgraduate focus is on Master’s Degrees. The universities above offer a one-year taught Master’s in the UK; and a two-year taught Master’s in South Africa. Both have a research dimension and the applicant must have obtained Honours at undergraduate level.
We do not offer scholarships for Ph.D. research ab initio. Only under exceptional circumstances, and for Beit scholars of outstanding merit, will the Trustees consider extending support to Ph.D. level.
By Act of Parliament, the Beit Trust supports ONLY students who are nationals of Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, and who currently live there. In addition, the Trust cannot consider applications from those who have already begun a course.
All applicants (except medical and veterinary doctors) must be under 30 years of age on 31 December of the year of application. Some experience of work after completion of a first degree is strongly recommended. Doctors and vets must be under 35 years of age on 31 December of the application year. They should have completed 18 months of internship, and a one-year, preferably rural, posting in the relevant country.
The Trust does not consider applicants for MBAs.
How to apply for a Beit Trust Scholarship
The next round of Beit Scholarships will be awarded for the academic year beginning September 2021 for universities in the UK; and January 2022 for universities in South Africa. Scholarships for the academic year beginning September 2020 (UK) and January 2021 (SA) have already been awarded.
Please do not contact The Beit Trust about scholarships until there is an invitation to bid for the academic years above. This should be posted in September this year. Due to uncertainties about UK university admission policies following the Covid 19 pandemic, however, there may be a delay in posting directions for new applications. If there are delays, we will update the website accordingly.
Please read the section above, on the Trust’s Joint University Partnerships. As set out, the Trust has jointly-funded academic partnerships with seven universities in the UK, and four in South Africa. We will fund successful applicants to these universities only.
The process for applying for a Beit Scholarship is as follows:
- Only nationals of Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, who are also resident in and intend to return to those countries, are eligible to apply;
- Applications should be for a one-year taught Master’s Degree (to UK universities); and a two-year taught Master’s in South Africa;
- Applications should be made directly to the partner universities listed above, and only to those universities, via their websites and in the period beginning September 2020 (although some application windows do not open until October. Their websites will guide you);
- As long as the courses you wish to pursue are available, you may apply to more than one partner university at a time. Indeed, we recommend you do so, to increase your chances of acceptance, and to broaden the scholarship opportunities available;
- Once you have an offer from your chosen partner university, you should apply as early as possible to The Beit Trust for a scholarship. When the new application window opens, there will be a linked application form here;
- The Trust will then sift and shortlist the most qualified, for interview by our national selection boards in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. The absolute deadline for applications to reach the Trust is 5 March 2021. The boards will sit in late April 2021;
- Resources are limited and the scholarship process competitive. Not all those interviewed will necessarily be selected for a Scholarship. But an interview is essential to selection;
- The Trust will notify those selected for interview of the date, time and place;
- The Trust will give particular weight to those who have work or other professional experience; have demonstrated a capacity to become leaders in their field; are reading for a degree of direct and practical relevance to the development of their country; and whose stated intention is to return to their country at the completion of their degree.
A Beit Postgraduate Scholarship Grant covers the following:
- Fees, tuition costs and related academic expenses. These are paid by the Trust direct to the universities.
- A personal allowance, index-linked in accordance with guidance from an independent authority, covering maintenance support.
- Other allowances are paid for arrival, a laptop and a return flight home.
- Economy Class tickets are provided for the initial journey to the place of study, and on final return.
- No allowances are paid for spouses and other family members.
