Beit Trust 2025 Postgraduate Scholarships for Master

Eligibility Criteria

Please read this section carefully. It will have a material effect on how your application is sifted and therefore on your chances of obtaining a Beit Scholarship.

The following criteria are all considered when assessing your application:

1. Academic Capability: we look first at those with a Distinction or Merit (Upper Second Class) in their undergraduate degree. Those with Lower Second Class or Credit/Pass degrees, while not ineligible to apply, will struggle to beat the competition. We understand, however, that some medical degrees are not graded in this way.
2. Those who already hold a postgraduate degree are likely only in the most exceptional cases to be considered for a Beit Postgraduate Scholarship. The Trust usually decides to offer the opportunity to worthy candidates who do not already have a postgraduate qualification.  
3. Professional Work Experience: important in the award of a scholarship. This should be relevant to the proposed field of study. As a guide, at least three years’ work experience, backed by a positive employer’s reference, can boost an application. The Trust values work experience in itself, but also as an index to leadership potential in your chosen field.
4. Voluntary Work: our application form asks about this, as evidence of pro bono engagement with your community. This is not however essential, and is not in itself a sufficient alternative to professional work experience.  
5. Leadership Qualities: these are important to the Trust, as an indication of your ability to contribute to economic and social uplift, to the benefit of the people of your country.
6. References: these help us make a rounded assessment of you on paper. Referees are most effective when they can point to evidence-based examples of leadership, achievement and professional potential beyond the ordinary.
7. Relevance of your course of study: the Trust’s focus is on developmental academic disciplines: i.e. those which contribute to the advancement of Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi in fields such as medicine, health, engineering, education, economic growth, agriculture and conservation. These categories are not exhaustive. If you have a question about the developmental nature of your degree choice, please email us before applying at 
8. The Trust does not consider applications for MBAs.
9. Return to your own country: your stated willingness to do this is important.
10. Choice of university: you must apply only within our partner universities, listed in the next section. Applying for more than one provides a better chance of selection.
11. Doctors and Vets should have completed 18 months of internship and at least a one-year posting in country. Experience in rural practice is especially welcome.
12. The Trust cannot consider applications from those who have already begun a course.

Offered Benefits

• Fees, tuition costs and related academic expenses. These are paid by the Trust direct to the Partner 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 departure.
• Economy Class tickets are provided for the initial journey to the place of study, and on final return.
• No allowances can be paid for spouses and other family members or dependants.

Application Process

For UK Partner University applications:

1. Make your application for admission directly to one or more of the Partner Universities listed above, and only to those universities. Please apply via their websites, which will guide you.
2. Notify the relevant university, where applicable, that you will be approaching the Beit Trust for scholarship funding.
3. As long as the course/s 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.
4. Once you have an offer from your chosen Partner University, you should apply as early as possible to the Beit Trust for a scholarship.
5. Your application, with all the supporting documents, must be uploaded via the Scholarship application link.
6. You need three referees: Academic, Character and Employer (as appropriate). They have separate and individual forms, the link for which must be forwarded to them by you, the applicant. The link becomes available once you have submitted your scholarship application form electronically.
7. We prefer referees to use the link provided in the application form. If, however, they can only provide their reference by email, please forward them the relevant forms, which you can download below.

Download Academic Reference Form –  Download Character Reference Form –  Download Employer Reference Form

The completed forms must be returned directly from the referee via email to 

For South African Partner University applications:

Due to the South African University application process opening after our Scholarship application deadline of 7 February 2025, we will accept scholarship applications for South African Universities for the year 2026/2027 without a confirmed offer.

Please follow steps 3 to 7 above. Where you are asked to upload your university offer letter, please provide instead the details of the courses and universities that you will be applying for, in PDF format. Your scholarship application will then be considered alongside the applicants for UK universities, as part of the same entry year cohort.

Required Documents:

Please ensure you have all the documents below ready to upload electronically.  Once you start the application process, you must complete it, as you will not be able to save answers and return to it later. You will, however, be able to scroll through the form before you begin to fill it in.

You will be required to upload the following documents with your application:

1. A signed Medical Certificate Form from your doctor.  This will need to be completed before you begin the application process below.  Please download the form here:  Medical Certificate Form
2. A copy of your offer letter from a UK Partner University/s; or a PDF document detailing the university/s and course/s you will apply to at a South African Partner University/s.
3. Degree results (incl. certificates of importance and full transcripts).
4. Curriculum Vitae (CV).
5. A personal statement to explain in your own words (no longer than 250) how you think a postgraduate degree will benefit your country and its development.
6. A clear recent photograph of yourself: not a passport photo, but something that shows you to your best advantage.
7. A clear copy of your valid passport, showing date of issue and expiry.  Please ensure it is valid for the duration of your proposed studies; and that sufficient blank pages are available to accommodate visa and travel stamp requirements.