British Council Women In STEM Scholarships

About the award

Level: Masters
Course: Any eligible 1-year masters programme (Full details below)
Country/Region: Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand
Value: The award covers full overseas tuition fees, a contribution towards monthly maintenance allowance travel, visa and other initial costs.
No. of awards: 5
Deadline: 21 April 2025.

More information

In partnership with the British Council, Queen Mary University of London is delighted to offer five scholarships for Women in STEM for the 2025-26 academic year.

Access to education is one contributing factor leading to the underrepresentation of women in STEM. Therefore, the objective of this programme is to help address this situation by providing opportunities for women from the countries listed below to continue with their studies and research in STEM subjects.

Eligible Programmes

• MSc Biodiversity and Conservation
• MSc Biomedical Engineering
• MSc Biomedical Engineering (conversion)
• MSc Cancer and Molecular Cellular Biology
• MSc Clinical Drug Development
• MSc Global Development
• MSc Energy and Climate Change Law
• MSc Global Public Health and Policy
• MSc Neuroscience
• MSc Sustainable Energy Systems

Eligibility Criteria

• You must identify as a woman.
• You must be a passport holder and permanent resident of one of the following countries: Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand. 
• You must meet the entry requirements for the programme you have applied for, including academic equivalents and English language. The deadline for students to meet any conditions of their offer is 1 August 2025.
• You must have completed all components of an undergraduate degree at the time of applying for the scholarship.
• Your application must demonstrate a need for financial support.
• You must not have previously studied at a degree level or higher in the UK or lived recently in the UK.
• If your application is successful, you must agree to return to your country of citizenship for a minimum of two years after the scholarship award has ended.
• You must upload your completed British Council’s application form via our online portal (see link below).

Additionally, we are looking for applicants who: 

• Are active in the field with work experience or with a proven interest in the programme area you are applying for.
• Are willing to demonstrate future contribution to capacity-building and socio-economic advancement through the benefits achieved after graduating from UK higher education and returning to their home country.
• Can demonstrate a plan and passion to engage other women and girls in STEM from your home country.

Further information about the scholarship for potential candidates can be found on the British Council’s page: 
www.britishcouncil.org/study-work-abroad/in-uk/scholarship-women-stem 

Application Guidance

Candidates should apply for their chosen (eligible) Master's programme at Queen Mary through our online portal, indicating that they are applying for the scholarship. Candidates should apply for one programme only. Candidates should hold a Queen Mary offer by 30^th April 2025. Please ensure sufficient time to apply and receive your offer: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/after-you-apply/.  Offers may be conditional, but candidates will need to meet all academic conditions prior by 1 August 2025. 

To be considered for the scholarship you must also complete and upload the following BC WIS Mandatory Form [DOC 57KB] to your application portal before the deadline. Applicants who have not submitted this form will not be considered for the scholarship.

Please note this form should be uploaded after you submit your application. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an acknowledgement email with your applicant ID and login details for the applicant portal. You can use the applicant portal to track the status of your application and upload additional documents including the application form.

The British Council will make the final decision on selected scholars. If you are awarded a scholarship, you agree to maintain contact with the British Council and act as an ambassador for the UK and engage with activities as part of a British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM alumnus during and after your study in the UK.

Results are expected to be announced in mid-June. The British Council's full terms and conditions of the Women in STEM scholarships will be shared with the shortlisted candidates.

Timeline

15 January 2025 - Applications open Applicants should Submit their Scholarships applications together with their Queen Mary course application Indicate their application for ‘BC Women in STEM’ in the drop-down menu on the Queen Mary application portal
21 April 2025 - Applications close
From mid-June 2025 Queen Mary will start making scholarships offers to conditionally selected scholars
1 August 2025 Deadline for conditionally selected scholars to submit all documentation to confirm the Scholarship offers
From August 2025 Unsuccessful Scholarship applicants will start receiving notifications

For more information, please contact Jessica Wong, PGR Recruitment, Partnerships & Sponsor Relations Manager, at jessica.wong@qmul.ac.uk. You can also contact your Regional Manager here.

Before contacting Queen Mary, please note the above timeline and related milestones. Students will be contacted on a phased basis from these dates.