StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The Saïd Foundation awards up to thirty scholarships a year for one-year master’s degrees at its partner universities across the UK — a list that includes Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, King’s College London, Imperial, York, Sussex, Southampton and Nottingham. Unlike broad global awards, this one is deliberately regional: it exists to develop people who will return to Syria, Jordan, Lebanon or Palestine and apply what they learned there. The award is genuinely fully funded — tuition, full living costs for the course duration, an arrival allowance, visa and Immigration Health Surcharge fees, and one economy return flight — with several partner universities co-funding part of the tuition themselves (King’s College London, for example, covers 25 per cent). There is no fixed subject requirement; what matters is leadership potential, professional objectives and a credible plan to return home.
The application runs through the Foundation’s own website, not the universities — but you must apply to the universities separately at the same time, and you can list up to three courses at partner universities in order of preference.
Eligibility
- Nationality and residence: hold Syrian, Jordanian, Lebanese or Palestinian nationality and be permanently resident in one of those countries. The Foundation considers Syrians living elsewhere because of conditions in the country.
- Academics: an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK 2:1 or above; final-year undergraduates may also apply.
- Experience: relevant work and/or voluntary experience in your field of study, with a clear career path on completing the degree and returning to your home country or region.
- Leadership: demonstrable leadership potential in your chosen field or sector.
- English: meet the Foundation’s English-language requirement — currently IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 6.0 in each band; TOEFL iBT and Duolingo accepted under published conditions.
- Course: have applied for an eligible one-year postgraduate taught or research master’s at a partner university. MBA programmes, joint courses with other institutions and online/distance degrees are not eligible.
Benefits
- Full tuition fees at the partner university (several partners co-fund a share of the fee).
- Full living/maintenance costs for the duration of the one-year course.
- Arrival allowance, plus visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
- One economy return flight between home and the UK.
- Professional network and alumni community of scholars working across the region. Note: the Foundation states plainly that it cannot financially support spouses or children.
Documents required
- Completed online Foundation application.
- Three reference letters — one academic, one professional and one voluntary.
- University transcripts and graduation certificate; high-school certificate copy.
- Passport or national ID copy; recent passport-sized photographs.
- English-language certificate (test dated after 1 October 2025, per the published requirements).
- Evidence of university applications — offer letters or proof of application to your preferred courses (official evidence due by 29 January 2027).
- Medical certificate and any other supporting documents.
How to apply
- Check eligibility on the Foundation’s requirements page and shortlist up to three eligible one-year master’s courses at partner universities.
- Apply to the universities directly — you do not need an offer before the Foundation deadline, but you should have applied if the course applications are open.
- Complete the Foundation’s online application with your three proposed courses in order of preference, and upload all documents and references.
- Applications closed 30 October 2026 (5:00 PM UK time on ). Incomplete applications are not considered.
- After the deadline: upload evidence of your university applications by 29 January 2027; shortlisted candidates are interviewed in March 2027, and final selections are notified by early June 2027.
FAQs
Citizens of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon or Palestine who are permanently resident in those countries (with an exception for Syrians displaced elsewhere). It is not open to other nationalities.
No — the Foundation states there is no age limit for applicants.
No. You apply to the Foundation and to your chosen universities in parallel; you need to have applied to the university course if applications are open, but an offer is not required at the Foundation deadline.
Tuition fees, full living costs, an arrival allowance, visa fees, the Immigration Health Surcharge and one economy return flight. Spouses and children are not supported.
There is no fixed subject requirement, but your course must be an eligible one-year master’s (taught or by research) at one of the Foundation’s partner universities — MBAs, joint courses and online degrees are excluded.
Yes — you should have previous work or voluntary experience relevant to your subject of study, plus a clear plan to apply your degree back home.
Verified 31 Oct 2026 via Imperial College London’s official Saïd Foundation partner page (applications open 1 Sep 2026, close 30 Oct 2026 5:00 PM UK time; nationality/residence rules; 2:1-equivalent degree; experience, leadership and English requirements; eligible one-year master’s), corroborated by europescholarships, scholarpositions and scholarshipsads (full benefits breakdown incl. arrival allowance, visa fees and IHS; 29 Jan 2027 evidence deadline; Mar 2027 interviews; May/Jun 2027 decisions; ~20–30 awards) (corrected 31 Oct 2026 — applications closed 30 Oct 2026, 5:00 PM UK time, per the Imperial College London official partner page; no extension found).
