The Desmond Tutu/Church of Scotland Masters Scholarship

The scholarship will be awarded to a student from Africa (belonging to one of the Churches listed below) who is accepted on a full-time basis for a one-year postgraduate Masters programme of study within the School of Divinity and who has an official endorsement from the General Secretary or Principal Clerk of their Church.

This scholarship was set up in 2009 to commemorate the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity conferred by the University on the Most Reverend Desmond Tutu.

During the graduation ceremony Archbishop Tutu spoke of the historic links between Africa and the University of Edinburgh: "Some of our first black physicians were people who had trained here and there is a long tradition that links this university with our part of the world."

We are offering one scholarship which will cover: 

  • Full overseas tuition
  • Accommodation (possibly shared) within a Church of Scotland flat within Edinburgh
  • Monthly allowance
  • Visa costs
  • One return airfare
  • Insurance from Church of Scotland Business travel.

The award will be tenable for one academic year.

All scholarship award holders are expected to be energetic members of our postgraduate community, and will engage with opportunities to present their work to the wider student and staff body during the period covered by their award.  We offer our postgraduates a range of training and development opportunities appropriate to their programme of study.

The Church of Scotland anticipated the student will be part of a Church of Scotland community while in Edinburgh.


The scholarship will be awarded to a new applicant who has applied for admission to a postgraduate taught Masters or Masters by Research degree programme of study at the University commencing in September 2026.

Applicants must have, or expect to obtain, the equivalent of a UK first class or 2:1 Honours degree at undergraduate level.

Both taught Masters and Masters by Research programmes are eligible for this award.  Applications will be considered from applicants from African countries wishing to study on a full-time postgraduate Masters programme in the School of Divinity.

 Applicants must be affiliated with one of the following churches:

  • Synod of the Nile of the Evangelical Church of Egypt
  • Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana
  • Presbyterian Church of Ghana
  • Presbyterian Church of East Africa, Kenya
  • Church of Central Africa Presbyterian:
    • General Synod
    • Synod of Blantyre
    • Synod of Livingstonia
    • Nkhoma Synod
  • Igreja Evangélica de Cristo em Moçambique
  • Presbyterian Church of Nigeria
  • Presbyterian Church of South Sudan
  • United Church of Zambia
  • Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa

The Scholarship will be awarded broadly on the basis of academic merit with candidates requiring an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK first class or 2:1 Honours degree.


To be considered for this scholarship, applicants must complete the following two steps:

  1. Apply for your chosen Masters programme.
  2. Submit your scholarship application via the University’s online scholarship application system before 1st April 2026. 

Please note that, following the submission of an application for admission, it can take approximately 5 working days for all system checks to be completed and for access to be granted. For this reason, the application to the Masters programme must be submitted at least 10 working days prior to the scholarship application deadline.

As part of the application process, we will also require evidence of involvement in one of the affiliated Churches. Applicants should provide a reference from the General Secretary or equivalent from their church confirming their involvement and also commitment to offering support. Please send this to Div.PGRAdmin@ed.ac.uk. 

Please note that, if shortlisted, your application may be shared with the Church of Scotland for selection processing. Contact details of the successful candidate will be shared with the Church of Scotland.

In order to gain access to the scholarship application system applicants must have applied for admission to the University of Edinburgh. We highly recommend you apply for the scholarship well in advance of the scholarship deadline date should you encounter any technical difficulties with your application which need resolved.

The online scholarship application form is located in EUCLID and can be accessed via MyEd - our web based information portal at: https://www.myed.ed.ac.uk

When logging in to MyEd, you will need your University User Name (UUN) and password. If you require assistance, please go to: http://www.ed.ac.uk/student-systems/support-guidance

Further guidance on applying for scholarships as a registered student can be found here: Applying for a scholarship | Student Systems | Student Administration

The scholarship deadline is 23:59 (UK Time) on 1st April 2026. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Scholarships Systems FAQs for Applicants (152.11 KB / PDF)


All applicants will be notified of the outcome by the end of June 2026.


Please direct any queries to Div.PGRAdmin@ed.ac.uk


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