The Andrea Levy Scholarship

The University of Edinburgh is privileged to offer scholarships to support Black African and Caribbean heritage applicants from socio-economically challenged backgrounds, made possible by a gift from the family of the late Andrea Levy.

Andrea Levy

The Andrea Levy Scholarships were established in 2020 in memory of multi-award winning novelist, Andrea Levy. Born in London to Jamaican parents, Ms Levy held longstanding family and personal links to Edinburgh and to Scotland, and the University of Edinburgh is honoured to contribute to her legacy by hosting this scholarship programme.

The Scholarship is designed to help with your living expenses, and to fully cover your tuition fees, throughout your Undergraduate degree.

 

Applications for students commencing their studies in September 2025 are now open. 

The Scholarship will cover:

  • your tuition fees*, and
  • a stipend of £5,000 per annum to help with your living expenses

The Scholarship is tenable for the duration of your programme of study, which is typically four years, but can be longer. This award does not affect your eligibility for an Access Edinburgh Scholarship (£1,000 - £5,000 per annum, depending on your circumstances), and both awards can be held at the same time. The total available towards your living expenses is therefore up to £10,000 for every year of your course.

*The full cost of your tuition fees, which for most 'rest of UK' students is £9,250 per annum, will be covered by the scholarship. If you are resident in Scotland your fees will be covered by SAAS.


To be considered for this scholarship, you must:

  • Have one of the following categories of ethnicity: Black Caribbean; Black African; Black Other; Mixed – White/Black Caribbean; Mixed – White /Black African; or Other mixed background that includes Caribbean heritage. We particularly encourage applicants with any form of Caribbean heritage to apply.
  • Be starting a first undergraduate full time degree programme at the University of Edinburgh in the 2025-2026 academic year. 
  • Have been assessed for fee status as a 'home' student (meaning that you ordinarily live in Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland).
  • Have a household income below £34,000 per annum. 

We will assess applications using the following:

  • Household income - Priority will be given to applicants whose household income is assessed as £23,999 or less. Applicants with a household income of between £24,000 and £33,900 may also apply.
  • Your application statement of between 600 and 900 words explaining:

 

  1. What achievements, academically and/or personally, you are most proud of. This could include overcoming a challenging personal circumstance. There is no right or wrong answer, we are keen to hear your story.
  2. Why the scholarship would be beneficial to your studies and how it would help you to achieve your academic goals.
  3. How your education would be of future benefit to your community and/or society.

Other factors - We may consider any other personal or academic circumstances that could have influenced or impacted applicants in their education to date. 

 


All eligible applicants must complete our online enquiry form below by 23:59 (GMT) on Tuesday 15th of April 2025. 

Forms submitted after this date will not be considered.

Enquiry Form

Shortly after completing the enquiry form you will receive a link to an online application form via email. Please complete the form and submit it by 23:59 (GMT) on Tuesday 22nd of April 2025.

We will not consider any applications received after this deadline date.


We aim for all applicants to receive notification of the outcome of their application by the end of May 2025. If successful, you will be invited to attend an informal online video call.


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