Travel and language school awards

• Value of awards

  The maximum award amount will be £500. The awarding committee also welcomes applications for smaller sums.

• Eligibility

  The awards are open to students pursuing a degree in Ancient History, Ancient History & Archaeology, Classical Studies or Classics, or in joint degrees partly within the School of Classics. Priority will be given to applicants in their second or third year of study. Fourth year students proceeding to the MLitt in St Andrews and first year students with an honours intention wholly or partly within the School of Classics may also apply.

  For travel, in cases where the committee needs to choose between two or more applications of equal quality, preference may be given to:

  • Students at the end of their 3^rd year whose proposed trips relate to final-year dissertation topics.
  • Students wishing to attend summer schools at the British Schools in Athens or Rome.

  For language school applications, preference may be given to ex-beginners in Greek or Latin at the end of their second year, who intend to continue into Honours.

• How to apply

  You will be required to submit a document covering the following questions in no more than 1000 words. Please put your name on the document!

  For travel awards

  • details of which sites or institutions you intend to visit and an approximate timetable of your planned travel/study itinerary.
  • whether you have applied yet for a place to study at an archaeological school (e.g. British School at Rome or British School at Athens).
  • an indication of the purpose and value of your proposed itinerary/plan of study.

  For language summer school awards

  • a history of your study of the language so far, and your current competence.
  • what you hope to gain from attending a summer school.
  • your future plans for studying the language.
  • an indication of whether you have applied yet for a place on a language school.

  You will also need to name an academic within the School who is willing to be your referee.

  Apply through Scholarships and Funding in MySaint, searching first for the View Scholarships and Funding Catalogue.

• Application deadlines

  The application deadlines for travel and language school awards in academic year 2023/2024 is 31 March 2024.

• Donations

  The School of Classics is keen to expand its travel scholarship scheme further in the coming years. For enquiries about donations please contact the Head of School (classicshos@st-andrews.ac.uk).

• The Terence Bruce and Margaret Mitford Travel Bursaries for Archaeology

  These bursaries are paid from a legacy from the estate of the late Professor Ronald Morton Smith, who graduated from St Andrews with a First Class degree in Classics in 1939. They were set up in memory of Professor Terence Bruce Mitford and his wife Margaret, friends of Professor Smith and his widow Mrs Helen B. Smith.

  Terence Bruce Mitford taught Latin in St Andrews for fifty years, but also established the University of St Andrews Archaeological Society. His scholarly interest was in Greek epigraphy, and he spent his summers travelling and exploring in Classical lands, especially in Cyprus and Turkey. He created a Museum of Archaeology in St Andrews, and the teaching of ancient history and archaeology in St Andrews can in part be attributed to his enthusiasm and efforts.

  It is, therefore, entirely appropriate that these travel bursaries should enable undergraduates today to fund educational travel and/or archaeological study in Classical lands. Students in the past have used them to visit museums, sites, excavation projects or summer schools (including language summer schools in the UK).

• The Laura Cook Memorial Travel Fund

  The family of Laura Cook has funded this scholarship in her memory to benefit undergraduate students to cover the costs of travel for overseas study. 

  Laura Dudley Cook was an American who loved to travel, especially to historic places.  She travelled extensively with her job and her family, and was known for her thorough research into each destination's place in, and importance to, history. 

  Laura’s first visit to Scotland and St. Andrews was in April, 2012.  She fell in love with the University because of the safe, encouraging environment it would provide for her daughter (who has now graduated from the School), and she loved the friendliness and acceptance of the Scottish people. Laura passed away from cancer in 2014, but her memory and desire for adventure will live on.