Gibson-Sykora Scholarship

Value of award (per year)

Full tuition fees.

If full funding for tuition fees has been secured through alternate means, all or part of the Gibson-Sykora award may be converted to maintenance in some circumstances.

Duration of award

This award is available for up to 3 years of postgraduate study.

At what stage of my course application can I apply for this scholarship?

Please apply for the award after you have submitted your application for a place at St Andrews. You do not need to wait until you have received an offer of a place before applying for the award.

Additional criteria

As part of the application you will be asked to upload the following documents:

• University transcript(s), including interim transcripts for any degrees pending.
• Financial Statement: A written personal financial statement describing any history of financial need (such as free school meals/fees), your current financial circumstances (written context of declared household income), any changes to your income (known changes such as job loss), and how a scholarship will assist your learning. This statement should include relevant information such as:
  • Details of your personal financial situation
  • Household members earning and those not earning income
  • Any expected changes to this income after you start your intended course
  • Whether you have been in receipt of any financial support such as benefits
  • Any previous needs based scholarships/bursaries you have held
  • Any extenuating circumstances such as carer, dependants, disability, refugee
  • Where self-employed details of wages and drawings are required
  • Any other information that will help us understand why you need funding
• Household Income: Evidence of the income you have stated in your scholarship application as "total household income". Provide all relevant forms of income for the current or most recent full year: employment, wage, salary statements (most recent three months), tax certificates or returns, confirmation letters from department of work and pensions, letters from local government, FAFSA, Council Tax statement, Tax credits, PIP, DLA, dividends, pension, annuity. Where evidence is not available please provide bank statements or e-statements (most recent three months) to show receipt of income. Documents must be PDF or similar small file size format and in English.

We recommend using the funding financial profile to help calculate your household income before you apply for any needs-based scholarships. You can find the funding financial profile under ‘Create my funding financial profile’ in the Scholarships and Funding section of My application. 

Information for non-UK applicants

Household income will be assessed on below average country-specific income rates. When entering your income details in the scholarship application form, please convert your local currency to Pounds Sterling (GBP) and indicate the exchange rate you have used in the relevant question in the scholarship application form.

It is extremely important that you provide complete and accurate information when applying for funding. Your course and funding application are not linked, and applying for funding in no way impedes your course application.

How to apply

This scholarship is available through the Gibson-Sykora Scholarship applications in the Scholarships and Funding catalogue, in the Scholarships and Funding section of My Application.

• If you have applied for a Postgraduate Research course (e.g. PhD, MPhil, MFA), you should apply for the Gibson-Sykora Scholarship - Postgraduate Research. 
• If you have applied to a Postgraduate Taught course (e.g. MSc, MLitt, MRes, PG Certificate, PG Diploma, Conversion Diploma), you should apply for the Gibson-Sykora Scholarship - Postgraduate Taught. 
• If you are a current student at St Andrews, you can access the catalogue through MySaint. However, you should wait until after you have applied for your intended postgraduate programme before doing so, to ensure that the scholarship application is linked to the correct course.

Scholarship application form guidance

Terms and conditions

Please read the University of St Andrews scholarships terms and conditions (opens in new tab)

If applying to this scholarship, please be aware of the following requirements:

• Core personal details may be passed to the benefactors of your scholarship. Your name, the name of your town of origin, school/college and subject of study will be passed to the donor of the scholarship with your consent.
• Your scholarship award in subsequent years of study is conditional upon your successful completion of the academic requirements to progress in your proposed subject of study at the University of St Andrews. If your scholarship is subject-related then your award is usually also conditional upon your continuing to study that specific subject.
• Attendance at Development related scholarship events (including invitations to meet the donors) is strongly encouraged. You will be invited to these as appropriate by the Development Office.
• Submission of reports throughout the period of scholarship support. You are required to submit an Introductory Biography at the start of your award period and the Development Office will contact you towards the end of the academic session for a report on your time at St Andrews to share with the donors of your award. This will be an annual cycle for the duration of your award.
• If you apply to this scholarship, details from your course application may be passed to the selection panel solely for the purpose of merit-based assessment.

When will I know the outcome?

The outcome of your scholarship application will be available on ‘View my applications’ in the Scholarships and Funding section of My Application by late March 2024.