Alice Petavel MLitt Scholarship for sixteenth-century Scottish history and literature

Value of award (per year)

Up to two awards covering Home tuition fees in full (£12,630)

Duration of award

One year, two years’ part-time equivalent

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

You must have applied for one of the eligible postgraduate taught (MLitt) programmes or pathways (stated above) at St Andrews and have clear plans to pursue a dissertation on the topic of sixteenth-century Scottish history or literature, within which, in line with the original purpose of the bequest, topics related to Mary, Queen of Scots, may be preferred.

Selection is based on financial need and academic excellence. Please articulate or provide evidence for all the following that apply to you in the application form. All aspects of your scholarship application will be taken into consideration.

The award also provides additional ad hoc financial support to scholars for items such as discretionary travel throughout the study period upon written request to their academic school.

In support of your application, you will be asked to upload the following supporting documents:

• A dissertation proposal of 500 words outlining your topic, with reference to the primary sources and literary texts you intend to study, key questions you will address, and the significance of this topic in the scholarly literature.
• One personal reference and one academic or professional reference (two references in total). These can be in addition to your course application references, but must be uploaded before the deadline. Where possible, your references should support the two or more criteria you meet from the list above. Please refer to the guidance below or contact scholarshipsandfunding@st-andrews.ac.uk if you have any queries.
• University transcript(s), including interim transcripts for any degrees pending.
• Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) or resume.

Sources for socio-economically disadvantaged areas: Scotland, England, London.

References

You are required to provide one academic reference and one personal reference.

The academic reference may be the same as one of the academic references submitted with your study application. If you do not have access to those references, please upload a holding document (e.g. Word) with the name of the referee. We will upload the reference after you submit the scholarship application.

The personal reference should be written by someone who knows you well (but not a family member) who can vouch for either the non-academic qualities that you write about in the application form, or your financial situation (if that is relevant to your application). For example, this could be an academic advisor who is aware of your personal attributes, a current or former employer, or a senior staff member in an organisation where you have volunteered.

If your referee(s) would prefer to send the reference(s) directly to us, please ask them to email the reference to scholarshipsandfunding@st-andrews.ac.uk, and to include your name and the name of the scholarship for which it is intended, before the scholarship deadline date. When you apply for the scholarship, in place of the reference, please upload a holding document with the referee's name, and a note that the reference will be sent directly by them. The document will be added after you submit the application, as long as we receive it by the application deadline.

Please note: We do not recommend using an academic reference in place of a personal reference, as this may not meet the requirements of the scholarship and may be detrimental to your application. Please only do this if you are sure that it can serve as a personal reference, e.g. if it is written by an academic who is familiar with and refers specifically to your non-academic qualities.

Scholarship application review process

Applications for this scholarship will be evaluated through a two-stage review process:

1. Academic School Panel Review
   In the first stage, an academic school panel will assess all applications, shortlist candidates, and provide a statement of support for each shortlisted applicant.
   
   
2. Principal’s Final Decision
   In the second stage, the Principal will review the shortlisted applications and select the final award recipient(s).

How to apply

1.  Apply for your chosen MLitt course or pathway at the University St Andrews: Masters. Your course should meet the eligibility criteria for this scholarship (see above). After submitting your course application, you must allow up to three working days to receive login details for the My Application portal.
2. When you have received your login details, apply for the scholarship by logging into My Application, follow the links to Scholarships and Funding and then search for Alice Petavel MLitt Scholarship for sixteenth-century Scottish history and literature in the Scholarships and funding catalogue.

Scholarship application form guidance

Terms and conditions

Please read the University of St Andrews scholarships terms and conditions

If applying to this scholarship, please be aware that your attendance may be required at development-related or university-related scholarship events. The Development Office or the Principal’s Office will invite you to these as appropriate.

When will I know the outcome?

The outcome of your scholarship application will be available on the My Application portal by mid-May 2026. Follow the links to Scholarships and Funding and go to View or continue my funding applications to see your application status.

If you are successful, you will also receive an award letter.