Supporting women in STEM
Summary
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. They build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language.
The British Council has established programmes to support Women and Girls in STEM around the world, designed with a lifecycle approach in mind, from inspiring young girls to stay in STEM to supporting women working in STEM fields reach positions of leadership and network with their peers in their region and the UK.
This year, supported by the British Council, Aston University is delighted to announce 5 fully funded scholarships for female students from Brazil, interested in pursuing master’s studies in the fields of:
Mechanical Engineering
Future Vehicle Technologies
Robotics and Autonomous Systems
Smart Manufacturing
Each of these scholarships covers full tuition fees, monthly stipends, a return economy class ticket and other costs such as IELTS exam fee, visa application and NHS surcharge.
Key Facts
Number of scholarships: 5 scholarships available
Value: Full costs of study - tuition fees, monthly stipend, return economy class travel, etc
Opens: January 2024
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Supporting you with: Tuition fees, living costs and travel costs
Duration: The scholarship will last for the duration of the one-year MSc
How to apply
To apply for the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM, you must be a woman and a passport holder and permanent resident of Brazil. You must have already completed an application to study on one of the eligible Aston University programmes, and demonstrate a need for financial support.
Stage 1
In stage one, you must complete the form below for your submission for the scholarship.
Stage 2
After stage one is complete, apply for your chosen MSc degree within 48 hours of stage one completion.
Eligibility
The following programmes are eligible for these scholarships:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Future Vehicle Technologies
- Robotics and Autonomous Systems
- Smart Manufacturing
- Eligibility critieria
To be eligible for the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM, you must:
• Be or identify as a woman.
• Be a passport holder and permanent resident of Brazil.
• Meet the entry requirement of the UK Higher Education Institution for the course they apply for, including academic equivalents and English language.
• Have completed all components of an undergraduate degree at the time of applying for the scholarship.
• Demonstrate case for financial support / socio-economic need (as per guidelines and evaluation framework defined by the British Council)
• Not receive financial support or funding towards their study programme in the UK from any other source and not be able to privately fund their UK studies.
• Preference will be given to candidates who have not had any international exposure before this scheme.
• Have not previously studied at a degree level or higher in the UK or lived recently in the UK. Distance learning at a UK university or study at a UK branch campus in another country will also be considered as studying in the UK.
• Indicate your preference for course and institution in the case of applying to multiple institutions.
• Meet the English language requirement of the UK Higher Education Institution.
• Be motivated and academically able to follow and benefit from a UK postgraduate taught course.
• Be active in the field with work experience or with a proven interest in the proposed subject area.
• Be willing to demonstrate future contribution to capacity-building and socio-economic advancement of your home country through the benefits achieved after graduating from UK higher education.
• Agree to maintain contact with the British Council and act as an ambassador for the UK and engage with activities as part of a Scholarships for Women in STEM alumnus during and after your studies in the UK.
• Demonstrate a plan and a passion to engage other women and girls in STEM from your home country.
• Agree to your data being shared with the British Council for purposes of assessment and promotional activity, as a condition of applying for the scholarship.
• Agree to return to your country of citizenship for a minimum of two years after your scholarship award has ended.- Further information
The scholarship covers the full costs associated with studying at Aston University, including:
• Tuition fees
• Up to 12-months monthly stipend at the rate of £1,347 p/month to cover costs of living, including accommodation
• IELTS exam fee (for scholars without a valid Test of English)
• Return economy-class travel from home country to UK
• Visa and insurance / NHS surcharge costs
More information about the scholarship programme can be found on the British Council website.
Terms and Conditions
Terms and conditions for September 2024 intake
- Purpose and Scope
1.1. This outlines the eligibility and assessment criteria for full-time International fee-paying Postgraduate Taught students to receive scholarships from Aston University in partnership with British Council. This policy is correct at the time of publishing (January 2024) but may be subject to change.
1.2. This policy applies to applicants who are classed as Overseas for tuition fee purposes. The relevant scholarship awards and their application criteria can be found at British Council Women in STEM Scholarships | Aston University.
1.3. The British Council Scholarships For Women in STEM Scheme is subject to the terms and conditions set out in this document. The University reserves the right to terminate a scholarship where a student is in breach of any of these terms and conditions, or, if any information provided to the University as part of a scholarship application is found to be false or misleading. In such circumstances, the student will be liable for any tuition fees incurred.
- General Provisions
2.1 A student may be eligible for an British Council Scholarships For Women in STEM if:
2.1.1 They are classed as an Overseas student for tuition fee purposes;
2.1.2 They identify as a woman
2.1.3 They are a passport holder and a permanent resident of Brazil
2.1.4 They are holding an offer for a full-time Postgraduate Taught programme at Aston University which will start in the Autumn Term commencing September 2024;
2.1.5 They are entering into the first year of study on one the Master degree programmes taught by Aston University listed below:
MSc Mechanical Engineering
MSc Future Vehicle Technologies
MSc Robotics and Autonomous Systems
MSc Smart Manufacturing
2.1.6 They meet all of the conditions set out in their offer letter;
2.1.7 They complete any application requirements and meet any additional criteria required for the scholarship scheme being offered, as set out on our website.
2.1.8 They have completed all components of an undergraduate degree at the time of applying for the scholarship
2.2 A student must not have previously studied at a degree level or higher in the UK or lived recently in the UK. Distance learning at a UK University or study at a UK branch campus in another country will also be considered as studying in the UK.
2.3 A student must not receive financial support or funding towards their study programme in the UK from any other source and not be able to privately fund their UK studies. A student who has all or part of their fees paid by a sponsor outside of the above mentioned scholarship scheme will not be eligible for an British Council Scholarships For Women in STEM.
2.4 Sponsors include, but are not limited to, His Majesty’s UK Government, overseas governments or another national body or international organisation, any international company, or any other university.
2.5 Any student considered to be in debt to Aston University will not be eligible to receive a scholarship award in full or in part.
2.6 For the purposes of this policy, a student will be considered to be in debt to the University if they have received the third notice that a payment is overdue.
2.7 A student may only receive one scholarship or discount per programme studied.
2.8 Where a student is eligible for more than one scholarship/discount the student will be awarded the one of the highest value to the student.
2.9 Successful scholarship applicants will be awarded a scholarship in the form of a discount on their tuition fees for the first year of study only, unless otherwise advertised. Applicants will be informed by the Scholarship Panel the level of scholarship which has been awarded to them.
2.10 At Aston’s discretion, clauses 2.2-2.9 may be waived under specific conditions or for specific scholarships schemes or campaigns. Details of any waiver will be set out on our website.
- Applying for scholarship
3.1 Applications for British Council Scholarships For Women in STEM must be made by following the instructions set out on our website. Failure to follow these instructions fully may render an application void.
3.2 British Council Scholarships For Women in STEM require an additional scholarship application to be submitted via an on-line form. Successful candidates will also be required to successfully pass an interview with representatives from the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Aston University. Please consult our website for more information on how to apply for the scholarship scheme. Students are required to confirm that any material submitted as part of their application is their own work and does not infringe the intellectual property rights of a third party. Scholarship interviews must be conducted by the student who has applied for the scholarship.
3.2.1 Any scholarship applications with materials not accessible to Aston University staff to review and assess will not be considered and not be eligible for later reconsideration.
3.2.2 Aston University has the right to re-use scholarship application material in future marketing campaigns.
3.3 In order to be awarded a scholarship, a student must meet the scholarship application deadline of the particular scholarship award. For application and interview-based scholarships, this means completing the scholarship application form through our website by the deadline stated for that particular scholarship award which will be advertised on our website.
3.4 Scholarship applicants should read in full the scholarship application and eligibility criteria prior to applying for a scholarship, as set out on our website.
3.5 Students are entitled to apply for more than one scholarship award; however, students will only be awarded one scholarship, of the highest value (see 2.2-2.7).
3.6 Applications will only be considered for international students holding an offer to study a full-time postgraduate taught programme at Aston’s Birmingham campus in the UK.
3.7 Students studying online, via blended learning, part time or any other method of learning are not eligible for scholarships covered by these terms and conditions.
3.8 The scholarship awards come with additional benefits or responsibilities, for example, working as an ambassador for Aston. Any additional benefits or responsibilities will be listed on Aston’s website.
3.8.1 Successful scholarship recipients must:
3.8.1.1 Agree to maintain contact with the British Council and act as an ambassador for the UK and engage with activities as part of a Scholarships for Women in STEM alumna during and after their studies in the UK
3.8.1.2 Agree to their data being shared with the British Council for purposes of assessment and promotional activity
3.8.1.3 Agree to return to their country of citizenship for a minimum of two years after their scholarship award has ended.
- Approving and Awarding
3.1 Scholarships are a discount made against the tuition fee applicable to the specific programme of study that the student is seeking to enrol upon. No cash or cost of living alternative is available.
3.2 Scholarship entitlement will normally be approved before the commencement of the degree programme. It is not possible to consider a student for a new scholarship award once the degree programme has commenced.
3.3 If a Scholarship has been awarded, the fee discount will be applied to the student’s tuition fee liability. Aston Scholarships will normally be available only to students who have been in attendance, as defined by the University throughout term one and term two and are still in attendance at the start of term three. Students who withdraw from Aston University part way through an academic year will not be eligible to receive a scholarship in respect of that year. Any tuition fee discount applied to the student for that academic year as the result of an Aston Scholarship will be withdrawn and the full cost for that period will be applied. The student will be liable to repay any underpayment that may result from this.
3.4 Students who are repeating any modules within the programme are not eligible for scholarships regardless of whether they are repeating with attendance, without attendance, or with partial attendance.
3.5 Where a student suspends their studies and takes a Leave of Absence for a complete academic year (i.e. October to October) no tuition fee is charged and, therefore, the student will not be eligible to receive a scholarship.
3.6 Students who suspend their studies part way through an academic year and take a Leave of Absence will be eligible to receive a scholarship for the academic terms they have completed in full. The amount of the scholarship will be calculated on a pro rata basis and in line with Aston University’s Tuition Fees Charging Policy.
3.7 Scholarships are valid for study on a specified Postgraduate Taught programme at Aston University and are not transferable to another University.
3.8 The scholarships are valid for programmes of study commencing in the academic year 2024/25 only and cannot be carried forward to another academic year.
3.9 Scholarships are valid for the specified programme of study at Aston University and may not normally be transferred to a different programme.
3.10 Any evidence submitted after the final decision on the student’s eligibility has been made will not be considered, unless the student can demonstrate there was a good reason why the information could not be made available at the time of application.
3.11 The decision of the awarding panel is final. Applicants may appeal against the decision only if they can show that there has been a procedural error. Appeals should be addressed to the Director of Student and Academic Services.
