Financial Support for Students

A limited number of fellowships to provide financial support to students are given each year by a range of international donors.  These fellowship awards are aimed at capacity building in developing countries, and the majority are given on a bilateral – government-to-government – basis.  Candidates cannot apply for funding personally; their employer must complete the application form.

The donors have indicated that they will support only candidates who are employed by their national governments, and that priority will be given to the least developed countries.  It is expected that applicants will be aged under 40.  Specific donors then have additional requirements and preferences; they may support women, or candidates from a specific region or range of countries, for example.

Some fellowships cover the cost of a full fellowship (currently €36,000), and may or may not cover the cost of the English & Study Skills Programme.  Others provide only the University Fee (€17,500) for the standard 14-month programme.

The fellowships are not allocated by the University, but by the donors’ selection boards.  All aspects of the candidates’ records are taken into account – qualifications, professional track record, English language test score and so on – and several donors also require that applicants complete a motivational statement.  It is therefore essential that applicants who are seeking financial support complete the application forms as fully and clearly as possible.  As donors receive copies of the forms, style and presentation is also important.

The candidates’ employers also play an important part in the process.  After graduation, successful applicants are expected to return home to their sending organisation, and to be committed to capacity building for some years.  The employer is also expected to pay the salary of their staff member throughout their studies at WMU, to provide a plane ticket to Sweden, and to use the student effectively after graduation.  Employers should not put an applicant forward for funding unless they have given careful consideration to his/her suitability to join the WMU programme, and have set in place clear plans for how the graduate will be used in the future.

There are usually some six well qualified applicants for each fellowship award, so competition is fierce.  

Fellowship donors to students in the Class of 2012 include:

All liaison with donors is through the University’s Admissions Office; the donors have indicated that applicants should not contact them directly. Any correspondence from candidates is sent to the University, and may result in delays to the consideration of an applicant’s file.

* special motivational statements required