Hannah Arendt Scholarship

Applicants for the Hannah Arendt Scholarship must: 

1. Have the offer of a place on the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies the “MA Programme”) by distance-learning; and 
2. Demonstrate outstanding academic merit or potential in the field of study, evidenced particularly by past achievements; and 
3. Hold an undergraduate degree (e.g. bachelor) that is comparable to a UK upper second class honours degree, in political science or other relevant subject; and 
4. Be unable to take up the offer of a place on the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies due to financial circumstances; and 
5. Be resident in a country in Africa  

Applications from those with a refugee/displacement background are particularly encouraged. 

Students currently studying for a University of London award are ineligible for this scholarship. Applicants who already hold a Master’s degree will not usually be privileged in the scholarship selection process. 

All applicants who receive a letter offering them a place on the MA Programme will be invited to apply for the Hannah Arendt Scholarship, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria.  

The scholarship application is submitted via an online form that is separate to that for admission to the MA Programme. It requires applicants to detail their past achievements as relevant to this field of study, professional positions held, personal information and financial situation. Applicants also provide a short statement of their motivation in applying to the MA Programme and for the scholarship. 

All applications will be reviewed against the eligibility criteria using the University’s procedures and will be informed of the outcome of their applications in a timely manner. Regrettably, it will not be possible to provide further individual feedback on applications. 

Please return your scholarship application form as an attachment (along with your CV) by email to RLI@sas.ac.uk. The form should ideally be sent as a PDF, however if this is not possible, please ensure it is sent in a format that can be read by a standard Windows PC or Mac.

• Download the scholarship application form (MS Word)

The Hannah Arendt Scholarship will be awarded to a student intending to commence studies in the October 2024 intake of the MA Programme. Relevant dates for the coming academic year are as follows: 

4 August 2024 Deadline for scholarship applications  

31 August 2024 Notification of outcome to all applicants 

1 October 2024 Deadline for registration on MA Programme 

14 October 2024 MA Programme commences 

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their applications for admission to the MA Programme are submitted sufficiently early such that an offer can be extended and their subsequent scholarship application entered prior to the 4 August 2024 deadline.  Please note that, as a rule of thumb, it is unlikely that any admission application completed after 19 July 2024 will be processed in time. 

You must agree to the Scholarship Terms and Conditions, which include writing a short report at the end of each year of study outlining the impact of your study and research.

The scholarship recipient is required to act at all times in conformity with the Scholarship Terms and Conditions, the standards expected of students of the University of London, the University’s regulations and policies and the Student Terms and Conditions.

Where a student fails to comply with any of these terms, the University reserves the right unilaterally to withdraw his/her scholarship.

The Hannah Arendt Scholarship covers the ‘whole fee’ for the two-year part-time distance-learning MA programme, comprising two Core Module fees, four Elective Module fees, and the two Dissertation Modules fees.  This is equivalent to fees of £9,464 over the lifetime of the award.

The scholarship does not cover any costs not directly payable to the University (such as the purchase of additional materials or electronic equipment), resubmission fees, payment of further elective modules if the student decides to transfer, or any other fees not covered above. Applicants must ensure they can to cover such costs from other financial sources.

If no suitable candidates are identified in a single year, then the award may be held over until the following year.

The scholarship recipient is required to agree to the Scholarship Terms and Conditions, which include writing a short report at the end of each year of study outlining the impact of their study and research. 

The scholarship recipient is required to act at all times in conformity with the Scholarship Terms and Conditions, the standards expected of students of the University of London, the University’s regulations and policies and the Student Terms and Conditions. Where a student fails to comply with any of these terms, the University reserves the right unilaterally to withdraw his/her scholarship.  

Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) was one of the most influential political thinkers of the twentieth century. Born into a German-Jewish family, she was forced to leave Germany in 1933 and lived in Paris for the next eight years. In 1941 she immigrated to the United States. She held a number of academic positions at prestigious American universities until her death in 1975. Her works on refugeehood, totalitarianism, revolution, freedom and the modern age, had and continue to have a major impact both within and outside the academic community.

The University of London created the scholarship to celebrate Hannah Arendt’s lifelong contribution to political thought. The scholarship promotes the study of refugee protection by outstanding students who are limited by financial circumstances, especially those in low- or middle-income countries.

The following terms and conditions apply to your Hannah Arendt Scholarship:

1. The Hannah Arendt Scholarship is available for the University of London MA Refugee Protection and Forced Migration studies programme offered via distance learning only and subject to the application criteria set out in the attached application information sheet.
2. You will not be considered for the Hannah Arendt Scholarship until you have been given an offer for the University of London distance learning MA Refugee Protection and Forced Migration programme.
3. You cannot be considered for the Hannah Arendt Scholarship if you are a currently registered student or if you have previously applied and been rejected for this scholarship and you cannot demonstrate a sufficient change in personal circumstances that would suggest you now meet the criteria for the Hannah Arendt Scholarship.
4. The Hannah Arendt Scholarship can be applied against your registration fees and course module fees. It will not cover re-submission fees, study materials or IT equipment.
5. The Hannah Arendt Scholarship value is £9,281 which will be credited to your fee account to be used against fees payable to the University of London.
6. The Hannah Arendt Scholarship may be awarded in addition to other scholarships and funding, but it cannot be used in conjunction with any other University of London bursary or scholarships.
7. Students are required to write a short report at the end of each study year outlining the impact of your study and research. Failure to comply may result in the scholarship being withdrawn.
8. The Hannah Arendt Scholarship may be reviewed on an annual basis and cannot be transferred to another individual.
9. Students awarded a Hannah Arendt Scholarship but who subsequently withdraw from their course of studies will no longer be eligible for the Hannah Arendt Scholarship.
10. Students who take a break in their studies will continue to be eligible for the Hannah Arendt Scholarship provided that they complete their degree in the permitted timescales and pay any relevant fees.
11. The Hannah Arendt Scholarship is only valid for registration’s that begin in 2023.
12. The Hannah Arendt Scholarship will be valid for the maximum period of registration for your programme.
13. The University reserves the right to terminate the Hannah Arendt Scholarship if you are found to have omitted key information or have provided untrue, inaccurate, incomplete or fraudulent information on your application form or in any additional information provided to the University and used in the determination of the award of your Hannah Arendt Scholarship.
14. You agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the University of London. If you do not abide by these rules and regulations, or if you do not meet the requirements (including the academic requirements) to continue or complete the MA Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies distance learning course, the University reserves the right to withdraw the Hannah Arendt Scholarship with immediate effect.
15. You undertake to use your best efforts to fulfil the academic requirements of the MA Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies distance learning course.
16. As part of the Hannah Arendt Scholarship, the University may ask you to participate in marketing related activities and/or events to promote and share your experiences of the MA Refugee Protection and Forced Migration studies. Examples of typical activities and/or events may include participating in an interview, providing a profile for the University website or prospectus or attending an open day or induction event. If you participate in such activities and/or events, you agree for the University to use any material resulting from such activities and/or events for the purposes of publicity material and/or for the education of other students, whether electronically or in print. You furthermore release and discharge the University and its agents, representatives and assignees from any and all claims and demands arising out of or in connection with the use of the publicity material, including without limitation any and all claims for invasion of privacy and defamation. Additionally, you agree that the copyright of any publicity material shall be wholly vested in the University and you hereby assign to the University any and all rights in the publicity material.
17. By agreeing to these Terms and Conditions, you are giving the University the right to hold and process your personal data, including some sensitive personal data. The University will process this personal data (including any personal data provided as part of participation in a marketing related activity and/or event under clause 16) in accordance with the UK Data Protection legislation and the University’s Data Protection Policy. The University will only share data with third parties in accordance with its Data Protection Policy and the University will remain the data controller of the data. The Data Protection Policy is applicable from the time of accepting these Terms and Conditions.
18. The University of London and any relevant Member Institutions are separate legal entities. In accepting the Hannah Arendt Scholarship you agree to the sharing of your personal data between the University and a Member Institution (where relevant) for the purposes of the management of your Hannah Arendt Scholarship.
19. Each of the clauses of these Terms and Conditions operate separately. If a clause or any part of a clause is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable, it shall be deemed deleted, but that shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the rest of these Terms and Conditions which shall remain in full force and effect.
20. These Terms and Conditions constitute the entire agreement between you and the University in relation to the Hannah Arendt Scholarship. All previous agreements, arrangements and understandings between you and the University relating to the Hannah Arendt Scholarship, whether written or oral, shall have no legal effect unless expressly set out in these Terms and Conditions.
21. If the University fails to insist that you perform any of your obligations under these Terms and Conditions, or if the University does not enforce its rights against you, or if the University delays in doing so, that will not mean that the University has waived its rights against you and that will not mean that you do not have to comply with those obligations. If the University waives a default by you of the Hannah Arendt Scholarship, the University will only do so in writing, and that will not mean that it will automatically waive any later default by you.
22. These are the Terms and Conditions between you and the University. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of the terms of these Terms and Conditions.
23. These Terms and Conditions, and any matters arising out of or in relation to these Terms and Conditions, are governed and construed in accordance with English law. The parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in relation to these Terms and Conditions.

Last Updated: 2 May 2023