University of London Sadako Ogata Scholarship

The University of London has established two prestigious scholarships for the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies, the Sadako Ogata Scholarship for students beginning their studies in March, and the Guy S. Goodwin-Gill Scholarship for students beginning their studies in October.

The Sadako Ogata Scholarship celebrates the achievements of Sadako Ogata, former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1991-2000), and an inspiring role model for practitioners and students of refugee protection worldwide. These scholarships seek to support outstanding students who are nationals of, and residing in, low- and middle-income countries and who otherwise might not be able to gain access to the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies due to financial circumstances.

Award criteria

Applicants for the Sadako Ogata Scholarship must:

• Have received an offer of registration for the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies for the relevant upcoming academic session; and
• be a national of and residing in a low- or lower-middle-income country (view a list of these countries); and
• demonstrate outstanding academic merit or potential in the field of study, evidenced particularly by past achievements; and
• be unable to take up the offer of a place on the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies due to financial circumstances.

Students currently studying for a University of London award are not eligible to apply for this scholarship.

Application procedure

A link to the scholarship application form will be sent out by email when registration opens. If you decide to apply for the scholarship then you should wait until you have received a decision on your application before completing registration.

The scholarship application is a separate process to the application for acceptance on to the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies programme.  It requires applicants to detail their past achievements relevant to this field of study, professional positions held, personal information and financial situation. Applicants will also be required to provide a statement of their motivation in applying to the programme and for the scholarship.

All applications will be reviewed against the award criteria and applicants will be informed of the outcome of their applications in a timely manner. However it will not be possible to provide further individual feedback on applications.

Key dates

The Sadako Ogata scholarship will be awarded yearly to a student intending to commence studies in the March intake of the MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies. Relevant dates for the coming academic year are as follows:

Deadline for scholarship applications: 18 January 2016

Notification of outcome to all applicants: 31 January 2016

Deadline for registration on MA programme: 1 March 2016

MA programme commences: 21 March 2016

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their application for admission to the programme is submitted in time to also be able to meet the scholarship application deadline. It is unlikely that an application to the programme received by the University after 18 December 2015 will be processed in time for a scholarship application to also be submitted.

Each scholarship is offered for a particular academic session and cannot be carried over to a later intake or a future year.

Scope of the award

The Sadako Ogata scholarship covers the ‘whole fee’ for the programme, comprising two Core Module fees, four Elective Module fees, and the two Dissertation modules fees.  For the 2015-16 year, this is equivalent to fees of £7,350 over the lifetime of the award.

The scholarship does not cover examination centre costs and any other 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 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.

Duties of successful scholarship recipients

Each scholarship recipient is required to write a short report at the end of each year of study outlining the impact of their study and research.

Each scholarship recipient is required to act at all times in conformity with the standards expected of students of the University of London. Where a student fails to comply with any of these terms, the University reserves the right unilaterally to withdraw his/her scholarship.

Background to the Sadako Ogata Scholarship

Sadako Ogata served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 1991 to 2000. As High Commissioner, she oversaw large-scale emergency operations in northern Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and the Great Lakes region of Africa and steered the UNHCR towards becoming increasingly involved in assisting internally displaced people and other vulnerable civilians in conflict situations. Before her appointment as High Commissioner, Sadako Ogata was Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Studies at Sophia University, Tokyo.

The University of London created the scholarship to celebrate Sadako Ogata’s inspiring contribution on the global stage to furthering the protection of refugees and displaced persons. The scholarship promotes the study of refugee protection by outstanding students who are limited by financial circumstances, especially those from and living in low- or middle-income countries.

More information

For further information please contact the Student Support Officer, Ms Mehrunnisa Yusuf via mehrunnisa.yusuf@sas.ac.uk.

Full details of the programme Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies (MA) and how to apply is available on our website.

This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:

http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/sadako-ogata-scholarship