Eligibility

• Be a UK passport holder
• Be currently, engaged in or have completed a full-time tertiary-level course at a university in the United Kingdom
• Have already applied for, but not yet started, a post-graduate course in the USA or Canada. The postgraduate qualification must be awarded by a US or Canadian institution
• Not be permanent employees of BUNAC or USIT’

More Details

The BEST (BUNAC Educational Scholarship Trust) scholarships offer financial assistance to eligible applicants who are looking to undertake postgraduate study in the USA or Canada. They are funded by the BEST Scholarship Trust which is an independent trust administered by BUNAC on behalf of the BEST trustees. A number of scholarships are awarded each year from a fund of £60,000 allocated for the BEST Scholarships. Included in this, are the sums of £4,000 available as the Christopher J. Harbour Memorial Scholarship to a candidate looking to do sports-related studies and £2,000 as the John S. Ball Award to a candidate looking to pursue a teaching or geography-related career. The individual amounts awarded vary but a typical award is in the region of £5,000 – £15,000. At the judging stage, preference is given to those whose proposed course of study in North America is likely to do most to further transatlantic understanding and/or to those who are required to go to the US or Canada to do a specific course.

Please note, the award is intended for courses of study between 3 months and 3 years (consecutively), but the award shall cover a maximum period of the first 12 months and is not available for subsequent years of study. The candidate may not be in employment, including work for a North American employer as part of a UK based course, during the period in which they are to be assisted. They may be (and should be) in receipt of other awards, including teaching assistantships, which are solely for the purpose of study.