Stellenbosch University Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Scholarship South Africa 2025
ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDER – STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY & ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is one of ten faculties at Stellenbosch University, which offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in Arts (Drama; Music and Visual Arts), Languages (African Languages; Afrikaans and Dutch; Ancient Studies; English; General Linguistics and Modern Foreign Languages), and Social Sciences (Geography and Environmental Studies; History; Information Science; Journalism; Philosophy; Political Science; Psychology; Social Work; and Sociology and Social Anthropology).
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation was formed in 1969 when 2 foundations, namely: the Avalon Foundation and the Old Dominion Foundation consolidated. The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation and is the biggest supporter of the arts and humanities in the USA. The Foundation awards grants and funding in 4 main program areas: Higher Learning; Arts and Culture; Public Knowledge; and Humanities in Place.
ABOUT THE SU ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED
The Graduate School of the Arts and Social Science Faculty, Stellenbosch University, partnered with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is inviting students to apply for the “Turning the Tide” Masters Scholarship for the 2025 academic year.
Scholarships will be awarded for Masters (full thesis) studies, in all disciplines that form part of the Faculty but restricted to research topics within one of the following themes:
- African Cultural Studies
- Identity, Gender and/or Queer Studies
- The Anthropocene and Ecocriticism
MORE ABOUT THE SU ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – COVERAGE VALUE
The scholarship will be awarded to the value of R170 000, over 18 months to two years. Scholars together with their supervisors, may also apply for funding for the following: Writing retreat, local conference attendance (of R8 269) and publication costs (of R10 920).
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SU ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP
Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):
- You may be a South African citizen or an international student
- You must not be older than 30 years of age
- You must have achieved a first-class distinction (minimum 75%) in the final year of your Honours degree
- You must apply for entrance to study at Stellenbosch University (visit the Stellenbosch University Postgraduate page to apply) (you must also contact the department that you intend studying in and obtain a letter of support indicating that there is supervisory capacity for your research project)
- You must intend on studying towards a full-time Masters (full thesis), at the Graduate School of the Arts and Social Science Faculty at Stellenbosch University, in 2025
- You must be able to start your studies in February 2025
- You must have achieved excellent academic results
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SU ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP
Download and complete the Stellenbosch University Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Scholarship Application Form (.docx)
Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along with your completed application form (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):
- ID document, if an South African citizen (certified copy)
- Passport, if an international student (certified copy)
- Full academic transcript (certified copy)
- Honours degree or foreign equivalent (certified copy) (or official proof from your institution that the degree will be delivered before December 2024, if the certificate is not available)
- Motivational letter to support your application (maximum 600 words) (read our tips on how to write a motivational letter for your bursary application)
- Pre-proposal or research idea explaining your proposed research question and conceptualization on one of the three project themes (more details can be found on the application form) (maximum 500 words)
- Sample of your writing: Honours research essay for MA applicants and any published academic articles related to your application
- Letter of recommendation from potential supervisor at the Stellenbosch University Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
Applications must be submitted via email to: graduateschool@sun.ac.za
(Insert the words “Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Scholarship Application” in the email subject line).
Note: the application form must be saved and sent in pdf format.
NOTES ABOUT THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP
Please take notes of these points when applying:
- The application form must be completed in English only.
- Applicants must have preferably been in contact with the Department in the Faculty of Arts and Socials Sciences (recommended but not a strict requirement).
- Applicants must inform themselves regarding the availability of suitable supervisors in their field of research, within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences before applying.
- Scholarships will not be awarded for coursework Masters programmes where the thesis component is less than 180 credits.
CLOSING DATE FOR THE SU ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP
31 October 2024.
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)
CONTACT THE SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDER
For any queries related to this scholarship programme, please contact Stellenbosch University directly:
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Contact person: Dr Candice Steele
Email: graduateschool@sun.ac.za
Please do NOT contact Stellenbosch University if this scholarship has already closed.