Academic Awards are now open until 5pm on Friday, 1st March 2024. One of BFWG’s main aims is to support women studying in higher education, to advance their work and create opportunities for career development.
Doctoral student awards were first made in the early years of the organisation and continue today. Through its linked charities, the BFWG Scholarship Trust Fund and Funds for Women Graduates (FfWG), successful applicants are given one-off financial support.
The BFWG Scholarship fund awards for academic excellence (for students in the second half of their programme of study).
FfWG supports on the basis of financial need, including emergency grants for graduates engaged in study or research at an approved institution of higher education in Great Britain.
Both charities fund students of any nationality who are studying at universities in England, Scotland and Wales.
About British Federation of Women Graduates (BFWG)
The British Federation of Women Graduates (BFWG) is an inclusive organisation of women with degrees or equivalent qualifications
Our vision is to build a better life for women in and through education. It is now over a century since BFWG (formerly known as BFUW (The British Federation of University Women)) first offered scholarships to support women in higher education in the UK. Today, together with our affiliate FfWG (Funds for Women Graduates,) we are now considered to be one of the major British donors in this sector.
Present membership of BFWG includes membership of GWI (Graduate Wome... continue reading
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BFWG Academic Awards for academic excellence
Aim and Benefits of BFWG Academic Awards for academic excellence
- Academic awards are given on the basis of evidence of academic excellence as shown on the application form, referee reports and, for those shortlisted, brief presentations of their research to a panel of academics.
- The amounts offered in award range upwards from £1,000 with the average academic award being around £3,000 and the maximum being £6,000.
- The number of awards made each year depends on the funds available and the quality of theapplications,butfivetoeightawards are usually given. The final selection is made in June/July of each year and awards are given out inOctober/November, with a further payment in the following spring.
Requirements for BFWG Academic Awards for academic excellence Qualification
- Working towards a research or professional doctorate? Students studying for any form or Master's degree are not eligible.
- Registered at a university in England, Wales or Scotland (not Northern Ireland).
- Resident (at least temporarily) in England, Wales or Scotland? We appreciate that students may be off campus for extended periods of time on field trips, and the like, but are unable to accept applications from distance learners, permanently based overseas.
- A full time student with an expectation of submission between March 2025and February 2026 or a part time student with an expectation of submission between March 2025 and February 2027. Please do not apply if you expect to submit your thesis before the end of February 2025.
- Confident of registration for academic year 2024/25? The first payment of the academic awards are not given out until we receive evidence that the fees for the year commencing October 2023 have been paid, or waived by the university.
- Applying for a BFWG Academic Award for the first time? You can only make an application for a BFWG academic award once.
Interview date, Process and Venue for BFWG Academic Awards for academic excellence
- Shortlisted candidates will be informed, by early July (ideally earlier). It is expected that candidates will give a short presentation in person, probably in London, in July 2025 (likely to be 17th and 18th July). In exceptional circumstances, alternative online arrangements can be arranged.
- At the interview those candidates will be asked to speak for 8 minutes on their research, which will be followed by questions from the interviewing panel of academics. Throughout the application assessment, the criteria for making awards are a student’s overall academic excellence, quality of research and the ability to communicate.
Application Deadline
March 1, 2024
How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to
British Federation of Women Graduates (BFWG) on www.dropbox.com to apply
- To make an application for a BFWG academic award, download and complete the Application form.
- Make a payment via PayPal (see directions in Checklist).
- Email Application Form back to [email protected] giving the subject heading of your email ‘AWARD APPLICATION’.
To complete the process of application, refer to the Checklist in the Guidance document below.
We do acknowledge all applications received but this can take some days. Please do not write asking if we have received your application unless it is over two weeks after the closing date, and you have not had an acknowledgement. The same applies to the referee reports – we acknowledge all we receive but the process may take a few days.
For more details visit: BFWG website.
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