Academic Awards to Women for Doctoral Research

N.B. This year's Scholarship competition has closed.  Details of next year's competition will be announced in December.

British Federation of Women Graduates Scholarships

Please note that BFWG Scholarships (Academic Awards) are given on the basis of overall academic excellence. They are not intended to meet financial need. If you are looking primarily for help with living expenses (fees must be paid) please go to Funds for Women Graduates (ffwg.org.uk) which is run TOTALLY INDEPENDENTLY of BFWG Scholarships programme. You are entitled to apply both for BFWG scholarships and for FFWG grants but the application processes and addresses to which applications should be sent are totally different (see ffwg.org.uk for the Funds for Women Graduates application process).

The British Federation of Women Graduates gives awards annually to women in their third and final year of doctoral studies. The awards are given on the basis of evidence of academic excellence and are NOT expected to provide for financial need. The amounts offered range upwards from £1000 with the average award being around £3000. The number of awards made each year depends on the funds available and on the quality of the applications but around five or six awards are usually given. The final selection is made in June of each year and awards are given out in September.

To be eligible to apply for a BFWG award you must be: A female postgraduate student who commenced full time doctoral studies (for PhD, DPhil, DMus etc) between September 1 2007 and October 31st 2008 or a part time student at an equivalent stage of her studies and registered at a university in England, Wales or Scotland (not Northern Ireland). To be eligible, your fees for the year from October 2010 must be paid or covered by available funds or waived by the university. Applications will close on Friday March 26th 2010.

You can only make an application for a BFWG scholarship one year. However being a holder now or in the past of a Funds for Women Graduates/FfWG/BFWG Charitable Foundation grant does not exclude you from applying for a BFWG scholarship.

Am I eligible to apply? Click here to find out.

Only email applications will be accepted. To make an application for a BFWG award, download and complete the application form. Email this back to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  giving the subject heading of your email ‘AWARD APPLICATION’ and at the same time ensure that you have followed the instructions for sending a £20 administration fee through PayPal as described on the form. Please make sure that you record the reference number of your PayPal transaction and the name of whoever is paying it for you if this is not yourself on the application form.

To complete the process of application check:

1. That you have made your Paypal payment.

2. That you have completed the application form. Click here to download an application form.

3. That you have asked your two academic referees for permission to use their names and have emailed them the information provided for referees (see pages under Advice to Referees ). Please make sure they understand this application is for a BFWG Scholarship/Academic Award and ask them to email their references to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject title ‘REFERENCE FOR’ followed by your name before the closing date for applications.

Shortlisted candidates will be informed towards the end of May. If shortlisted, you will be asked to give a presentation in BFWG’s London headquarters in middle or late June. You will be allowed no visual aids, other than a brief handout if you so wish. Your presentation will be for about 8 minutes after which the Committee will question you. Awards are made on the basis of the overall academic excellence of candidates.

If you are shortlisted you will be asked to furnish hard copy evidence of your previous degree results and that you are registered for a Doctorate for the academic year beginning October 2010.