The Bartlett expands flagship Promise Scholarship to Sub-Saharan Africa

The Bartlett Promise represents a long-term commitment to attract and support students from a broader range of backgrounds to study at The Bartlett, in order to tackle the lack of diversity in the built environment sector. The scholarships cover fees, living and study costs for scholars, as well as professional and personal support and careers advice for the duration of their programme. Now, in its second year, the scheme currently supports 21 UK undergraduates, 13 Master’s and 4 PhD students with help from our valued donors Jestico + Whiles, Derwent London and the Aziz Foundation.

Having established a unique UK focused scholarship which will grow with each successive year, The Bartlett are now extending their efforts internationally. Four scholarships will be open to students from Sub-Saharan Africa to join The Bartlett from September 2022, with applications opening from 1 March 2022. The scholarships are open to nationals of 48 Sub-Saharan African countries who have an offer of a place on a Master’s programme in any of The Bartlett’s nine schools, and are in financial need.

In addition to the usual fees and living stipend, The Bartlett Promise Sub-Saharan Africa Scholarships will provide a comprehensive support package (including travel to/from the UK, study visa costs, health check costs and the NHS supplement payable in the UK) to ensure that scholars are able to take up their places and make the most from their experience at The Bartlett.

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Professor Christoph Lindner, Dean of The Bartlett, UCL, said:

“The Bartlett is passionate and serious about creating access for students who face barriers to higher education. Launching The Bartlett Promise Sub-Saharan Africa Scholarship allows us to support students from a region of the world that is significantly underrepresented in our faculty and to contribute to realising the potential, and launching the careers, of future leaders in the built environment. This is a long-term commitment and we look forward to seeing the ongoing impact our scholars will have in the UK and the wider world”.

Professor Iain Borden, Vice-Dean of Education at The Bartlett, UCL, said:

“The award is a promise from the Bartlett faculty to future generations of scholars of the built environment – that we are wholeheartedly committed to taking bold and innovative steps in addressing the significant underrepresentation of students from diverse backgrounds within built environment higher education and industry.” 

Sara Shafiei, Vice-Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at The Bartlett, UCL, said:

“We are delighted that The Bartlett Promise continues to grow and play a significant role in attracting the very best students, who continue to enrich our community in extraordinary ways. The United Nations Development Programme identifies 46 Least Developed Countries in the world and of these, 33 are Sub-Saharan African countries. Sub-Saharan Africa has a greater number of countries (and population, estimated 1.14bn) classified as Least Developed Countries and low income/lower middle income with only six classified as upper middle income.  

Angharad Milenkovic, Vice-President Advancement at UCL, said:

“The Bartlett’s commitment to expanding The Promise will transform not only the lives of these worthy scholarship recipients, but also open up opportunities for talented students to take everything that a global education at The Bartlett and UCL offers and apply that knowledge to make a difference in their home communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Bartlett's students and staff will also benefit from the new perspectives and insights that these scholars bring. The power of philanthropic partnerships will be the key that unlocks the acceleration of this vital work, helping build on The Bartlett’s core commitment by reaching more students, more quickly.  We look forward to working with more like-minded partners who share our vision for the future of the built environment sector, both here in the UK and globally.

The Bartlett Promise works in partnership with donors who share our vision of enabling a more diversified and inclusive built environment. If you would like to find out how you can help play a part, please contact Anjali Singh, Senior Philanthropy Manager at a.singh@ucl.ac.uk