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Hear from previous Vice-Chancellor's Scholars

Scholarship recipient in the graduate school holding a scroll holder
Vice-Chancellor's International Attainment Scholarship

Each year Queen's awards the Vice-Chancellor's International Attainment Scholarship to eight exceptionally talented international students.

The scholarship offers a 50% reduction on full international tuition fee rates for international students starting either their full-time undergraduate or postgraduate studies at Queen's.

HEAR FROM OUR VICE-CHANCELLOR'S SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS:

HAPPY OJILE, MA CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION & SOCIAL JUSTICE, NIGERIA

“The Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship greatly impacted me… it gave me an opportunity to come to Queen’s University Belfast and have my Masters in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice without having to worry about so much financial pressure, and then beyond that, it gave me the opportunity to get the kind of job I currently do.”

Ankur
Ankur, BA English, India

"It is impossible to imagine my life without the Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship.

It gave me the incomparable privilege of reading English literature for three years and made me part of that great tradition of laureates like Heaney, in this magnificent city of War and Peace. The impact it had on me will last a lifetime as I have decided to dedicate my life to literary services, both creative and academic. These three years came to an end very fast, even though I had enjoyed every passing moment I had spent in Belfast’s Queen’s Quarter.

The greatest gift of the scholarship was the world class education at Queen’s that was imparted to me and made me much more capable of sailing myself through my future enterprises. This summer, I was awarded the Kamran Djam Scholarship at SOAS University of London to read for the Masters in Persian Literature, which I will be commencing coming September."

SEOHYUN LEE, PHARMACY, SOUTH KOREA

"Through the Vice-Chancellor's scholarship I was able to study Pharmacy at Queen's. I was able to be educated in a very high quality education system and be taught by professors who are very active in their research fields. I was also able to make my family very proud."

Kavina Rajendran
Kavina Rajendran, LLB Law, Malaysia

"The Vice Chancellors Scholarship allowed me to pursue my studies in law without having to worry about the financial impact it would have on me or my family.

Hence, I did not have to find a part-time job and I was able to focus on working on my CV and gaining essential experiences and skills. I was able to continue volunteering for a domestic violence hotline in Malaysia while also participating in the law school's LawPod. I am back in Malaysia and currently working as a remote technical/scientific writer for a technology group where I write legal and immigration letters for an international law firm."

Julian Francis
Julian Francis, MEng Mechanical Engineering (with a Year in Industry), Sri Lanka

"Receiving the Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship changed my life and made a high-quality university education possible for me.

The excellent education I have received from Queen's has developed my technical knowledge in the field of engineering. I have met so many new people during my university experience and this has helped me grow personally.
Having completed my MEng degree at Queen's, this motivated me to pursue a PhD to further my experience and knowledge in engineering research. I am currently in the process of starting a PhD at Queen's and I’m excited to develop myself as a dynamic engineer that can contribute towards solving critical problems we face in the world today."
Nermin Al Sharman, PhD Interpreting Jordan

"Receiving the Vice Chancellor's Scholarship had a great positive impact on my life in every aspect. It gave me the opportunity to pursue a PhD which has always been one of my biggest dreams.

It helped me move one step closer to having a career in academia. I learned so much during my time at Queen's University Belfast and grew tremendously as a person. It was a challenging yet eye-opening experience. I met people from all over the world, made new friends, explored new places, and was exposed to new cultures. I was also given the chance to volunteer and attend seminars, workshops, social events, and conferences, which contributed to my personal and career development and helped build my network. Honestly, I cannot imagine how my life would be like if I have not received this scholarship. Receiving this scholarship was such a privilege and honor to me."

GIFT SOTONYE FRANK, PHD LAW, NIGERIA

"The VC Scholarship was such a blessing as it created an opportunity for someone like me, from a BAME background, to have this opportunity to study at a prestigious University. I am so grateful for the opportunity."

Emily Rich
Emily Rich, MPHGH Global Health, USA

"The Vice Chancellors International Attainment Scholarship made my graduate education possible. Most likely, I would not have been able to afford attending Queen’s otherwise.

It also lifted my financial burden and allowed me to maximise my opportunities; I could limit working to a part-time campus job, focus the majority of my time on my studies, and use some of the money saved for travel. Overall, this scholarship enabled an incredible journey that gave me life-long friends, irreplaceable experiences, and a new place to call home.

I am currently serving as part of the Volunteer Faculty for Orbis International, an international eye-care NGO. This opportunity was made possible through my education at Queen’s as I collaborated with Orbis’s Bangladesh Team as part of my dissertation. This volunteer work allows me to network with important people in my field, maintain my skills, and gain experience."

Cara Marks
Cara Marks, PhD in English, Canada

"Receiving the Vice-Chancellor’s International Attainment Scholarship has made it possible for me to study at Queen’s, and I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity.

I am now in my final year of my creative-critical PhD in English. My thesis is comprised of two complementary components: my novel, Milkflower, which was shortlisted for the Grindstone International Novel Prize in 2020; and my accompanying critical thesis, which explores food and empathy in contemporary fiction.

Alongside my writing and research, I have been working as a freelance copy editor for various non-profits as well as teaching Creative Writing through the National Centre for Writing, Queen’s, and elsewhere. Since the start of my PhD, my short stories have been short- and long-listed for the 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, the 2020 Journey Prize, and the 2019 Carter V. Cooper Short Fiction Competition. My writing has also been published in the Commonwealth literary journal, adda, as well as PRISM international.

It has been a privilege and a pleasure to join the literary community at the Seamus Heaney Centre and Queen’s more widely. I am grateful for the support from my supervisors, Nick Laird and Daniel Roberts, as well as the other staff and students across the university. After my PhD, I hope to give back to this community, and pursue my writing, teaching, and editing careers in Belfast and beyond.