Cambridge Scholarship for black and mixed black heritage undergraduates

Via the Cambridge GA Branch Newsletter - support your local branch!

Cambridge University is offering a new Scholarship for black and mixed black heritage undergraduate students at Cambridge Geography.

Details:

Admissions and enrolment data indicate that black and black mixed heritage students are significantly under-represented in undergraduate geography programmes across the UK, and at the University of Cambridge. This contrasts with much better representation in other disciplines at Cambridge (such as Law, HSPS, Natural Sciences and History), and nationally in subjects like Economics, Law and Development Studies. Analysis by the Royal Geographical Society, based on data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), indicated that, in 2018-19, less than 15% of UK domicile students studying Human & Social Geography self-identified from Black, Asian or Mixed Ethnic backgrounds (in an overall cohort that was 74.5% white).

The Department is working pro-actively to address historic under-representation in the discipline. As part of our commitment to support inclusion, diversity and decolonisation in Geography, the Department of Geography is launching a programme of support and financial assistance for black British students intending to read for the Cambridge Geographical Tripos. This initiative will raise the visibility of the discipline within a historically under-represented group, and is intended to provide a catalyst effect, both in terms of raising aspirations for black British students and also in demonstrating the longer term benefits of a Geography degree for personal development and career aspirations.

For an incoming undergraduate in the 2021-22 academic year, the Department of Geography is able to offer one award of £10,000 per annum, tenable for three years while the student pursues the Cambridge Geographical Tripos. The award can be spent on fees or maintenance.

We are delighted to make this announcement at the start of Black History Month 2020, and will release more information about qualifying criteria and updates on the programme over the coming weeks and months.

Further information: Please contact the Head of Department, Professor Bhaskar Vira.

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