Tom Queba Scholarships for Social Change
Guidelines for Applicants
GENERAL INFORMATION
Canon Collins Trust in partnership with Tom Queba Memorial Fund invites applications for
scholarships for Masters and Doctoral at South African universities in 2023. We will provide funding for
up to a maximum of two years and an opportunity to enhance your academic and leadership skills
through organised events.
Across all our scholarships, our scholars demonstrate the potential to drive change towards just and
equitable civil societies. The overriding requirement of the scholarship is that the proposed study
contributes directly to social and/or environmental development, and particularly to the betterment of
lives and livelihoods of the poorest people in South Africa.
We will award scholarships for social change within the following areas:
• Justice
• Education
• Humanities and the Arts
• Sciences and Applied Sciences
ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?
Applicants must:
• be a black South African female national, normally residing in, South Africa
• be in possession of a good first degree (minimum second class, upper division or equivalent) or
about to graduate in the year of application
• be studying or applying to study at a Masters or doctoral level at a South African university
Please apply only if you are eligible and meet ALL of the above criteria.
APPLICATION PROCESS
When we are open for applications you will be able to access the online application form here. You
will find full instructions online when you start a new form.
All sections of the form need to be complete before the system will allow the application form to be
submitted. Information can be saved and the application form edited until the applicant chooses to
submit. All applicants are required to upload the following supporting documentation:
• Copy of degree certificates, if available
• Certified academic transcripts
• ID document (the following are acceptable: passport, birth certificate, driver’s license)
You may also need to submit:
• Proof of refugee status, if applicable
• Two recent payslips, if currently employed
• PhD proposal if applicable.
FILLING IN THE FORM
Please remember that someone else will read your application. Therefore:
Please do
1. Pay attention to grammar and presentation
2. Complete all sections
3. Attach all necessary documents
4. Submit your application in a timely manner
Please do not
5. Repeat answers
6. Write in capital letters
7. Attach unnecessary documents
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
REFERENCES
We DO NOT ask you to attach references to your application form. However, if you are shortlisted we
will ask you for two references as well as a supporting statement from your supervisor, if you are
applying for PhD study. You will need to be able to provide these quickly. Ideally, one reference
should be from your current or most recent academic supervisor, and one reference from an employer.
If you have never been employed, we will accept a reference from voluntary work, or two academic
references. You should ask your referees to write a reference that relates to your suitability for this
scholarship.
GETTING A PLACE ON YOUR COURSE
You must apply to the universities you wish to study at for a place on your chosen course(s). If you
are offered a scholarship but fail to get a place in a course, we will withdraw the offer.
SELECTION CRITERIA
In selecting scholars, the Trust will apply a number of criteria including academic merit, financial need
and the potential to contribute to open and just societies in southern Africa.
Applicants will be assessed on the basis of the information that they supply on their application form
against the criteria outlined below:
1. Academic Record and References
Applicants should have a minimum of an upper second-class (merit) undergraduate or Honours
degree and excellent references.
2. Future impact
All applicants need to articulate how the scholarship and their studies will enable them to contribute to
open and just societies in southern Africa.
3. Work Experience
We favour applications where there is a demonstrable continuity between applicant’s past study and
career and their proposed course of study.
4. Leadership Competencies
Canon Collins places a great deal of emphasis upon the leadership potential of individuals. Applicants
will be asked to demonstrate how they have developed their leadership skills in the workplace,
academia or in their personal life. Priority will be given to those who can describe an occasion/s in
which they have used their skills to formulate a shared vision or strategy, build strategic relationships
and networks, support peers and mentor others, and/or deliver results.
5. Alignment with the Trust’s priorities
We will favour applicants who most clearly demonstrate that their proposed course and future plans
align with the Trust’s priorities.
TIMETABLE
We will open for applications on Monday 27th June 2022.
The deadline for applications is at 15:00 BST on Monday 22nd August.
Late applications will not be considered.
WHEN WILL YOU HEAR FROM US?
Please do not email us to ask about the outcome of your application. All notifications will be by email
so please make sure you provide an accurate email address.
We will be interviewing shortlisted applicants in October/November 2022. We will let you know the
outcome of your application in December 2022.