Dr Hettie Elgood Scholarship
Key information
- Deadline date
- Department
- Department of History of Art and Archaeology
Scholarship overview
SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art alumni, Gretchen Welch and Ida Chow, set up the Dr Hettie Elgood Scholarship in 2018 to honour their teacher and friend, Dr Hettie Elgood, MBE, Founder and Director Emerita of the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art.
They hope that those who study under this scholarship will go on to contribute to the course by lecturing or tutoring in the future, or by promoting the study of Asian art through other platforms. This is the sixth year the scholarship has been offered, which has been made possible by further alumni donations.
The scholarship covers full tuition fees for the in-person pathway of the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art and an allowance to cover living costs during term time. The scholarship is open to anyone, anywhere in the world who is not financially able to pursue the course without a full scholarship and stipend.
We strongly encourage applicants who would not have considered the programme without the opportunity afforded by this scholarship. We hope the scholarship will be a transformative opportunity, enabling the successful applicant to pursue a career related to Asian art, such as academia, curatorial or museum work, or a position in the commercial art world.
Eligibility
One Dr Hettie Elgood Scholarship is available for the 2025/26 academic year running from 29 September 2025 to 03 August 2026. Recipients of the scholarship will complete three in-person modules over the course of the year, including Arts of India, Arts of China and either Arts of Southeast Asia or Arts of the Islamic World, as well as our two supporting courses, Analysing and Exploring the Arts and the Independent Study Project in Asian Art History.
This scholarship does not support distance learning study via any of our online modules.
Candidate eligibility criteria
- Applicants must already hold an offer of a place on the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art.
- Applicants must possess or expect to be awarded an Upper Second-Class Honours Degree or above, an equivalent non-UK qualification, or equivalent professional experience. Students with a non-UK degree to be adjudged by their referees and transcript.
- Applicants must provide a personal statement stating why they wish to take this programme and how this scholarship will make a difference to them.
- Applicants must explain their eligibility in a separate statement of financial need.
- International students must evidence that they meet SOAS' English language requirements by the 31 July 2025.
Application
Please apply for the Dr Hettie Elgood scholarship by submitting the online application form. As part of this form you must also submit:
- A recently submitted piece of academic work at least 1000 words in length, or equivalent piece of writing from a professional context (i.e. auction or museum catalogue essay). If you have not recently submitted a piece of academic work please produce a new piece of writing on an art historical topic of your choosing at approximately 1000 words in length.
- Two references providing an opinion on your suitability for this programme of study as a scholarship student. Academic references are preferred, but one professional reference is acceptable. Two professional references can be provided if you have been out of academia for more than 5 years.
Referees can email references directly to Programme Manager Patrick Monger at: asianart@soas.ac.uk but must be received by the application deadline.
Deadline
The deadline for applying for the scholarship for the 2024/25 academic year is 11.59pm (BST) on Sunday 22 June 2025. Scholarship applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by 11 July 2025.
Applicants must already hold an offer for the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art (conditional or unconditional) prior to submitting a scholarship application. Therefore, we recommend submitting your application for the programme no later than Sunday 15 June.
Contact us
If you have any queries about the application process, eligibility requirements, or any other aspects of the programme, please contact asianart@soas.ac.uk.
Terms and Conditions
Language requirement
- Where an applicant’s offer of admission to the SOAS Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art includes an English language condition, any scholarship award will be conditional on having met that condition by the 31st July 2025.
Candidate assessment
- Candidates will be assessed by an Advisory Panel consisting of three members of SOAS staff
- The panel will be looking at the applicants’ degree results, references, professional experience, supporting statement, writing sample, and other relevant information
- The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of a combination of academic potential, financial need, and impact of the scholarship on the applicant’s academic and professional development
Terms
- The scholarship cannot be held along with any other major scholarship
- The scholarship is specifically to support in-person study in London and online modules cannot be taken as part of the programme for the scholarship holder
- It is expected that the successful candidate dedicates themselves to the course full-time and will not undertake any further form of work or study during term-time
- The successful candidate is expected to attend all teaching sessions
- Continuation of the award will be conditional on satisfactory attendance and contribution, which will be assessed at the end of every term as well as monitored throughout
- London residency during term-time is a requirement. There is a stipend of £19,400 to cover accommodation and living costs, paid in three installments over the course of the year. We are happy to offer assistance in arranging accommodation for the scholarship recipient
