Ferial Chummun Scholarship in Astronomy

The Ferial Chummun Scholarship is intended for female Portuguese students who wish to obtain their master's (MSc) degree in Astronomy at the University of Leiden and meet all criteria for admission. The scholarship is for one year, with conditional renewal for a second year upon successful completion of the first year. For a full scholarship, recipients receive the full tuition fee (around €2,601 per year) and an allowance of up to €11,700 per year for living costs, paid as a monthly allowance. The scholarship was established in honor of Ferial Bibi Chummun (1958-2017), a telecommunications engineer from Mauritius who studied in the UK and worked for the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. She developed a deep bond with Portugal during her travels. The recipient of the scholarship will be expected to agree to a meeting with the benefactors of the fund and provide a report on their study progress to the Chummun family. To be eligible, applicants must be female Portuguese nationals who lack the financial means to follow the study programme without assistance and are highly motivated to pursue the Master of Science programme in Astronomy at Leiden University. Candidates are selected by the Admission Board of the programme, and scholarship decisions are announced approximately six weeks after the application deadline.