Scholarships and Student Funding

The David and Molly Pyott Foundation Scholarships in Ophthalmology

Nine online learning scholarships are available in the field of Ophthalmology for students from Africa, Central and South Asia, Caribbean Islands, Pacific Islands, Central and Latin America who have been accepted for admission to the two-year, part-time online ChM (Master of Surgery) in Clinical Ophthalmology in academic session 2024-2025.

Award

Each scholarship will cover the tuition fee for the entire programme of study and funding towards a laptop and internet service. The award is tenable for two academic years, subject to academic progress.

The scholarship is funded by the generous support of The David and Molly Pyott Foundation.

An interview with David Pyott and Professor Dhillon :

Video: David Pyott and Professor Dhillon discuss Global Ophthalmology Education
Listen to David Pyott and Professor Baljean Dhillon discussing global education in ophthalmology and The David and Molly Pyott Foundation Scholarships in Ophthalmology for ChM international applicants from low resource settings.

Eligibility

The scholarships will be awarded to students who are accepted for admission on to the online learning Master of Surgery (ChM) in Clinical Ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh, one of the Edinburgh Surgery Online suite of Masters programmes.  Applicants should already have been offered a place at the University of Edinburgh and should have firmly accepted that offer or be intending to do so.  Applicants should be senior trainees/residents/registrars in ophthalmology.  Applications from early career ophthalmologists may also be considered.

Six scholarships will be allocated to eligible candidates from member countries of The College of Ophthalmology of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COECSA) (Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Sudan (Republic), Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia). In addition, three scholarships will be allocated to eligible candidates from the other countries listed below:

Algeria Colombia Honduras Mozambique Sri Lanka
Angola Comoros India Namibia Sudan
Argentina Congo Indonesia Nepal Suriname

Azerbaijan

Congo (Democratic Republic) Ivory Coast Nicaragua Swaziland
Bangladesh Costa Rica Kazakhstan Niger Tajikistan 
Belize Djibouti

Kenya

Nigeria Tanzania 
Benin East Timor (Timor Leste) Kyrgyzstan Pakistan Thailand
Bolivia

Ecuador

Laos [Lao PDR] Panama Togo
Botswana Egypt Lesotho Paraguay Tunisia
Brazil El Salvador Liberia Peru Turkmenistan
Brunei [Brunei Darussalam] Equatorial Guinea Libya Philippines Uganda
Burkina (Burkina Faso) Eritrea Madagascar Rwanda Ukraine
Burma [Myanmar] Ethiopia Malawi Sao Tome and Principe

Uruguay

Burundi Gabon Malaysia Senegal Uzbekistan
Cambodia Gambia, The

Mali

Seychelles Venezuela
Cameroon Ghana Mauritania Sierra Leone

Vietnam

Cape Verde Guatemala Mauritius Singapore Zambia
Central African Republic Guinea Mexico Somalia Zimbabwe
Chad Guinea-Bissau Mongolia South Africa  
Chile Guyana Morocco South Sudan

 

Also eligible are applicants (nationals and residents) of the:

Caribbean Islands

Pacific Islands

Criteria

Selection is based on academic merit and the personal statement in which you describe your current contribution to your country's local and national ophthalmology development plans and how you will use the scholarship to further contribute to the development of ophthalmology services in your country.

Successful applicants will be committed to working in their country's ophthalmology service on completion of their studies; to using their new found skills to further enhance and develop the service; and to fostering clinical and academic links between their country's medical universities, ophthalmology teaching hospitals and research institutes and The University of Edinburgh.

Applying

The scholarship deadline is 1st June 2024.

  1. Complete an online EUCLID application for the ChM (Master of Surgery) in Clinical Ophthalmology – instructions on full application process can be found on the University’s degree finder page here.  Wait for decision on application via EUCLID.
  2. If eligible to join the programme, you will be given a conditional or unconditional offer, which you must accept prior to applying for a scholarship.
  3. Apply online for the scholarship via the Edinburgh Surgery Online (ESO) scholarships online application form

In the ESO Scholarships section, click on The David and Molly Pyott Foundation Scholarships title and then click on the link to apply online. You will be asked to enter the following information:

Page 1:  University Application Number

Enter your University application number (UUN) that you will have received from your online EUCLID application for a place on the ChM.

Page 2: Tell Us Where You Are Based

Do you reside in and are you a national of one of the LMIC countries listed above?  (Yes/No) Please state which one(s).

Page 3: Personal Statement

Include a personal statement (maximum 500 words) in which you describe the following: 

  • your reason for applying for the postgraduate programme of study
  • how undertaking this programme of study will benefit your career, and
  • how you envisage this programme of study enhances
  • your working practices to transform ophthalmology services in your country to improve eyecare. 

Page 4: CV (Resumé)

Include a copy of your CV (resumé).

Page 5: Letter of Support

Include a letter of support for your scholarship application from your Ophthalmology Educational/ Training Programme Supervisor or Director in your locality. It is important to us that our scholars are supported in their workplace whilst studying with us.

Final Page

Acknowledgement of your scholarship application will be provided by the ESO team in due course.

If your application for scholarship is successful and a University-approved English language proficiency test (e.g., IELTS) is required to complete your EUCLID application for admission to the ChM in Clinical Ophthalmology, the cost of the exam will be met by the University of Edinburgh.

For a list of the other English language proficiency tests approved by the University for applicants for postgraduate study, including TOEFL-iBT Home Edition which can be completed online at home, please visit the Entry Requirements section of the ChM's degree finder page on the University's website

If the University’s criteria for English Language are met by your offer letter’s stipulated deadline, you will be issued with an unconditional offer of a place on the course, which must also be accepted.

Please note that these scholarship awards are likely to be oversubscribed and there is no guarantee you will be successful.  

Further information about the ChM programme is available from the University’s degree finder webpage for the ChM in Clinical Ophthalmology .  Video testimonials from some of our ChM graduates can be viewed on the Ophthalmology Masters webpages, along with an introductory video by the ChM’s Programme Director, Professor Baljean Dhillon.  

Notification

All applicants will be notified of the outcome by the end of July 2024.

Please note that acceptance for admission to the ChM does not guarantee acceptance for a scholarship. The admission and scholarship applications are two separate online application processes.

 

Contact

Scholarships email address eso.scholarships@ed.ac.uk

The School at ophthalmology.chm@ed.ac.uk

Ophthalmology Programme Administrator

Edinburgh Surgery Online

Ophthalmology

University of Edinburgh

Lauriston Building

39 Lauriston Place

Edinburgh EH3 9EN

Related Links

ChM (Master of Surgery) Clinical Ophthalmology

Online Learning at the University of Edinburgh

Applying to Study at Edinburgh

Entry Requirements

Ophthalmology Masters

Edinburgh Surgery Online