The A.S. Hornby Educational Trust prioritises capacity building for English language teaching in low- and middle-income countries. It awards Master’s degree scholarships to teachers and related professionals with relevant experience and evidenced potential to impact and enhance the field of English language teaching and learning in their home country.
Up to ten (10) fully funded scholarships are available to students who meet the University of Exeter’s admission’s criteria for the MEd TESOL Programme for September 2025 entry. Scholarships will be awarded to academically talented and experienced applicants who are nationals of and work in countries as defined as Least Developed, Low Income, Lower Middle Income, or Upper Middle Income according to the OECD DAC list (listed here).
Please note this scholarship is only available for study on the University of Exeter’s MEd TESOL programme and is not available for PGCert or PGDip programmes of study.
The Hornby Trust is delighted to be working with the University of Exeter to deliver these scholarships and all applicants will be jointly considered by the University of Exeter and the Hornby Trust.
Entry requirements
You should only apply if you satisfy the criteria below.
· You must be a resident of, and work in a country, defined as Least Developed, Low Income, Lower Middle Income, or Upper Middle Income according to the OECD DAC list (listed here).
· You must have a minimum of three years’ full time TESOL teaching or related professional experience after your first degree.
· You must already hold an undergraduate degree (with grades equivalent to UK upper 2nd class honours or higher) or a relevant postgraduate degree.
· You must first submit a Postgraduate application to the University of Exeter for the MEd TESOL programme to receive an Exeter student number. This number will be sent directly to you on receipt of your Exeter application. Only after that will you be able to submit your application for a Hornby Scholarship as this number must be included in your application.
How to apply
IMPORTANT: Please first complete the University of Exeter application form for admission to the MEd TESOL programme by the Apply Online section in the upper right section of this webpage and then, once you have obtained an Exeter student number, complete the Hornby Scholarship application form here.
Please remember that you will need your Exeter student number to submit your scholarship application.
When completing the Hornby Scholarship application, you will be asked to upload a covering letter of no more than 1,000 words with your responses to the following three questions:
1. Discuss one key challenge that you, and other English language teachers, typically face on a daily basis in a context that you work or have worked in. Outline how studying on the MEd TESOL at the University of Exeter would help you to respond to this challenge. (max. 400 words)
2. Describe one occasion when you supported the classroom practice or wider professional development of one or more English language teachers in your context. (max. 400 words)
3. Explain how your knowledge, skills, and experience make you a suitable candidate for the Hornby Scholarship. (max. 200 words)
Guidance notes:
1. Please identify one salient challenge only, ensuring that this is not just an issue only you have experienced in your teaching practice and is relevant to many teachers in your context. Your chosen challenge could involve (but is not limited to) English language use, language learning, language teaching, assessment/testing, curricula/syllabi, learning to learn/learner training, policy at your institutional context, teacher training, etc. In your outline for addressing this challenge, your focus should not just be on how you have been effective as an English language teacher. We are more interested in hearing about how you plan to use your learning and experiences on the MEd TESOL course to help teachers respond to the challenge you have identified. Please make it very clear what your role would be in tackling the identified challenge.
2. We are particularly interested in hearing from applicants who have experience of supporting the development of English language teachers (either through activities that you have planned and delivered individually or have contributed to as a part of a team). Please elaborate one example, selecting from one of the following areas:
· delivering teacher training/professional development
· undertaking teacher observation
· managing the performance of teachers
· syllabi, materials, or assessment/test development with a clear teacher support dimension
· leading/contributing to a teachers’ association or professional support group
Your focus should be on how your particular skills, expertise, and approach helped you support one or more teachers in this situation (ideally in order to address a clear goal, challenge, or issue). It may help to use the STAR format to structure your response:
· Situation: briefly explain the context (which is unlikely to be familiar to the reader) and your role in it
· Target: what aim/goal you set yourself
· Action: what action[s] you took, how you worked with others
· Result: what were the outcomes – and how do you know
3. Here, the focus is on making connections between your knowledge, skills, and experience and being a Hornby Scholar on the MEd TESOL programme at the University of Exeter – and beyond (i.e., after graduation). Again, try to be specific, referring to examples that you think serve as evidence of relevant knowledge, skills, and experience.
The closing date for applications for this award is 26th February 2025.
Applicants will be notified if they have been shortlisted to attend an interview no later than 18th April 2025. Interviews will be held between Monday 28th April and Wednesday 14th May 2025.
Applicants shortlisted to attend an interview will be notified of the final outcome no later than 22nd May 2025.
Terms & Conditions:
· By applying for this Scholarship, you are agreeing to your personal details and related data being shared with representatives from the University of Exeter, the Hornby Trust and Final Selection Panel members.
· All scholarship awards are conditional on prior application to the University of Exeter for the MEd TESOL programme
· Hornby Scholarships are not awarded in conjunction with other scholarships. In the event of your obtaining any further scholarship awards, the Hornby Scholarship will only be awarded if it is greater than any other such awards.
· We reserve the right not to award Hornby Scholarships if suitable candidates are not found.
· If you defer your offer from the University of Exeter, or change your fee status, your Hornby Scholarship offer could be invalidated and withdrawn. In the event that you withdraw or interrupt your studies post enrolment in the University of Exeter, the University’s Finance regulations at that date will apply as regards any repayment or other requirements.
Summary
| Application deadline: | 26th February 2025 |
| Number of awards: | 10 |
| Value: | Full fee waiver, Stipend, Travel Costs* |
| Duration of award: | for 1 year |
| Contact: HASS Student Recruitment & Admissions | hassenquiries@exeter.ac.uk |