The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland is a charitable trust established by Andrew Carnegie in 1901 for the benefit of the universities of Scotland, their students and their staff.
The incorporation of the Trust was by royal charter in August 1902, later replaced in July 1978. The endowment of the Trust on establishment was $10 million (an unprecedented gift, amounting to around 200-times the annual governmental funding of the four Scottish universities at the time). [1] In 2004-5, the assets of the Trust amounted to £58million, which enabled awards of £1,667,540 to be made. Under the terms set down by Andrew Carnegie, one half of the Trust's income is reserved for "the improvement and expansion of the Universities of Scotland" with the other half to go towards "the payment of fees of students of Scottish birth or extraction in respect of courses leading to a degree of a Scottish University". [2]
The ex–officio Trustees of the Trust are: the Principals of the Universities of Scotland; the First Minister of Scotland and the Lords Provost of Edinburgh and Glasgow. (Prior to Scottish devolution, the Secretary of State for Scotland held the ex officio post currently occupied by the First Minister.) There are fourteen nominated Trustees, made up of esteemed Scots from various fields. The Executive Committee, which manages the Trust itself, consists of five of the nominated Trustees and four of the Principals of the Scottish Universities in rotation.
The Trust is well known for its efficient administration: although the Trust gives £2 million a year to several hundred beneficiaries, it does so with only two full-time and three part-time employees. The Trust also enjoys many voluntary repayments by beneficiaries (mainly through legacies) which go towards the Trust's general fund – in 2004-5, these repayments amounted to £134,850. [3]
It is a registered charity under Scottish law. [4]
The Trust funds a small, prestigious group of scholarships for Scottish graduates with at least first-class honours degrees who are working towards a doctoral degree. The Trust intends such scholarships to be the "premier award in Scotland" and they are generally more generous awards than the equivalent from a Research Council. The scheme is highly competitive: although the number of scholarships awarded each year is not fixed, it is usually around 12–15, and the number of applicants is usually many times this. (For example, in 2008, only 15 out of 142 applicants were successful). [5] All applicants must be nominated by an academic at a Scottish university and pursue their degrees in Scotland. Each Scottish university has a set quota of Scholarships.
The Caledonian Research Foundation since 1990 has funded scholarships identical to the Carnegie Scholarships, except that they must be held within Scotland. The scholarships are administered by the Carnegie Trust on the Foundation's behalf.
On behalf of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Henry Dryerre Scholarship is for postgraduate study by a graduate of a Scottish university in medical or veterinary physiology. It is only offered every three years. It is named after the physiologist Henry Dryerre (1881–1959).
Undergraduates undertaking first degrees at a Scottish university whose tuition fees are not met by the governmental Student Awards Agency for Scotland can apply to the Trust for fee assistance. These awards are means-tested, and it is a requirement for assistance that paying fees would cause the applicant hardship such that it would not be possible for them to continue with their degree. In 2004-5 there were 211 applicants and 163 awards made. [6]
Undergraduates of Scottish extraction can apply for a competitive Vacation Scholarship to undertake a short, full-time research project during their summer vacation. Candidates must be nominated by a university Dean of Faculty, and are for maintenance awards of between two and twelve weeks. [7] The scholarship can be held in the United Kingdom or abroad. For the five year period from 2013-2018, there was an average of 147 applications and 85 scholarships awarded per year, giving an average 58% success rate. The most successful university in number of awards over the same period was Strathclyde followed by Glasgow. [8]
The Trust used to fund grants towards the cost of expeditions for undergraduates supported by a Scottish university. Such expeditions are to have "a coherent research programme and must be accompanied throughout by a member of staff or someone of equal standing acceptable to the Trust". [9]
Research staff of the Scottish universities are eligible for the scheme, which awards grants of up to £7,500 for personal research.
The Scheme awards funding for "joint programmes of collaborative research projects from groups within the Scottish Universities". [10]
In 2001, the Trust established a Centenary Fund to celebrate the centenary of Andrew Carnegie's original 1901 endowment. The yearly income for this fund (£80,000 in 2004-5) [11] goes towards the appointment of two world-class Carnegie Centenary Professors per year for a sabbatical period in Scotland.
Universities in the United Kingdom have generally been instituted by royal charter, papal bull, Act of Parliament, or an instrument of government under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 or the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Degree awarding powers and the 'university' title are protected by law, although the precise arrangements for gaining these vary between the constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be the third largest charitable foundation in the world, holding $69 billion in assets as of 2020. The primary stated goals of the foundation are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the world, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology in the U.S. Key individuals of the foundation include Warren Buffett, chief executive officer Mark Suzman, and Michael Larson.
Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world.
Private schools in the United Kingdom are schools that require fees for admission and enrolment. Some have financial endowments, most are governed by a board of governors, and are owned by a mixture of corporations, trusts and private individuals. They are independent of many of the regulations and conditions that apply to state-funded schools. For example, the schools do not have to follow the National Curriculum for England, although many such schools do.
Tertiary education fees in Australia are payable for courses at tertiary education institutions. Responsibility for fees in vocational education and training (VET) rests primarily with the state and territory governments, while fees policy in higher education is largely controlled by the Commonwealth Government.
Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education. Local government authorities are responsible for implementing policy for public education and state-funded schools at a local level. State-funded schools may be selective grammar schools or non-selective comprehensive schools. All state schools are subject to assessment and inspection by the government department Ofsted. England also has private schools and home education; legally, parents may choose to educate their children by any suitable means.
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Cambridge. The scholarship is extremely competitive with around 1.3% of applicants receiving an award in recent years.
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, also known as Carnegie Hero Fund, was established to recognize persons who perform extraordinary acts of heroism in civilian life in the United States and Canada, and to provide financial assistance for those disabled and the dependents of those killed saving or attempting to save others. Those chosen for recognition receive the Carnegie Medal and become eligible for scholarship aid and other benefits. A private operating foundation, the Hero Fund was established in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1904 with a trust fund of $5 million by Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist.
A public university or public college is a university or college that is owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from one country to another, largely depending on the specific education landscape. In contrast a private university is usually owned and operated by a private corporation. Both types are often regulated, but to varying degrees, by the government.
The Churchill Scholarship is awarded by the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States to graduates of the more than one hundred colleges and universities invited to participate in the Churchill Scholarship Program, for the pursuit of research and study in the physical and natural sciences, mathematics, engineering, for one year at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge.
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is a graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership. It is a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic excellence, and a commitment to public service. It is administered by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, an independent federal agency based in Washington, D.C.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by the United States Congress in 1986 in honor of former United States Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. Its goal is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who are US citizens or permanent residents and intend to pursue careers in these fields.
The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF-GRFP) is a grant awarded annually by the National Science Foundation to approximately 2,000 students pursuing research-based Master's and doctoral degrees in the natural, social, and engineering sciences at US institutions. As of 2024, the fellowship provides an honorarium of $16,000 to be placed towards the cost of tuition and fees at the university the fellow attends; it also awards the student directly with an annual $37,000 stipend for three years, leading to an anticipated total award amount of $159,000.
The Sutton Trust is an educational charity in the United Kingdom which aims to improve social mobility and address educational disadvantage. The charity was set up by educational philanthropist, Sir Peter Lampl in 1997.
Medical school in the United States is a graduate program with the purpose of educating physicians in the undifferentiated field of medicine. Such schools provide a major part of the medical education in the United States. Most medical schools in the US confer upon graduates a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, while some confer a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. Most schools follow a similar pattern of education, with two years of classroom and laboratory based education, followed by two years of clinical rotations in a teaching hospital where students see patients in a variety of specialties. After completion, graduates must complete a residency before becoming licensed to practice medicine.
The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is an independent, endowed charitable trust based in Scotland that operates throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Originally established with an endowment from Andrew Carnegie in his birthplace of Dunfermline, it is incorporated by a royal charter and shares purpose-built premises with the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, and the Carnegie Hero Fund Trust.
War Memorials Trust works for the protection and conservation of war memorials in the UK. The charity provides free information and advice as well as administering grant schemes for the repair and conservation of war memorials.
Prof Henry Dryerre FRSE MRCS LRCP was a Scottish veterinarian and animal physiologist. He was Emeritus Professor of Physiology at the Dick Veterinary College in Edinburgh. The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland administer a bursary known as the Henry Dryerre Scholarship which is named in his honour. Due to his lineage he is sometimes referred to as Henry Dryerre IV.
The William Georgetti Scholarship is one of New Zealand's most prestigious postgraduate awards. It is named after the influential landowner William Georgetti who bequeathed his estate for the purposes of establishing a perpetual scholarship so that young New Zealanders could continue their studies. Georgetti’s hope was “that the best brains available shall receive the benefit of this trust”.