Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Postgraduate Bursaries and Scholarships

The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families is committed to training a new generation of researchers and practitioners who wish to pursue a career in the field of child mental health.

Funding opportunities available for students studying in 2024/25

Call to submit a funding application for entry onto any relevant programme in the academic year 2024-25.

Please note that applicants must be applying to study on a UCL postgraduate programme based at Anna Freud. All bursaries and scholarships listed are subject to availability of funds for the academic year indicated.

Introduction

Anna Freud is committed to training a new and diverse generation of researchers and practitioners who wish to pursue a career in the field of child mental health. We recognise that our profession falls well short of reflecting the diversity of the populations and communities we serve. We also recognise that training in this field is expensive and takes time. This means that the potential cost of postgraduate study can deter many individuals.

In line with our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) ambitions we are pleased to be able to offer a number of bursaries and scholarships to encourage applications from aspiring prospective candidates from underrepresented backgrounds within the field and/or who might otherwise find themselves unable to pursue a career within children’s mental health.

There are various opportunities available throughout the year to apply for these bursaries/scholarships for entry onto a relevant programme delivered at Anna Freud.
Please read through the information carefully including eligibility criteria and note the various deadlines for applications.
Details on how to apply, along with the application form and guidance notes are available from this web page.
Candidates interested in applying to one or more of the bursaries and scholarships listed here should read the relevant guidance notes provided before completing the application form.
You should apply for any relevant bursaries or scholarships by the deadline specified. All applications received will be reviewed by a panel after the deadline has passed.
For your bursary/scholarship application to be considered, all candidates should ensure they have also formally applied for a place on the relevant programme by the Admissions deadline specified on the UCL Prospectus pages [click link here]. If you have not applied for a place on the relevant programme, the Bursary and Scholarships Panel will be unable to process your application.
For enquiries, please email pgsmarketing@annafreud.org.
Application form here - please click the link to open form in a new tab, then right click and 'save' to download the form.
Note: Application deadline for entry in 2024/25 – Monday 5th February, 12pm (UK time)
MRes Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology
Value: £4,500 per year of study (total of £9,000 over a two-year period). Applicable to all candidates interested in applying to the MRes Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology programme. Eligibility Criteria:
- Based on both academic merit and financial need.
- Ordinarily applicable to permanent residents in the UK only.
MSc Early Child Development and Clinical Applications
Value: £4,500 per year of study (total of £9,000 over a two-year period). Applicable to all candidates interested in applying to MSc Early Child Development and Clinical Applications programme. Eligibility Criteria:
- Based on both academic merit and financial need.
- Ordinarily applicable to permanent residents in the UK only.
Guidance notes here
Application deadline for entry in 2024/25 - Monday 5th February, 12pm (UK time)
This Scholarship has been established to commemorate the significant contribution Dr Alex Holder made to the field of psychology and aims to support others to follow in his footsteps.
Dr Alex Holder (1931-2018) dedicated his working life to child and adult psychoanalysis. Alex trained at the Anna Freud Centre, where he worked for almost 30 years helping children and families.
This Scholarship is available to those individuals who might otherwise be deterred from applying due to financial restrictions and limited their ability to cover the costs of further studies. The funding offered will cover UCL tuition fees in their entirety and will provide a contribution to living costs across the complete duration of this two-year programme.
Value: Full tuition fees as advertised for the programme in 2024/25 plus 50% of estimated living costs (over a two-year period).
Eligibility Criteria:
- Available only to candidates applying to the MSc Developmental Psychology and Clinical Practice programme.
- Based on both academic merit and financial need.
- Ordinarily applicable to permanent residents in the UK only.
Guidance notes here
Note: Application deadline for entry in 2024/25 – Monday 5th February, 12pm (UK time)
This scholarship is specifically aimed at supporting Black students who are seeking to undertake Masters-level study. Note that applying for this scholarship does not preclude application to any of the other bursaries for which you may be eligible.
Value: £4,500 per year of study (total of £9,000 over a two-year period). Applicable to candidates interested in applying to the following programmes:
- MRes Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology.
- MSc Developmental Psychology and Clinical Practice.
- MSc Early Child Development and Clinical Applications.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Based on both academic merit and financial need.
- Ordinarily applicable to candidates who are a permanent resident in the UK and who are also of Black or Mixed Black ethnicity.
Guidance notes here
Note: Application deadline for entry in 2024/5 - Friday 28th June, 12pm (UK time)
This bursary is for individuals seeking to return to postgraduate study after some time away from education.
Value: £4,500 for a full-time student (or £2,250 for a part-time student, with a total value of £4,500 over a two-year period).
Applicable to candidates interested in applying to the following programme:
- PgDip Child and Adolescent Psychology and Neuroscience in Practice
Eligibility Criteria:
- Based on both academic merit and financial need.
- Applicable to mature students only, where a mature student is defined as someone who was aged 21 or over when they commenced their undergraduate studies or the applicant will be aged 25 or over at the time of enrolment on their Masters level postgraduate programme.
Guidance notes here
Note: Application deadline for entry in 2024/25 – Monday 5th February, 12pm
This scholarship has been established in memory of Barbara Ann Throckmorton Drinka (1943-2020), a practicing psychoanalyst and psychotherapist.
Barbara was born in Kansas City and attended Iowa State University from 1961-1965, earning a degree in Child Development. During that time, she took a practicum at the Merrill-Palmer Institute in Detroit, Michigan. She channelled her love of working with children into teaching sixth grade students in suburban Chicago before moving to Portland, Oregon. She obtained her Master's in Clinical Social Work in 1976 from Portland State University. In 1982, she completed a fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital, Boston MA, where she met her husband, George Drinka. In the following years, she was enrolled in a doctoral program at Smith College and continued clinical training at Boston Children's. She and George relocated to Portland, where she began a private practice in psychotherapy with children, but later expanded her practice to focus on deeper work with adults. She completed advanced training in psychoanalysis in 2006 at Oregon Psychoanalytic Center. She was the first graduate of the Center to become nationally certified in psychoanalysis.
Value: £2,250 per year of study (total of £4,500 over a two-year period)
Applicable to candidates interested in applying to the following programme, where the curriculum is primarily orientated towards psychoanalytic education and training:
MSc Early Child Development and Clinical Applications.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Based on both academic merit and financial need.
- Ordinarily applicable to permanent residents in the UK only.
- Students currently underrepresented in the field in the UK, including students from Black and minoritised ethnic backgrounds, and other minoritised groups.
- At least half of all recipients of the scholarship will be individuals who identify as female. 
Guidance notes here

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Postgraduate Bursaries and Scholarships

Funding opportunities available for students studying in 2024/25

Introduction

Application Process

Masters Bursaries - Academic Research

Dr Alex Holder Scholarship – MSc in Developmental Psychology and Clinical Practice

Future in Mind Scholarship for Black UK Students

Asquith Mature Student Bursary

The Barbara Throckmorton Drinka Scholarship

Funding your masters