Eighty-five students from the four campuses of the University of the West Indies (UWI) have been awarded Open Scholarships for the 2017/2018 academic year.

The UWI Open Scholarship is the most prestigious of the regional scholarships administered by the University’s Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies. It is funded with support from the university’s 17 contributing countries or territories on an annual basis. Recipients receive full tuition fees and miscellaneous charges, hall fees for on-campus accommodation or US$2,000 towards off-campus accommodation, a book allowance of US$500, and a meal allowance of US$2,000.

The scholarships are awarded based on high academic achievements in Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate/ Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination, or in the earning of an associate degree, or for UWI students who have completed their first year with a high GPA. Candidates complete an essay as part of the application process.

The inaugural Barry Chevannes Peace Scholarship was awarded as a part of the UWI Open Scholarship programme this year. The award is named in honour of the late Professor Alston “Barry” Chevannes, who was instrumental in the signing of the peace agreement between warring factions in the greater August Town area in 2008.

This year’s Open Scholars are from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, British Virgin Islands, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The online application for the UWI Open Scholarship for 2018-2019 opens on November 28, 2017 and closes on April 30, 2018. It coincides with the application for entry to general undergraduate degree programmes via each campus’ website. Applicants must be nationals of UWI member countries or territories and have the option of reading for any government-sponsored undergraduate degree on any of the UWI’s four campuses.