The Scottish Government has signalled its commitment to attracting the most talented, hard working young professionals in the world to study in Scotland with an ambitious new international scholarship scheme.

Scotland's Saltire Scholarships will offer up to 200 scholarships to postgraduates from Canada, China, India and the USA and is part of the Scottish Government's continuing support to bring the 'brightest and best' international students to Scotland.

The scheme, which is being supported by all of Scotland’s universities, will assist overseas students to undertake a 12-month postgraduate Masters level course. The awards - each worth £2000 - will be funded by the Scottish Government and matched by contributions from Scottish universities and higher education institutions.

Announcing the scheme Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Life Long Learning, said: 'We want to create a self-confident outward looking nation and as part of that we want to encourage the brightest and the best students to come and study here.

'This will help improve the cultural experience of students from home and abroad and play an important part in growing our economy and helping it recover from the current economic downturn.

'This investment underlines our commitment to attracting students from Canada, China, India and the USA and building relationships with each of these countries in the longer term. It will also help us achieve our overall vision of a Smarter Scotland - with even better connections to the rest of the world.'

What International students who studied in Scotland have said about their experience:

‘It's a great opportunity to have professors who are pioneers and inventors’
Narendra Kumar Arjunan, India

‘I think I have a brighter future now with more choices and possibilities.’
He Xunwen, China

The scheme also highlights the academic excellence in the Scottish university sector. Eighty-six per cent of academic research in Scottish institutions has been judged to be internationally excellent, according to the latest independent and globally-regarded Research Assessment Exercise. Scotland has also increased its share of the UK’s world-class research.

In a recent report commissioned by the British Council, 86 per cent of university students surveyed would recommend the Scottish experience to others and 91 per cent of international students think Scotland is a good place to be:

‘Scotland is a country that is very modern, yet still proud of its history and traditions.’
Katie Irvin, USA

‘Scotland is a great place to live while you learn. The people are welcoming and friendly.’
Kanchan Changder, India

Funding

Scotland's Saltire Scholarships is funded by the Scottish Government and managed by British Council Scotland in partnership with the higher education sector in Scotland.

Applications should be made direct to institutions and will be accepted from 1 March 2009 until the closing date of 12 June 2009.

For more information on Scotland's Saltire Scholarships including eligibility criteria and how to apply please visit the web site.