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Deadline date
Amount
£10,355

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Saraswati Dalmia (1915—2010) was a scholar and a poet and belonged to the generation of women of the 1930s who contributed to the struggle for independence in India. While she continued to do social service, in her poems she also encouraged and supported women to action with great intuition and intelligence. Her inspirational writing in Hindi evolved new forms in prose and poetry. 

After her marriage to the industrialist R.K. Dalmia she also established a trust for the promotion of research and writing. In her evolution as a significant writer, at a time when women were not encouraged to enter the public domain, her life acts as a beacon for the struggle to survive against tremendous odds. 

This scholarship has been established with a donation by her daughter Yashodhara Dalmia, an art historian and an independent curator based in New Delhi. She has written widely on Indian art and her several publications include Amrita Sher-Gil – A Life (Penguin/Viking, 2006), which is a comprehensive account of the life of one of India’s first modern artists. Her book The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives (Oxford University Press, 2001), is regarded as the definitive account of a seminal phase of Indian art history. 

There is one Saraswati Dalmia Scholarship available for 2025/26. The scholarship provides a contribution towards fees of up to £10,355. This scholarship is for one year only. 

Eligible programmes

  • Full-time or part-time MA History of Art and Archaeology 
  • Other taught master’s degree programmes with a significant History of Art component within the School of Arts (excluding MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia) 
  • Full-time or part-time MPhil/PhD which involves undertaking research in the field of Indian art from 1500 up to the present day. 
  • Applicants currently enrolled on the first year of the full-time (or part-time equivalent) MPhil/PhD will also be considered but preference will be given to new admissions starting in September 2025, and to applicants who have not previously received the scholarship.

Candidate criteria

  • This scholarship is open to Home and Overseas fee status applicants. 
  • Preference will be given to those who undertake research in the field of modern and contemporary Indian art. 
  • Applicants for the MA scholarship must possess or expect to be awarded a First-Class Honours degree from a UK university or international equivalent. Applicants with a non-UK master’s degree must be in the top rank as evidenced by references and transcripts. Applicants with a 2.1 may also apply but will not be given preference. 
  • Applicants for the MPhil/PhD scholarship must possess or expect to be awarded a First-Class Honours master’s degree from a UK university or equivalent. Applicants with a non-UK master’s degree must be in the top rank as evidenced by references and transcripts. Applicants with a 2.1 may also apply but will not be given preference. 
  • Scholarship applicants must have applied to SOAS but are not required to have received an offer of admission by the scholarship deadline. An unconditional offer will need to have been received by the time the relevant panel meets to discuss scholarship applications. 
  • Applicants must meet the English language condition of their offer of admission to study at SOAS, if applicable. If your offer is conditional on English, please arrange your English test and ensure you meet the English requirements as soon as possible. 
  • Please note that this scholarship does not cover funding for pre-sessional courses.

Candidate assessment

  • Candidates will be assessed on academic merit by a Selection Panel  
  • The assessment of your application will be based on the information provided in your scholarship application and in your online application for admission. The panel will review details such as degree results, personal statement and other relevant information. 
  • You must submit a complete application of your programme as soon as possible and then submit an application for this scholarship in order to be considered. Please note that complete applications for admissions can take up to 4 weeks to be considered by the Department, although this duration can vary depending on the time of the year. You should be prepared to wait up to 6 weeks in busy periods.  
  • You will need to have an unconditional offer for your programme by the time the Scholarship Panel meet. 
  • Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Scholarship application procedures

To apply for this scholarship, applicants should follow the following steps:

Step 1: Apply for your programme

Step 2: Apply for the scholarship by 12:00pm (midday) UK local time on 21 March 2025 

You must apply for this scholarship via the online application form.

Notification of results

The scholarship shortlisting and awarding period is expected to be completed by the end of May 2025, at the earliest. Successful candidates will be contacted first and once all awards have been allocated, the unsuccessful candidates will be notified.

Enquiries

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