Christine and Ian Bolt Scholarship for Postgraduate 2026

The Christine and Ian Bolt Scholarships were set up in memory of Christine Bolt, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Kent, and were generously funded by her late husband, Ian Bolt. Successful applicants will be awarded up to £10,000 each (to include tuition fees) to support a sustained period of research in America for up to one year. For those who cannot or do not wish to travel to America in person, these funds can also be used to access and acquire digital and electronic copies of original material from the USA. In exceptional circumstances, the scholarship holders may be invited to re-apply for a further one year's funding.

Scholarships are aimed at students whose area of research has an American element and/or where the centre of expertise or an important source of research material is located in the United States of America.

Funding is available for up to three scholars.

Summary

1. Application Deadline: 27 February 2026
2. Value: Up to £10,000
3. Study Level: Postgraduate (Masters / PhD)
4. Sponsor: University of Kent
5. Eligible Countries: All nationalities

Eligibility Criteria for Christine and Ian Bolt Scholarship for Postgraduate 2026

Applicants must:

1. Hold an excellent bachelor's (1st or 2.1), or master's degree (merit or distinction);
2. Hold an offer of a place, or be a currently registered student, for a full-time or part-time postgraduate research or taught degree at the University of Kent for the following academic year within one of the listed Academic Divisions:
3. Kent Law School;
4. School of Arts and Architecture;
5. School of Humanities;
6. School of Psychology;
7. The Language Centre;
8. School of Social Sciences; or
9. Degree courses within the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology of the School of Natural Sciences.
10. Have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, and be able to explain their project clearly and without jargon to non-experts,
11. Convey their passion for their project to a wider audience and convince the panel of the project's wider value
12. Act as 'ambassador' for both the University and their subject.

The successful applicants will be selected on the basis of academic excellence, achievements to date in their chosen field and their communication skills.

Preference will be given to students and to candidates who have not had the opportunity to live or study for an extended period of time in the USA.

Candidates must be available for video interview, via Microsoft Teams, in March 2026, exact date to be confirmed.

Benefits of Christine and Ian Bolt Scholarship for Postgraduate 2026

1. Scholarship value up to £10,000

How to Apply

Apply by submitting the following separate documents via your Kent Vision portal before the deadline:

1. Research proposal of approximately 2000 words
2. CV
3. Covering letter stating the reasons why they would wish to receive the scholarship. The covering letter should include the names of two referees
4. Proposed budget showing use of the scholarship funds
5. Academic references from two referees, written in English on official headed paper (via email directly from your referee if this is not possible), that include:
6. your suitability to receive the scholarship on both academic and general grounds.
7. full name and status/title of referee.
8. name, address and telephone number of the referee's institution or place of work.
9. details of the referee’s relationship to the applicant.
10. full name of the applicant.
11. reference to the Christine and Ian Bolt Scholarship.

All documents must be in either Microsoft Word or PDF format, documents that are not sent in this format, will not be reviewed. Please do NOT send documents via Google Docs or SharePoint.

Applicants are reminded that an application will not be considered until all documents have been received. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all documents, including references, are uploaded before the deadline date.

For More information visit University of Kent Scholarship webpage

27 February 2026

Application Link(s)

• Apply for Christine and Ian Bolt Scholarship for Postgraduate 2026