The brightest students from low-income backgrounds in Singapore are being given the opportunity to study at the University of Warwick, thanks to scholarships funded by alumni and friends of Warwick.

Each year, the recipients of the Friends of the University of Warwick in Singapore Trust Scholarship will have their international undergraduate tuition fees paid for, as well as return airfares and any living costs.

One of the Trustees has also provided new laptops, allowing them to fulfil their academic potential at the university.

The Trustees are a group of Warwick alumni and friends many of whom are world leaders in business, finance, and industry, and have strong ties to both Singapore and the University. In the first 18 months of the scholarship, the trustees raised almost S$400,000 (almost £225,000) through donations and fundraising events.

The histories of both Singapore and the University of Warwick are linked: Singapore gained its independence during the same year in which Warwick opened its doors for the first time. This scholarship was launched in 2015, the 50thanniversary of both. .

The University of Warwick currently welcomes almost 300 Singaporean students, demonstrating the strong ongoing link between the global institution and the Southeast Asian country.

This year’s scholarship awardees are 19 year old Iffah Adawiyah Azman, who will be reading a BA in Politics and Sociology, and Chandra Prakash Dhanabal, who’s 21, and will be pursuing a BSc in Accounting and Finance.

Both exceptional students in Singapore, Iffah has a background in the performing arts, and studied for an International Baccalaureate, during which time she was one of the top students in her year group for Malay language classes. Meanwhile, Chandra has achieved very high A Level results, and was one of the first sportspeople to represent Singapore in softball at an international level.

Iffah is excited to start her course, saying “I am humbled to receive this scholarship, as it means higher education is now more accessible. The University of Warwick offers a diverse yet rigorous environment and I can't wait to get started!”

Chandra says that studying at the University of Warwick will broaden his mind: “this scholarship, above all else, has given me the chance to interact with peers who have highly varied perspectives. I believe this very exposure would enable me to better give back to my family and to society!”

“Reading Accounting and Finance at Warwick has long been one of my dreams, and I believe that, by logically analysing and understanding the numbers behind a business, I will be better able to run my own in the future,” Chandra continued.

19th July 2016

Further information:

Luke Walton, International Press Officer

L.Walton.1@warwick.ac.uk

02476 150 868

07824 540 863