Four Countries. Twenty Scholarships. One of the Middle East’s Most Significant Opportunities.

The Saïd Foundation Scholarship is not a broadly eligible program. It is not for “MENA students” in general, not for Arab nationals worldwide, and not for Muslim applicants globally. It is for nationals of exactly four countries, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine who plan to study a one-year Master’s degree in the United Kingdom and return home to apply what they learn.

The Saïd Foundation has been offering educational scholarships and training opportunities since 1984. With a mission to foster development in the Middle East, the Foundation invests in exceptional individuals from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine, supporting them to pursue one-year master’s degrees in the UK. These scholarships aim to empower future leaders committed to driving positive change in their communities.

The narrowness of eligibility is matched by the depth of the commitment. Approximately 20-30 scholars are selected each year, a very small number for a very specific purpose.

How competitive is it? Highly, about 20-30 awards are made annually.

But this same narrowness is also why the Saïd Foundation scholarship is worth detailed attention for eligible applicants: the competition pool is small relative to pan-UK scholarships like Chevening (which receives 65,000+ applications annually). If you are Syrian, Jordanian, Lebanese, or Palestinian with a strong academic record and a credible development vision for your home country, this scholarship deserves serious preparation.

The annual deadline is October 31. Applications for the 2027/28 cycle opened from August 1, 2026.

Who Is Wafic Saïd — The Person Behind the Foundation

The Saïd Foundation bears the name of Wafic Rida Saïd, a Syrian-British billionaire businessman, investor, and philanthropist born in Damascus, Syria.

Saïd built his fortune primarily in Saudi Arabia, where he developed significant business interests in finance, real estate, and defense. He became a British citizen and has lived primarily in the UK and Monaco. Despite his decades outside Syria, his commitment to Syrian and Levantine development has been consistent and substantial.

His most visible philanthropic act and the one that embedded his name permanently in global academia was a £20 million donation to the University of Oxford. The result: Oxford University’s business school is named the Saïd Business School home to programs in business administration, finance, and social innovation that Saïd Foundation scholars have attended.

The foundation he established in 1984 funds not just scholarships but educational initiatives, training programs, and community development across Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. The scholarship is the most visible component of this broader commitment.

Understanding Wafic Saïd’s story, a Syrian who left, built wealth abroad, and used it to invest in the next generation of Levantine leaders is relevant to your application. The scholarship reflects his belief that the region’s development depends on its own talented people gaining world-class education and returning.

Eligible Countries — Four Nations of the Levant

Hold Syrian, Jordanian, Lebanese or Palestinian nationality and permanently reside in one of these countries.

The Four Countries:

🇸🇾 Syria Syria’s ongoing conflict since 2011 has created a special consideration in the eligibility rules.

You may apply if you are temporarily living outside of your country for study/work purposes but are normally resident in one of our target countries. The Foundation will consider Syrians residing elsewhere due to current circumstances in that country.

Syrian applicants living abroad due to the conflict are explicitly considered a recognition that displacement should not automatically disqualify talented Syrians from accessing education to eventually rebuild their country.

🇯🇴 Jordan Jordan is eligible. Jordanian applicants, including Palestinian Jordanians with Jordanian nationality, apply as Jordanian nationals.

🇱🇧 Lebanon Lebanon is eligible. Lebanon’s multiple crises economic collapse, political paralysis, and the 2020 Beirut explosion, make this scholarship particularly significant for Lebanese applicants seeking to gain international skills for eventual contribution to reconstruction.

🇵🇸 Palestine Palestine is eligible including applicants from Gaza.

Azza, a Palestinian from Maghazi Refugee Camp in Gaza, turned her lifelong commitment to education and resilience into global recognition. Graduating top of her entire university class, she earned a Master’s in Education Policy and International Development at the University of Sussex through a joint Chevening–Saïd Foundation Scholarship.

Palestinian applicants from occupied territories, refugee camps, and Gaza have succeeded in this scholarship. The Foundation recognizes the particular barriers Palestinians face and evaluates their applications accordingly.

Dual nationality note: If you hold dual nationality this must be your passport/national ID card from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon or Palestine. Your application must be submitted through your Levantine nationality, not any other citizenship you may hold.

What the Scholarship Covers

The Saïd Foundation offers a comprehensive scholarship package that typically includes full tuition, living stipend, and travel costs.

Standard Coverage:

Special Arrangements:

A separate funding arrangement is in place for students who are selected to study at either the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge.

Oxford and Cambridge carry significantly higher tuition and living costs than other UK universities. The Saïd Foundation has a dedicated and more substantial, funding arrangement for scholars admitted to these two institutions. The scholarship effectively scales with the cost of the institution.

Chevening Partnership:

The scholarship is available as a joint Chevening–Saïd Foundation scholarship for eligible candidates.

The Saïd Foundation has a formal partnership with the UK government’s Chevening Scholarship. Some scholars receive joint Chevening-Saïd Foundation funding, which means benefits from both programs simultaneously. Joint scholars receive Chevening’s benefits (including Chevening’s network access and alumni status) combined with the Saïd Foundation’s support.

If you are eligible for both Chevening and the Saïd Foundation scholarship, applying for both is strongly recommended.

Partner Universities — Where Saïd Scholars Study

The Saïd Foundation Scholarship is available for Master’s degree programmes at leading UK universities, including the University of Oxford (Saïd Business School), University of Cambridge, and other partner institutions.

Confirmed Partner Universities:

No subject restriction, but your chosen program must connect to your home country’s development needs.

While there are no restrictions on academic disciplines, applicants must clearly demonstrate how their chosen course will contribute to the development of their home country.

A Syrian studying data science at Imperial must explain how data science will contribute to Syria’s reconstruction. A Lebanese studying public health at Oxford must connect public health expertise to Lebanon’s collapsing health system. A Palestinian studying law must link it to Palestinian governance or rights. The connection must be credible and specific.

Eligibility — Full Requirements

The eligibility requirements are: Hold Syrian, Jordanian, Lebanese or Palestinian nationality. Hold an undergraduate degree that is equivalent to a 2:1 or higher, or be in the final year of your undergraduate degree. Have work and/or voluntary experience relevant to your field of study and a clear career path on return to your home country or the region. Demonstrate leadership potential. Have applied for an eligible course at a partner university. Have met the Foundation’s English language requirements. Upload all required documentation.

Breaking Down Each Requirement:

1. Nationality — One of Four Countries Syrian, Jordanian, Lebanese, or Palestinian. Resident in that country (Syrians abroad = special exception).

2. Academic Minimum — UK 2:1 Equivalent A strong undergraduate degree. What counts as 2:1 varies by country, Pakistani first division, Egyptian Very Good (جيد جداً), and similar standards from Levantine universities generally qualify. If you are in your final year of undergraduate study, you can apply before graduating.

3. Relevant Work and/or Volunteer Experience No minimum years specified (unlike Humphrey or Rotary) but experience relevant to your field of study is required. The quality and relevance of experience matters more than years.

4. Clear Career Plan for Return You must have a credible plan for returning to your home country or the wider Levant region after completing your UK degree. This is not optional, it is central to the selection. Scholars who plan to remain in the UK after graduation are not the scholarship’s intended beneficiaries.

5. Leadership Potential Demonstrated leadership in community, professional, academic, or civil society contexts.

6. English Language Proficiency Meeting the English language requirements of your chosen UK university. Each university has its own minimum IELTS or TOEFL requirements.

7. Applied to Eligible UK University You must have applied to (not necessarily been admitted to) a partner university for a one-year Master’s degree starting in autumn 2027.

Application Timeline — Annual Cycle

Critical: Late submissions aren’t accepted. October 31 at 5:00 PM UK time is a hard cutoff. Submit well before the deadline.

Documents Required

To apply, candidates must submit: A copy of high school marks/certificate. A copy of university transcripts and graduation certificate (or all transcripts to date if in final year). Copy of current passport or national ID card (from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon or Palestine, if dual nationality, must be Levantine passport). A copy of English language test certificate. Offer letter(s) from chosen UK universities for a master’s degree course or evidence of application. Three reference letters which must be uploaded with the application.

Document Checklist:

The Return Commitment — The Foundation’s Central Purpose

Must pursue a UK master’s contributing to home country. Scholars are expected to return to their home country or the wider Levant region after studies.

The Saïd Foundation is not trying to create Levantine professionals who thrive in London, Toronto, or Paris. It is trying to create Levantine professionals who gain world-class education and bring it home. The return commitment is the scholarship’s entire rationale.

Your career plan what you will do upon returning, which institution you will work with, how your UK training will be applied to Levantine development is not a checkbox. It is the core of the application.

Weak return plan: “I plan to contribute to Jordan’s development by using the skills I gain in the UK.”

Strong return plan: “Upon completing my Master’s in Water Resources at Leeds, I will return to my position at the Jordan Ministry of Water and Irrigation, where I will lead implementation of the rainwater harvesting pilot program I designed before leaving, now informed by UK research on water scarcity management. I have a confirmed commitment from my director to return to this role.”

Specificity, institutional grounding, and credibility separate competitive applications from rejected ones.

Practical Tips for Strong Applications

1. Apply to multiple UK partner universities simultaneously The Saïd Foundation requires that you have applied to a UK university. Apply to multiple partners, Oxford AND Cambridge AND Imperial AND Birmingham to maximize your chances of admission. The scholarship follows your admitted program.

2. The Oxford/Cambridge separate funding is significant If you are competitive for Oxford or Cambridge, apply there. The Saïd Foundation’s enhanced funding arrangement for these two institutions covers their significantly higher costs. Being an Oxford or Cambridge Saïd Scholar carries a different weight in Levantine professional networks.

3. The Chevening joint application If you are a Jordanian, Lebanese, or Palestinian national (Chevening is available to these countries, check the current Chevening country list), apply for Chevening simultaneously. The Saïd Foundation-Chevening joint scholarship provides combined benefits. The application processes overlap in timing.

4. Syrian applicants outside Syria If you are Syrian living abroad due to the conflict in Turkey, Germany, Lebanon, Jordan, or elsewhere you may still apply. The Foundation explicitly considers Syrians outside Syria. Do not self-disqualify based on current residence.

5. Palestinian applicants from Gaza or refugee camps The scholarship has been awarded to Palestinians from Maghazi Refugee Camp in Gaza. Do not self-disqualify based on geography or conflict zone residence. Apply.

6. Leadership evidence must be specific The Foundation selects future Levantine leaders not just talented students. Specific, credible examples of leadership, you organized something, led a team, changed a policy, built something strengthen your application. General claims of leadership potential do not.

Why This Scholarship Matters for the Levant

Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine share a connected historical and geographic space the Levant with interlocking development challenges: Syrian reconstruction, Lebanese economic reconstruction, Jordanian resource scarcity, Palestinian governance and statehood.

The Saïd Foundation’s bet is that the people who will solve these challenges need world-class education and that investment in 20-30 people per year, multiplied over decades, creates a community of UK-educated Levantine professionals capable of driving institutional change at home.

Since 1984, hundreds of Saïd scholars have returned to lead in government ministries, international organizations, NGOs, hospitals, schools, universities, and businesses across Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. The scholarship’s alumni community is one of the most connected networks of Levantine development professionals in existence.

Quick Reference

FAQ

Which countries are eligible?

Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine only.

Can Syrians living abroad apply?

Yes, the Foundation will consider Syrians residing elsewhere due to current circumstances in that country.

What is the academic requirement?

An undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK 2:1 or higher, or be in the final year of your undergraduate degree.

Is there a subject restriction?

No, there are no restrictions on academic disciplines, but applicants must clearly demonstrate how their chosen course will contribute to the development of their home country.

What does the scholarship cover? Full tuition + living allowance + travel. Oxford and Cambridge have a separate, enhanced funding arrangement.

Can Palestinian applicants from Gaza apply?

Yes, Palestinian applicants from Gaza and refugee camps have successfully received this scholarship.

Free Application Tools

• Motivation Letter: Motivation Letter Generator
• SOP / Study Plan: SOP Generator
• CV: Free CV Builder
• Reference Letter: Reference Letter Generator
• MOI Certificate (if needed): MOI Generator
• Research Proposal (PhD): Research Proposal Generator