Awards, Prizes & Scholarships

Scholarships

All Malawians who qualify and are offered places in the University of Malawi under the Residential Programme pay a financial contribution. Students admitted under any other programmes, other than the one specified above, must contact their respective Colleges for financial requirements of their programmes.

The University does not offer any scholarships. There are however, a few scholarships offered by various institutions, organisations and individuals to Malawian students admitted into the University as below:

National Bank of Malawi Prize

The National Bank of Malawi has since 1980 been awarding a prize to the best student in each of the Constituent College Faculties, chosen on the basis of their performance during the penultimate year of their studies. The value of the prize awarded to each student in 2005 was K40, 000 each, of which K25, 000 would go towards school fees and the remaining K15,000 for their stationery needs.

Stansfield Scholarship Awards

Stansfield (Mw) Motors Ltd gives out scholarships to best students in Electrical Engineering, Accountancy and Commerce departments of the Polytechnic. Apart from the scholarship, each student is given a prize.

David Livingstone Scholarships

David Livingstone Scholarships give out awards to the best Civil Engineering students of the Polytechnic. In 2005, scholarships were given to 79 Civil Engineering final year students as well as 21 female students from all years studying Environmental Health. Each award was worth K12, 500.00.

Mobil Oil Trust Awards

Mobil Oil gives out awards to best students in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering departments at the Polytechnic.

Continental Discount House Limited Awards

Continental Discount House Limited established the ‘CDH merit award’ whose first recipients were selected at the end of the academic year in September 2004. The award is given to a total of 12 top performing students at the end of each academic year in the departments of Accountancy and Economics at the Polytechnic and Chancellor College respectively. To qualify for the award, students must be members of the class entering the third (3rd) and the fourth (4th) years of their schooling. Each of the 12 qualifying students shall receive a merit award of K100,000.

Fargo Awards

Every year, since 1992, Fargo Limited has been awarding outstanding students in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic in 3rd, 4th and 5th year. The recipients have been selected based on their performance during the previous year. In 2005, one 5th year student got K10,000.00 while 4th and 3rd year students got K8,000.00 each.

Soko Fund (UK)

The Soko Fund whose trustees are based in the United Kingdom awards second, third and fourth year female students in the University of Malawi based on merit. The first recipients of the award were 2 female Faculty of Education students in 2004. The number of recipients have grown considerably. In 2007 the recipients came from all five constituent colleges of the University of Malawi. The total amount of the annual fund was K75, 000 per student in 2007. The name of the fund was derived from a dynamic Malawian teacher, Mr. Yesaya Soko, formerly of Bandawe Girls Secondary School, and colleague to one of the trustees during her stay at Bandawe. The Trustees only sponsor female students who are less privileged and of good academic standing. The Fund is locally coordinated through the office of the Pro Vice Chancellor at the University Central Office. The fund has also committed to sponsor the Soko scholars up to their postgraduate training as long as it is conducted in the University of Malawi.

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