Postgraduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Practice Scholarship

Key information 

The Postgraduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Practice Scholarship funds the full course fees, a study support grant and a contribution to therapy costs for an eligible student to study the two-year Postgraduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Practice starting in 2023/24 at the Department for Continuing Education. 

Eligibility

The Scholarship will be awarded to a student who: 

  • is ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom;
  • has completed or is enrolled on the Postgraduate Certificate in Psychodynamic Counselling; 
  • has an offer of admission to the Postgraduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Practice; and  
  • best satisfies the criteria below. 

Criteria 

The Scholarship will be awarded on the basis of outstanding academic merit, taking account of demonstrable commitment and ability to contribute to the field of psychodynamic counselling, and on the basis of financial need.  

Key criteria include: 

(a) Academic excellence, where indicators may include assignment marks and progress made while registered on the Postgraduate Certificate in Psychodynamic Counselling. (The grade average for the first three assignments on the PG Certificate in Psychodynamic Counselling will be used as a key piece of evidence for this factor.) 

(b) Motivation and potential future contribution to the field: Applications for the Scholarship should demonstrate the potential and intent to practice psychodynamic counselling professionally once trained.  

(c) Financial need: Applicants will be asked to complete a form to describe their financial circumstances, which may involve disclosure of personal information. 

Application

All those offered a place on the Postgraduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Practice will be invited to apply. 

This application form will require a new personal statement outlining their commitment to train as a psychodynamic therapist, and a statement of their financial position. 

Assessment 

A panel (comprising at least three suitable University staff) will assess applications against the criteria above and may also consider any written and/ or oral components of applicants’ Postgraduate Diploma applications.

The Panel will shortlist applicants for a scholarship interview, at which their personal statement will be reviewed and discussed. Following this, the Panel will determine a ranked shortlist, whereby the Scholarship, if declined by the first applicant, will be offered to the next one, and so on. 

Offer and acceptance 

It is expected that the highest-ranked awardee will be contacted in mid-May, and they will be given a short deadline to confirm their acceptance. The course webpage will indicate when the Scholarship awarding process has been completed, and unsuccessful applicants will not be notified individually. Please note that we cannot provide individual feedback on the Panel’s decision. 

Further information 

For any queries about the Scholarship, please email the course team at: psychodynamicstudies@conted.ox.ac.uk