Award
The Baird Trust is funding a bursary at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) to the value of £2000 for one year.
Eligibility
The award is available to applicants with Scotland/UK fee status starting on the postgraduate taught MA (ECA) Contemporary Art Practice programme in the 2026/2027 academic year.
Applications for full-time and part-time study will be considered. Part-time applicants must be aware that this funding is for one year only, therefore, students are advised to budget accordingly.
Please note: Applicants to other Postgraduate Masters programmes are not eligible for the Baird Trust PG Bursary. Students with international fee status are not eligible to apply.
Award holders are expected to be energetic members of our postgraduate community, and will engage with opportunities to present their work to the wider student and staff body during the period covered by their award. We offer our postgraduates a range of training and development opportunities appropriate to their programme of study.
Applying
If you would like to apply, you must submit your application for the MA (ECA) Contemporary Art Practice programme by no later than Monday 1st June 2026. We are unable to accept bursary applications from applicants who have not submitted a MA programme application.
Apply for the programme - MA (ECA) Contemporary Art Practice
If you would like to apply for the bursary, please complete the Personal Statement application form below and submit this by email to the ECA Postgraduate Team by the application deadline Monday 22nd June 2026 at 5.00pm BST UK time.
Download the Personal Statement application form (Word)
Please note: The Personal Statement for your application should be 300-500 words, should clearly state why you are applying for this bursary, what benefit the bursary will have for your studies, how your previous study and/or professional experience have prepared you for this Masters programme and your thoughts on how you might demonstrate citizenship and community engagement within ECA whilst on programme.
Selection Procedure
The bursary will be awarded on the basis of academic excellence. Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, the equivalent of a UK first class or 2:1 Honours degree at undergraduate level.
The selection panel will consider the quality of the Masters application, the quality of the personal statement, evidence of preparedness for study and demonstration of citizenship and community engagement.
The successful candidate for the bursary must hold a conditional or unconditional MA (ECA) Contemporary Art Practice programme offer for September 2026 entry.
All applicants will be contacted with the outcome by early August 2026.
The bursary will be paid to the successful candidate once matriculation is fully completed.
Contact us
Please contact the ECA Postgraduate Team if you have any questions about the application process.