The Alexandros Petersen Scholarship
The Alexandros Petersen Scholarship is designed to provide the best and brightest students resident in Afghanistan, Central Asia, or the South Caucasus with the opportunity to embark on the Conflict, Security and Development MA in the Department of War Studies without the worry of financial constraint.
King’s worked with the Petersen Family to establish The Alexandros Petersen Scholarship at King’s in September 2016. The scholarship programme has been made possible by a transformative US$1million gift from his family and will fund at least 22 full master’s scholarships in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London.
The programme will support students whose work reflects Alexandros’ aims and ambitions and those who hope to become future practitioners on the ground, spanning the world of academia and policy. Our hope is that this programme will not only perpetuate Alexandros’ academic and personal memory but also encourage other young people – through his example – to continue the work that he was unable to finish.
One scholarship will be available per year. Each student will receive a full tuition fee waiver, a monthly stipend, and a £2,000 travel bursary. Scholarships are open to residents in Afghanistan, Central Asia, or the South Caucasus, who wish to undertake a one-year master’s in the Conflict, Security, and Development programme within the War Studies Department. To be eligible for the scheme, students will have to complete an application form which will include an overview of recent academic achievements, demonstrate their financial need, and include a personal statement demonstrating how the scholarship will support their future aspirations and build their careers.
The application form must be attached to your online application for the Conflict, Security and Development MA, made via the King’s Apply portal. You can do this by uploading the form in the Supporting Statement section of your King’s Apply application.
Who was Alexandros Petersen?
Dr Alexandros Petersen was one of the Department of War Studies most gifted and conscientious young scholars. His tremendous energy and enthusiasm made a lasting impression on his teachers and contemporaries at King’s.
He founded the London branch of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy and, in a few short years after leaving King’s, made a distinguished and lasting contribution to the field of Eurasian Geopolitics. His death in January 2014 as a result of an attack on a Kabul restaurant was a great tragedy. His achievements are a continued source of pride for the College and all those who knew him.
How much is the scholarship?
The scholarship is worth £57,800 annually, made up of:
What are the eligibility criteria to apply?
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
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Be a resident of Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan.
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Applicants must acknowledge that they would endeavour, on completion of their studies, to return in due course to Central Asia or the South Caucasus region to share the skills that they gain whilst at King’s.
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Priority is given to students applying to the Conflict, Security and Development MA but other War Studies MAs may be considered.
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Applicants must meet the academic entry requirements for the programme via their undergraduate study.
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Applicants must meet the minimum criteria for English language as stated by the University for this programme. Applicants are responsible for taking the appropriate tests to prove they meet these requirements.
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For a list of approved English proficiency tests and scores, please refer to the Postgraduate English language entry requirements section of King's website here.
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The tests are valid if they have been taken within the past two years, for example, if your course begins in September 2025, you must have completed your English Language test after 1 September 2023.
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In certain exceptions, students may undertake a pre-sessional English course at King’s in the weeks prior to the programme beginning. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis dependent on the applicant's level of English language.
Please note: If you are successful in your application, you will receive a conditional offer with a deadline by which all the above criteria must be met. In the case of meeting the English language requirement, if you do not already have a valid English language test at the point of applying, you will need to complete one within 60 days of confirming your acceptance of the scholarship.
How to submit your application
Applicants must submit their application by 10 January 2025 to be considered. To do so, you must:
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Start the formal programme application for King’s through King’s Apply for Conflict, Security and Development MA (Full-time) programme.
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You must apply through the Conflict, Security and Development MA programme for administrative purposes but if you have a preference to study a different full-time Master’s programme within the Department of War Studies (see full list here) please indicate this on your Alexandros Petersen scholarship application form and on the application fee waiver MS form in the relevant section
In the Funding section of the application form:
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Please tick box 5 “I am applying for a funding award or scholarship administered by King’s College London” and include the following Award Scheme Code in the free text box: APS2025.
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In the File Upload section, please attach the following two documents. Ensure both documents are clearly named and use the drop-down category “Other”.
1. The Scholarship application form.
2. A writing sample. Details of what your writing sample should include can be found further down.
Please note: There is a 3MB limit to the size of documents you can upload to the Supporting Statements section of the King’s Apply Portal. If you are struggling to upload your documents due to larger file sizes, submit your application with what you are able to upload, and then contact admissions through the King's Apply portal who will be able to assist you.
Admissions application fee
Applicants for master’s programmes at King’s College London are normally required to pay an application fee to submit the application. However, if you are applying for the Alexandros Petersen Scholarship opportunity, you can have this application fee waived.
As soon as you start your application, and before you submit it, follow the steps below to have your application fee waived.
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Once you have started your application but before you submit it, please complete the MS Form for the Application Fee Waiver available here by no later than 10 January 2025.
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Through this form, your details will be passed to the King’s Admissions Office who will waive your application fee and confirm by email that you can submit your application free of charge.
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After you receive the email confirming your application fee waiver, you can return to King’s Apply and submit your application by no later than 13 January 2025 to be considered eligible. Note that this extended deadline only applies to candidates who have completed the MS Form by the 10 January 2025.
Selection process
Eligible applications will be reviewed by the Admissions team at King's College London. As part of this process, applicants will be asked to submit their degree certificate and transcript for verification. Instructions will be provided to applicants via the King’s Apply portal, where you can also upload evidence of any completed English language tests.
King's will notify all candidates to the Alexandros Petersen Scholarship of the decision by the end of March 2025. Note that an offer for the master’s programme does not entail award of the scholarship. All candidates will be contacted via email about the outcome of their scholarship application.
Please provide a copy of a paper you have already completed, which links to the themes of conflict, security, or development. An academic essay would be best, but you can use a policy report that showcases your analytical skills.
Provided your application form has been accurately completed and the appropriate documentary evidence supplied, shortlisted applicants will be contacted no later than early March with instructions on the next step of the application process, with the final decision to be made by the end of March 2025.
Past recipients of the scholarship
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Abdullah Khenjani
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Najib Sharifi
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Kanatbek Abdiev
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Mubareka Sahar Fertrat
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Mammad Azizov
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Rashid Watanpahlzazai
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Ani Avetisyan
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Giorgi Rizhvadze
Testimonies
‘I have been extremely honoured to have been granted the scholarship, and benefit from it to fulfil my dream of studying abroad at a highly global research university, like the King’s. The scholarship has served good cause for me, for others, and for the ones who will receive it in the future.
‘Thanks much to Late Alexandros, to his family, and others who have made it possible for people, like myself, to become parts of a global community of international students, and to make the world a better place for all.’
‘I wanted to study at King’s because King’s has the best War Studies Department in the world. My dream was to gain a as much knowledge about the war, its causalities and prevention so that I can contribute to ending of the war in Afghanistan—a country that has gone through 4 decades of war.
This scholarship has had life-transforming effects on me. Not only did I learn a significant amount about conflict, security and development, but the course allowed me to make a huge number of friends from all over the world. On top of this, living in London which is one of the most vibrant cities of the world, was a magnificent experience.
My life experience brought a significant amount of knowledge and experience to King’s—one that was significantly helpful to students and also teachers at the department. Afghanistan is a country that is often discussed in most classes at the War Studies Department so having the first-hand experience of war from a country that has been going through four decades of war was extremely helpful for those who are interested in Afghanistan. I talked about Afghanistan in many classes and also briefed/assisted many students who were writing their essays or thesis about Afghanistan.’
How can I support the scholarship?
The Alexandros Petersen Scholarship is open to donations from outside, with the aim to increase the number of scholarships over time.
Contributions to the fund can be made either online here or through the post:
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In the US, please send cheques payable to the registered charitable trust: Friends of King’s College London Association, Inc. 350 Avenue of the Americas, Floor 2, Suite 266, New York, NY 10019. Reference: 363778 The Alexandros Petersen Scholarship Fund
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In the UK, Europe and other countries, please send cheques payable to: King’s College London, Fundraising & Supporter Development, Virginia Woolf Building, 22 Kingsway, London WC2B 6LE. Reference: 363778 The Alexandros Petersen Scholarship Fund
For all other means of donating, including bank transfers, please contact giving@kcl.ac.uk or +44 020 7848 3053. Please include this unique reference number with all donations: 363778 - The Alexandros Petersen Scholarship Fund.
Receipts for all donations can be provided accordingly for banking and tax purposes.