The mission of International Students House is to enable its members from around the world to live and learn together in a diverse living community that builds life-long friendships.
International Students House was conceived by the late Mary Trevelyan when Mary's travels as Overseas Student Advisor and her visits to the International Houses established in the US made her aware of the need to do more in the field of international friendship and understanding. She tirelessly campaigned to raise funds to realise her dream of an international residence as well as a club to serve the needs of all students in the London area.
In 1962 Mary's perseverance paid off. As a result of the generosity and enthusiasm of the Hon. Patrick Wills, and later the help of the Dulverton Trust and the British Council, the International Students Trust was formed. Generous gifts from education and charitable foundations, individuals and industry all played their part in establishing International Students House.
For more than 40 years, the ISH life has transformed the lives of more than 20,000 students.
The International Students House Residential Scholarship scheme has been in place since 1990 when a small grant was given to the House by the International Students Trust to be awarded to students in need. Since 1993 the scheme has grown immensely and has enabled ISH to award Scholarships, which together with our partners, this year amount to nearly £1,000,000.
The purpose of the scheme is to give students an opportunity to study and live in London so that they can gain as much experience as possible before returning to their home countries. It also gives the Scholars an opportunity to be part of a diverse and supportive community that encourages cultural interaction and communication.
In 2009/2010 we awarded over 40 Scholarships to students representing 33 nations including delevoping countries like East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Cameroon and Afghanistan. The ISH Scholarship scheme is designed to offer residential support to students who would otherwise not be able to take up their studies in London. Most of our Scholars are in Post- Graduate education and will receive the Scholarship for a full academic year. We do however also suppost some undergraduate students usually in partnership with a London - based University.
International Students House works very closely with major academic institutions to partner the students experience in London, meaning the College or University will cover the student's tution fees whilst ISH covers the accommodation. In some cases our caterers, Chartwells, will cover the meals as part of the scheme.
Our Scholarships are funded from a variety of sources:
o an annual grant from the International Students Trust.
o the ISH Scholarship Fund endowed in 1996.
o the surpluses of the outlets at ISH, including 5% from all Conference lettings.
o the generosity of individuals, charitable foundations, private companies and others.
For details on how to apply please click here.
Applications for the 2012/2013 academic year are now open.