Shradha Devkota: Securing a postgraduate scholarship to study at UAL
- Written byEllen Partridge
- Published date 07 March 2025
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With UAL’s Postgraduate International Scholarship, Shradha Devkota unlocked the opportunity to move from Nepal to London and study her dream course at UAL – MA Contemporary Photography; Practices and Philosophies.
Shradha shares her advice for preparing a successful scholarship application.
Trying again after failure
After making a rushed application to the course at Central Saint Martins, Shradha wasn’t surprised to find out that her application was unsuccessful the first time she applied.
But she didn’t give up – she was determined to secure her place the second time round.
Shradha spent a year preparing her next application to make sure it was the best it could be. But she was aware that getting a place on the course was just the first hurdle.
“Even if I got a place, it didn’t mean I could go. The only reason I could go is if I got the scholarship – so the year of preparation was for the scholarship as well... It was a lot of hard work.”
Writing a strong application
When the time came to submit applications for both the course and the scholarship, Shradha was fully prepared. To write a successful scholarship application, she advises taking your time and finding a mentor.
“You definitely need time. You can’t do it in 2 months, because it's also all about your life. My approach is to write things really personally and also be very vulnerable.”
“When I was applying, I had a few mentors who I was going back and forth with... it's better if you have someone you trust and someone you like.”
The rewards of a scholarship
Having never left Nepal, moving to London had always been a childhood dream for Shradha, so the scholarship meant everything.
“Of course it's like a dream come true... To not be thinking about money and to not be thinking about how to pay really relieves you and makes you kind of free.”
Shradha flourished at Central Saint Martins and enjoyed the course’s experimental and philosophical approach to image making. Studying with a scholarship enabled Shradha to focus on her practice as an image maker and push the boundaries of her work.
“My work has completely evolved since coming to London... I realised you actually can do anything. You're never restricted and that's what the course taught me the most. That's really liberated me.”
Believing in yourself
Shradha noted how most people think they won’t be lucky enough to recieve a scholarship, but that they should believe to achieve:
“People don’t want to try for a scholarship because they think, oh I’m not going to get it. I also thought that. But then I put that thought aside and I was really determined and fought for it...If you don't believe it, you're never going to get it.”
Now a graduate, Shradha's shaping her career as an artist, collaborating with other creatives through a network of South Asian artists in London - Creatives for Culture.
UAL offers a select number of Postgraduate Scholarships for Home and International students. They have different eligibility criteria, so make sure you read the details before applying.
Find out more about our scholarships, eligibility criteria, deadlines and how to apply.