In an effort to ensure that Caymanians have the opportunity to fulfil their educational and career goals, the Ministry of Education, through The Education Council and administered by the Scholarship Secretariat, offers scholarships and grants to all Caymanian students who qualify to pursue either a local or an overseas tertiary education. Students can apply for an overseas or local scholarship between November 1st and September 30th annually.
The completed application must be submitted once all final documents are available, and this includes the acceptance letter and the final grade results for high school leavers. The qualifying criteria for a scholarship varies depending on whether you are aiming to take a Technical and Vocational course, a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s or a PhD. The minimum age at which you can qualify for an overseas scholarship is 17, but the expectation is that you will turn 18 during that academic year. There is no upper age limit on applying for a scholarship.
Undergraduate Degree Scholarships
To be considered for an overseas scholarship to study a Bachelor’s degree programme you must have passed your AP, IB, A Levels, BTEC, SATs or Associate's Degree to a certain criteria set out in the Scholarship Secretariat’s application form.
> A Levels: Three A Levels at grade C or above in each A Level.
> Advanced Placement (AP): You must have passed three group A subjects, or two group A and two group B subjects, with a minimum grade 3, and two standard level subjects at Grade 12 with a cumulative high school GPA of 3.25.
> International Baccalaureate (IB): You must have taken and passed the full IB Diploma, have three higher level IB certificates with a minimum of 13 points, and no grade lower than 4, and two standard level IB subjects in Grade 12 with a cumulative high school GPA of 3.25.
> CAPE: Three CAPE Unit 2 at grade C/3 or above in each CAPE Unit 2.
> Associate's Degrees: Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, or Associate level studies with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.
> BTEC Level 3: Must have an Extended Diploma with a minimum MMM grade average.
In some cases, The Education Council may award an overseas scholarship to students who do not have advanced standing (IB, A Levels, CAPE, AP) if they meet one of the following two criteria: 1) seven GCSE/CXC passes at grade B or above in all subjects, including mathematics and English, or 2) a combined cumulative High School GPA of 3.25 or higher and a SAT score of 1100 or ACT score of 22.
Undergraduate Funding Levels & Subsequent Years
To maintain your scholarship, you must achieve a 2.75 GPA or a 2:2 in the first year of study, and a 3.0 GPA or a 2:1 in your subsequent years. The Education Council has a requirement that you do at least 12 credits per semester/term in your first year and then 15 credits per term in the subsequent years. Overall, a Bachelor's degree should take 120 credits to complete. Each year you should be doing a minimum of 30 credits for a four-year course, and 40 credits for a three year course.
Students on an overseas sports scholarship who have competed locally, continue to train while at university and who intend to compete at the collegiate level can be considered 'Student Athletes'. This means that the student can maintain the lower criteria (2.75 GPA or a 2:2 in the UK) for their subsequent years of study. For this, they must get a letter from the Sports Director of the institution that they are attending to prove that they are still training and competing with the college or university.
It is common knowledge that some students choose a university because of a family attachment or because the university itself has been a popular choice with other students, rather than because of the course they can take or whether it is the best university for the subject they want to study. The Government spends a huge amount of money giving students scholarships to study and they want to make sure it is distributed wisely, therefore students are encouraged to seek out internships prior to attending university to connect with local employers and professionals in their field of interest.
You will have to sign a student bond with your surety (who must be employed and residing in the Cayman Islands) if you are awarded a scholarship committing you to a) successfully completing your proposed studies and b) then working in the Cayman Islands for the period of time equivalent to the allocation of the scholarship after your studies finish. If you fail to meet either of these two requirements, you may have to repay all the scholarship funds that you have received. Having said that, you have a 12-month window in which you should return to Cayman after your degree finishes, or you can apply to the Council for an extension to your return date if you have the opportunity to gain further experience in your field prior to returning home.
Tracking Undergraduate Scholarship Expenses
Each semester, students must go through a detailed submission process for their scholarship funds to be continued. This process includes submitting a detailed grade and transcript record, along with major receipts such as tuition, books, accommodation, and airline tickets. The paperwork will then be reviewed in detail. The Scholarship Secretariat reviews the student’s expenditures to ensure that they were applied towards agreed fees/expenses, and then they review the student’s performance and grades. Only after this review has been done is it determined that the next disbursement of funding can be released.
In addition to the Ministry of Education’s scholarships, students can also apply for a private sector scholarship as long as both scholarships do not exceed their total costs.
Although the administration associated with scholarships may seem overwhelming, the Scholarship Secretariat must ensure that students are achieving academically and that public money is well spent. The Scholarship Secretariat requires all students to go through a costing procedure. Each student must fill in an Excel spreadsheet which automatically tables their expenses and identifies the different costs which they should be thinking about (tuition, room and board, dorm supplies, school supplies, groceries, books, utilities, transportation at university, flights home, etc.) which is all completed online in their student account.
Master's & PhD Scholarships
Scholarships for a Master's or a PhD are available to students who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or an Upper Second Class Degree (2:1) in their undergraduate degree. They must also have had work experience that is relevant to the course they have chosen to study. Those studying for a Master's Degree or a PhD can get up to CI$35,000 per year.
Qualifying Criteria
Qualifying criteria for being awarded a scholarship includes a student's academic performance, acceptance into an accredited institution and being domiciled in the Cayman Islands.
For students who have been educated overseas for high school, the Scholarship Secretariat requires a travel history to ensure that the student has kept a link with the Cayman Islands and has come home in most of the holidays. Another factor to consider is that all scholarship recipients are expected to return to the Cayman Islands when they have completed their studies. Your scholarship award will include an agreement that you are bonded to return to the Cayman Islands for the length of time that the scholarship was awarded.
You can request to defer your bond for up to a year, once you have - completed your degree, especially if you want to get overseas work experience, but you will have to get approval from the Education Council. Failure to get permission and failure to return to Cayman can result in the Ministry of Education requesting to be repaid for the full sum that they awarded to you.
Scholarships are not approved for a level of study that has already been attained, whether the qualifications were funded by the Cayman Islands Government or not. The qualifying criteria for a local or overseas scholarship can be quite complicated. For details on the criteria and how to apply, see the Ministry of Education's scholarship website: moescholarships.gov.ky.
Private Scholarships
There are over fifty private scholarships available every year in the Cayman Islands, and these can be combined with a government scholarship. All the top law firms offer annual scholarships, as do the top accounting firms, and there are dozens of others available from local banks, hospitals, hotels, CUC, Dart, and other businesses, large and small. The value of private scholarships varies by company, but usually averages US$20,000-$50,000 per year. Remember that you will have to keep a meticulous record of exactly how you spent your scholarship money and you should keep receipts for all major items. You will usually be required to work for the firm in your summer holidays and on completion of your degree. If this option is not offered then you can review the internships page on the Cayman Parent website as it lists dozens of summer internships.
When choosing who to award the scholarship to, most private companies will give preference to those school leavers in the current year who are without the financial means to pursue further studies. The applicants are often free to study any course of their choosing as long as it is at a competitively ranked and accredited university. However, most law firms will want you to study Law and they will then pay for the Professional Practice Course (PPC) before they offer you an Articles of Clerkship.
An extensive list of private scholarships and internships can be found on the Cayman Parent website. The latter can be very helpful for getting work experience.
Where to research private and government scholarships available in the Cayman Islands: The Cayman Parent website (www.caymanparent.com) has an extensive and detailed list of available scholarships. The website also lists the criteria needed for each scholarship and the funding amount that is on offer.
GPA Explained: A GPA — or Grade Point Average — of 4.0 is the equivalent of an A, 3.5 GPA is the equivalent of a B+, 3.0 GPA is the equivalent of a B and a 2.0 GPA is the equivalent of a C. To qualify for an overseas scholarship to attend university, the student must finish with a GPA of at least 3.0 or 3 x A Levels at grade C or above.
Education Teaching Scholarship
Students pursuing a degree in education or classroom teaching are also eligible for the Education Teaching Scholarship, where they can receive up to CI$35,000 in annual funds.
Cayman Scholar Award
The Cayman Islands Ministry of Education (MoE) now offers a full tuition scholarship to the most outstanding male and female Caymanian student. Two individuals are eligible to receive a scholarship of up to CI$100,000 per annum. Such funds were increased to cover larger costs of students attending more elite or Ivy League universities. For more information about the Cayman Scholar Award, please contact the MoE’s Scholarship Secretariat Unit by email at scholarships@gov.ky.
Technical/Vocational Study Programmes (TVET)
To be considered for an overseas scholarship for a Technical/Vocational Study Programme (TVET), such as Auto Mechanics, Computer Engineering, Building Construction Technology or Radiography Technician, you must have one of the following: 1) five higher level GCSE/CXC subject passes with A, B or C grades, including maths and English Language; 2) three higher GCSE/CXC passes with A, B or C grades with 99 foundation maths and English with A or B grades from UCCI or ICCI; 3) a cumulative high school GPA of 2.75 or higher, including maths and English language passes with A, B or C grades; or 4) a cumulative GPA of 2.5 in your first year of study at UCCI or other institution with professional or academic work in the desired course of study. The Education Council have compiled a list of technical/vocational study programmes that they will approve scholarships for.
Scholarships are also available to students wanting to stay in Cayman and take a Technical and Vocational Certificate or Diploma at one of the four approved TVET institutions. This application is open year-round and approved every quarter. Funding is up to CI$15,000 and there is no limit to the number of times an applicant can apply for a scholarship once they complete the previous course.
The four options for TVET institutions which the MOE's Scholarship Secretariat offer scholarships to include the Brainchild Learning & Development Centre, Cayman Career Academy, the Financial Services Institute, and Inspire Cayman Training. All offer TVET courses that have been approved for scholarship funding.
Please note however, that the Scholarship Secretariat will not approve any scholarship funding unless the course will lead to a certificate or diploma. In some cases, to be approved for a specific course at these institutions you have to have a minimum of 3 higher level passes (CXC or GCSE) or their equivalent qualifications, including English and/or mathematics.
The Community Engagement Programme (CEP)
UCCI now offers the Peter N. Thomson Family Foundation scholarship where students can receive up to CI$2,500 per year in financial aid to support tuition, books, fees and other needs. To be eligible for the scholarship, you must: demonstrate potential for civic service leadership in the Cayman Islands, be a first-generation college student, be a Cayman resident for at least one year, and be a new student in your first year of study at UCCI. To learn more about how to apply and eligible Associate and Bachelor programmes, visit www.ucci.edu.ky/cep.
For more information on the application process see the https://moescholarships.gov.ky website or visit our sister website: Cayman Parent.
