McNeil Scholarship

The McNeil Scholarship has been created by the McNeil family in honour of the late Robert L. McNeil Jr. and their Scottish heritage.

The scholarship will cover a good proportion of a student's cost of living (eg housing, meal plan, travel, visa etc) in Philadelphia for the academic year.

As  part of the exchange agreement, tuition fees are waived for University of Aberdeen students going to Drexel University. Therefore the generosity of the McNeil family will make the prospect of spending a year abroad a reality for the successful McNeil Scholarship applicant each year.

This is a very prestigious opportunity and would look excellent on your CV or LinkedIn profile. If awarded the scholarship, you would be required to spend the full academic year as an exchange student at Drexel University. As a condition of the scholarship, you would be expected to share Scottish culture with the individuals you encounter over the course of your exchange. For example, the St Andrew's Society of Philadelphia will invite you to several events during the year, and your attendance will be required. You may also be asked to present. Additionally, it is expected that you will serve as an ambassador for the University of Aberdeen, and will represent the University of Aberdeen at Drexel University's Go Abroad Fair and related promotional events.

If you are from Scotland, then you are eligible to apply. This means that you should have been born, and/or normally reside, in Scotland. If you are an EU, Rest of UK or international student but were born in Scotland, then you are eligible to apply. If you were not born in Scotland but resided in Scotland prior to coming to the University of Aberdeen (eg you went to secondary school in Scotland), you are eligible to apply. If you are an EU, Rest of UK or international student and you did not reside in Scotland prior to coming to the University of Aberdeen, and were not born in Scotland, then unfortunately you are not eligible.

If awarded the scholarship, students are expected to spend the entire academic year 2026/27 as an exchange student at Drexel. Please note - most University of Aberdeen degrees only offer full year exchange in second year. Third year can be restricted to single semester exchange only. Please check eligibility before you apply for the scholarship.

* Please note that second year LLB students (ie Law students who will be in their third year of study in 2026/27) are eligible to apply for the McNeil scholarship. However, you will need to spend a year abroad in order to meet the conditions of the scholarship. Please email goabroad.outgoing@abdn.ac.uk to discuss the implications of spending your third year abroad.

Eligible applicants will be judged on two criteria: academic excellence, and their ability to serve as an ambassador for both the University of Aberdeen and Scotland.

In order to receive the scholarship, you must be able to meet the requirements of your degree calendar while on exchange at Drexel. Please review Drexel's course catalogue carefully and confirm that they teach your degree subject(s), and that they offer courses similar to those which you would have studied in Aberdeen if you were not going abroad. Please see the 'How do I apply?' section of the Go Abroad webpages for further information about the study exchange application process.

The study exchange application and McNeil Scholarship applications are two separate documents. In order to apply for the McNeil Scholarship, you must complete both applications.

The online study exchange application for 2026/27 will be open from Wednesday 7 - Friday 30 January. When completing the application, please ensure you include Drexel University on your Exchange Study Plan, preferably as your first choice. 

You will also need to complete the online McNeil Scholarship application. As part of the application, you are required to upload a video of no more than two minutes explaining why you would be an excellent ambassador for both the University of Aberdeen and Scotland while at Drexel University.

The link for the online Drexel McNeil Scholarship application for 2026/27 will be available here from Wednesday 7 January, and the deadline is Friday 30 January 2026 at 23:59.

All applicants will be notified in late February/early March as to whether or not they have been successful.