Alef Trust MSc Application Form 2026-27

General

Before completing the form, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU READ THESE NOTES FOR GUIDANCE CAREFULLY. You should also read the current information about the MSc programme and entrance requirements on the Alef Trust website: www.aleftrust.org.

This form is only for applicants applying for postgraduate programmes run through the partnership between Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the Alef Trust CIC.

 

The Data Protection Act

Information provided on the application form will be held on a secure server in accordance with LJMU’s registration under the Data Protection Act and used only for the purpose of education and training, and statistical monitoring.

 

Section 1. Personal details

Previous surname
If you have changed your name by marriage or otherwise, state your previous surname or family name.

Correspondence address
This address and your email address will be used for all correspondence unless an alternative is provided.
Please ensure that you inform us of any changes during your studies with us

Permanent home address
If different from Correspondence address.

 

Section 2. Details of the programme to which you wish to apply

This form is for students applying to the postgraduate distance-learning MSc programme in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology only. Accordingly, the programme title and date have been inserted on your behalf.

The standard duration of the MSc programme is three years. Applicants wishing to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma should note that all students are registered in the first instance for the MSc. If a student chooses to finish after one year having achieved 60 credits, they will be offered the Postgraduate Certificate; If a student chooses to finish after two years having achieved 120 credits, they will be offered the Postgraduate Diploma.

 

Section 3. Nationality/Residence details

Please complete this section as fully as possible.
We require a copy of your currently valid photo ID (passport or driver’s license) to be attached in this Section.

 

Section 4. Payment of fees

Please give details of who you expect to pay your fees for the proposed course. Your application cannot be processed without relevant documentation.
If your employer or sponsor is paying your fees a letter must be enclosed from your employer/sponsor, confirming that your fees will be paid and giving contact details for invoicing.

Please indicate in the appropriate box if you are intending to apply to Student Finance UK for a loan. Details about your eligibility for a loan can be found on the Student Finance website here: https://www.gov.uk/student-finance.

 

Section 5. English language proficiency

If English is not your first language you will need to enter details of your English language qualification. You should also enclose a copy of your certificate / test report with your application.

We require proficiency in English up to the following tested standards:
IELTS 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each component)

Sections 6 & 7. Entry qualifications

Please list your qualifications and pending qualifications. Include any professional qualifications and short courses you may have attended. You must include scanned copies of certificates / transcripts for your most relevant university qualification (where appropriate) and/or any other qualification that you consider highly relevant to this application.

 

Section 8. Work Experience

Please include all your work experience paid or unpaid, full-time or part-time in your home or outside. Please also attach a CV as this is particularly helpful for admission purposes.

 

Section 9. References

You must arrange for TWO recommendation letters to be provided. One of your referees should normally be a member of an educational institution who is able to confirm your highest educational qualification. Applicants currently studying at an educational institution or who have only recently left should obtain the recommendation from an appropriate member of the teaching staff. If you were a student some years ago you should select a person with more recent knowledge of you. Examples are an employer; training officer; adult guidance officer, careers officer or community worker. Personal recommendations provided by relatives are not acceptable. It is important that the persons providing the recommendation knows you well enough to comment on your aptitude for study at postgraduate level.

Referees should be asked to provide information about your:

1. Background in areas related to the programme topics of study
2. Suitability for the programme applied for
3. Intellectual ability, including formal and informal attainments, and relevant personal qualities
4. Career aspirations

Applicants are responsible for requesting supporting references and for ensuring that the referees send these letters directly to Nicholas Theo, Alef Trust Programme Manager and Registrar by email (nick.theo@aleftrust.org).

 

Section 10. Supporting statement and essay

Pay attention to the guidance given in this section. You need to ensure that you represent yourself in the strongest light when considering how you will fit into the Alef Trust learning community. Competition for places on the MSc is high, and the admissions team will examine this section of your application carefully in assessing your suitability for academic study at the postgraduate level. Your supporting statement and essay should be your own original work, created for this application. You should not use paraphrasing software (“spinbots”) or AI writing software (like ChatGTP).

 

Section 11. Declaration

Any offer of a place you may receive is made on the understanding that in accepting it you agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the University and the Alef Trust, and by signing this form you are confirming your agreement. 

LJMU rules and regulations can be found here: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/public-information/student-regulations, and additional conditions applied by the Alef Trust are listed with the Terms & Conditions, which you must sign with your application.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE

The University will endeavour to deliver programmes in accordance with the descriptions set out in its prospectuses and guides, and on its websites and those of its partner institutions. However, such information is provided as a general guide to all the programmes and facilities offered by the University at the time of going to print. The website information, prospectuses and guides are not intended, nor should they be considered, to contain definitive programme descriptions and facilities.

 

Application Fee

The non-refundable application fee of £100 (GBP) must accompany your application.

Please pay your application fee via the Stripe payment gateway after the form completion.

The Alef Trust is registered with UK Companies House as ALEF TRUST CIC, company number: 08303520.

 

 

Name of programme:
MSc Consciousness, Spirituality, and Transpersonal Psychology

Proposed date of entry:
September 2026

Entry Point / Level:
7

Please confirm below which English Language qualification you have completed or will be sitting. 
Attach copies of the certificate(s) for completed qualifications.

Please provide copies of certificates/transcripts for your most relevant university qualification (where appropriate) and/or any other qualification that you consider highly relevant to this application.

It is your responsibility to contact the referees and ask them to send their reference letters directly by email to Nicholas Theo, Alef Trust Programme Manager and Registrar: nick.theo@aleftrust.org

Essay prompts from the application:

You are required to include (1) a personal statement and (2) an academic essay in support of your application. Both these items form a critical part of your application and each should be attached as a separate file. The admissions team consider them carefully in establishing your suitability for the MSc programme.

1. In the personal statement, please explain why this academic programme of study is the right choice for you at this stage in your life. This may include relevant personal, professional and/or educational experiences that have been part of your journey. When considering what experiences to include in this statement, use discernment and focus on purposeful experiences and meaningful events that you consider to demonstrate effectively your motivations and skills for studying at the Master’s level. The personal statement should be no more than 750 words.

2. The academic essay is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your critical thinking and analytical skills, showing the admissions team that you can approach writing in an academic and scholarly way. We ask that you

1) Set a question relevant to the fields of consciousness studies or transpersonal psychology, and

2) Address this question in a structured essay, demonstrating your abilities to construct a well-reasoned and substantiated argument by incorporating relevant sources of knowledge.

You could, for example, ask: Why should spirituality be studied through the lens of psychology? Give focus to your academic skills and writing, referring, for example, to other authors’ research in this area, using appropriate citations to support and develop your ideas. The academic essay should be no more than 1000 words.

3. Your supporting statement and essay should be your own original work, created for this application. You should not use paraphrasing software (“spinbots”) or AI writing software (like ChatGTP).

Alef Trust values academic integrity and human originality and thus maintains specific guidelines for the use of AI in the admissions process. As an applicant for the MSc programme, we evaluate your sample essay and personal statement to determine academic ability, creative ideas, and overall suitability for the course. To maintain scholarly integrity, your application materials must be written in your authentic voice; submitting AI-generated or heavily assisted essays in part or whole for your application is therefore prohibited.

If you have studied with the Alef Trust in the past as an open learner and completed the essay assessment, you may include this as your submission for the academic essay.

Please note: The MSc in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology requires students to integrate their personal experience and interests in spirituality with academic study of consciousness and transpersonal psychology that is grounded in research and scholarship focused primarily in the discipline of psychology. The personal statement and the academic essay enable you to demonstrate that you are ready for this integrative approach and that you are equipped to critically evaluate scholarly work in the topics of study.

Please also note that our Master’s programme is demanding in academic and experiential terms. Before applying, please consider how you will manage the programme alongside your existing work, family, and other commitments. 

Applicants whose application is not successful will be offered limited feedback to indicate why the Admissions Team decided against offering a place on the MSc programme.

1.  The Alef Trust undertakes to make available the learning support and resources required to allow the student to complete their studies. Details of the support provided within each module of study are given in the Programme Handbook. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they access this support and the resources.

 

2.  A £500 deposit fee is required upon your acceptance into the MSc programme.
The Alef Trust will then invoice students for the agreed annual fee at the beginning of their period of study and once a year thereafter on the anniversary of the student’s registration for their studies. Students will have the opportunity to pay the annual fee in two equal instalments, the first is due by September 1 (minus the already paid deposit in year one), and the second is due by February 1. Students in receipt of a student loan can apply to be invoiced on the loan payment dates. Failure to pay fees by the date specified can result in the withdrawal of all tutorial support and disabling of passwords and usernames for electronic learning resources.

 

3.  Goods and Services Tax (GST) Recent changes in rules governing taxation, especially in the EU, have meant that students on our online programmes resident in some countries will have to pay GST on top of the programme fee. The UK, which is the jurisdiction in which Alef Trust is located, does not impose GST (known as VAT in the UK) on educational fees. However, legislative changes mean that the determining factor for GST is no longer the country in which education is delivered but the country in which the “consumer”—in our case, the student studying on an Alef Trust programme—resides. Consequently, students who are resident in countries which impose GST on educational fees will be charged the GST by Alef Trust since Alef Trust is responsible for paying the tax in their country of residence.
The treatment of GST on distance learning is an evolving situation in many countries, if tax is deemed to be chargeable part way through your course, this could be added to your future course fees. We will not apply GST to invoices that have previously been issued. Alef Trust will not levy any charge on top of the tax liability; any administrative cost will be covered by Alef Trust

You are strongly advised to check the current situation in your country. Some countries allow exemptions for certain kinds of online educational programmes. Our MSc and PhD programmes, for example, may be exempt for GST purposes in your country. You must check—a local tax office should be able to advise you. Students who are residents in any of the countries in this table must budget for the increased fee liability. Alef Trust will not levy any charge on top of the tax liability; any administrative cost will be covered by Alef Trust. As of March 2026:

Country	GST Rate
Australia	10%
China (all Provinces)	6%
Denmark	25%
France	20%
Germany	19%
India (all States)	18%
Italy	22%
Singapore	9%
Romania	21%
Spain	21%

 

4.  All students will have access to electronic learning environments, such as Canvas. Access to these resources is dependent upon the student conducting themselves in a respectful and supportive manner to other members of their online learning community.

 

5.   Canvas and other online systems that we may use are closed learning environments. It is the responsibility of each member of the leaning community to maintain these environments. Usernames and passwords assigned to students for electronic resources are for the use of that student only and should not be passed to non-members of the Alef Trust learning community. Failure to comply with this restriction can result in the withdrawal of such resources.

 

6.  All students have the right to cancel their agreement to take up the offer of a place on the programme of study within 14 calendar days of receiving Alef Trust’s confirmation of their place by email. There is no requirement to provide reasons, and the student will receive a full refund of any fees paid (not including the non-refundable application fee), or a waiver of any fees the student had been liable to pay for the programme of study. 

 

7.  If the student decides to cancel or leave their programme of study prior to its completion, then the Alef Trust must be informed by email sent to both the Academic Programme Leader and the Programme Manager / Registrar. Verbal notification will not be acceptable. This requirement comes into effect as soon as an application form has been submitted by the student.

 

8.  If a student leaves their programme of study prior to completion of their studies and after 14 calendar days of receiving Alef Trust’s confirmation of their place by email, then they will be liable for the fees, subject to the following conditions:

     8.1. If a student leaves the programme in year one within the fourteen calendar days following their enrolment on the learning environment (e.g., Canvas), they will be liable for the £500 deposit only.

     8.2. If a student leaves the programme in year one after the first fourteen calendar days following their enrolment on the learning environment (e.g., Canvas) but no later than five months after enrolment, the student will be liable for 50% of the programme fees for the year.

     8.3. If the student leaves the programme more than five months after their enrolment on the learning environment in year one, then the student will be liable for the full programme fee for the year.

     8.4. In subsequent years, a student leaving the programme within five months from enrolment on the learning sites for the first modules taught in the year will be liable for 50% of the programme fees for the year.

     8.5. If the student leaves the programme more than five months after their enrolment on the learning sites for the first modules taught in the year, then the student will be liable for the full programme fee for the year.

 

9.  If a student wishes to suspend their studies by obtaining a Leave of Absence (LOA) with the intention of returning to study in the next academic year, the LOA will be granted only if the student has paid all instalments identified on their invoice as being due up to the date of their LOA.

NB In addition to this financial condition, requests for LOA are considered in relation to LJMU regulations and are generally awarded only when circumstances arise which were unknown to the student, or otherwise unpredictable, at the time of starting their programme of study.

An intended date of return will be agreed between the student and the Academic Programme Leader. The student will be asked to confirm their intention to return on the agreed date two months prior to the agreed date. In order to secure their place in the new cohort of students, the LOA student will be required to pay a 250 GBP deposit, refundable against the fees that will become due when they commence the year of study.

The returning LOA student will be liable to pay fees at the rate payable by the cohort of students they are joining.

If the Alef Trust increases the MSc fees during the period of the LOA, the returning student will be charged at the new rate. The new fee will apply throughout the remaining duration of their MSc programme. Fees paid in the year in which the student took the LOA will be credited against the new fee.

 

10.  In addition to the terms and conditions outlined here all students agree to abide by those of Liverpool John Moores University (available on the LJMU website) in regard to the conduct of their studies.

Please sign below to show that you have read and agree to abide by these terms and conditions.

I confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, the information given on this form is correct and complete.

I understand that any offer of a place is subject to my acceptance of Liverpool John Moores University’s terms and conditions and the Alef Trust’s conditions as given at the end of this form.

I accept that if I do not fully comply with these requirements Liverpool John Moores University and the Alef Trust reserve the right to cancel my application.

I agree that Liverpool John Moores University and the Alef Trust may record and process the information contained in this form and the Self-declaration form for statistical and administrative purposes in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.