Principal’s Medal: Amar Singh Bhandal

Graduation Office
Tuesday 1 July 2025

Presented by Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE

Tuesday 1 July – afternoon ceremony


I would now like to introduce the Principal’s Medal. This award was inaugurated 16 years ago with a gift from three anonymous donors and is supported by Ede and Ravenscroft, believed to be the oldest firm of tailors and robe-makers in the world.

The award of the Principal’s Medal recognises students who display exceptional endeavour and achievement during their time at St Andrews. Up to three awards are available each year, to undergraduates and postgraduates, across our summer and winter graduation ceremonies, although the award will only be made if there are candidates of exceptional merit. The achievements celebrated are both academic and extracurricular. Today the Principal’s Medal is being awarded to two truly outstanding students, Louise Anderbjörk and Amar Singh Bhandal. I will now speak to the achievements of Amar Singh Bhandal.

Amar Singh Bhandal has graduated today with a first-class MA (Hons) degree in International Relations.

Amar Singh Bhandal
Amar Singh Bhandal

Amar has flourished academically during his time at St Andrews, featuring twice on the Deans’ List and achieving the joint highest grade in the demanding final-year International Relations Module Force and Statecraft. He also distinguished himself within the German department in his first year, winning the departmental prize from the German Consulate in Edinburgh awarded for the highest module grade, as well as the German Book Prize, awarded for performance in first-level German. During his year abroad at the University of Toronto in his junior honours year, Amar achieved a GPA of 3.91 and received the prestigious Neil Reid McLeod Scholarship, in recognition of his academic excellence.

Amar has frequently displayed an impressive commitment to independent academic exploration and ambitious scholarship over the course of his degree. He has twice been awarded a prestigious Laidlaw Scholarship for Research and Leadership. As a Laidlaw Scholar, he conducted extensive independent research in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town, South Africa, where he interviewed survivors of the Apartheid era and engaged with politicians across the political spectrum to explore post-apartheid reconciliation processes. In connection with the Laidlaw programme, Amar also supported community resilience initiatives as a volunteer in the Dominican Republic, later sharing the insights he gained at the Laidlaw North America conference in Toronto.

Amar’s impressive global citizenship and his ability to apply academic learning to create real-world impact is evidenced in his engagement with the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), with whom he attended multiple summits in Washington, D.C., often as the only international delegate. His work with the AEI centred on understanding and addressing critical political and civil society issues, such as free speech on campus and political polarisation. This work led him to secure $2500 of AEI funding to host three events in St Andrews, which included a screening of the presidential debate aimed at fostering bipartisan dialogue among students.

While he is incredibly globally minded, Amar has also had a profoundly positive impact in St Andrews. He founded the St Andrews Sikh Society in 2022, which was subsequently awarded Best New Society by the Students Association. Amar served consecutively as President, Vice President and Treasurer, showing exceptional dedication to enriching the student experience of his peers. Through the Sikh society, he organised a series of Langar events, securing funding from the Students’ Association and successfully serving 1,500 community members with free meals. These efforts ultimately earned Amar the Community Hero Award from the Students’ Association in 2023.

Amar’s passion for serving his community is also highlighted in his work as Vice Chair of the St Andrews Conservative Association. In this context, Amar has consistently engaged with senior political figures, networking with prominent ministers such as the Rt Hon Suella Braverman KC MP, the Rt Hon James Cleverley MP, and the Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP at UK and Scottish Conservative Party conferences. Amar’s engagement in public service also extends internationally, as he was selected for the Ontario Conservative Party’s mentorship programme, through which he participated in multiple visits to the provincial legislature and attended the party conference in Niagara Falls.

Finally, throughout his studies, Amar has developed a successful tutoring business during his studies, which now serves over 130 students a month and which holds corporate membership with the Tutors’ Association. Beyond the entrepreneurial spirit that this demonstrates, Amar’s business has served as yet another vector for his deep commitment to social responsibility by allowing him to provide pro bono or subsidised tutoring to students experiencing adversity.

In October, Amar will begin an MPhil in Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge. In all his endeavours, Amar has exemplified leadership, compassion, and a profound dedication to helping others. His ability to make a meaningful contribution on both a local and a global scale is truly inspiring and I am sure that he will carry this with him to Cambridge. Amar, in recognition of your many accomplishments both academically and personally during your time at St Andrews, it gives me great pleasure to bestow upon you the Principal’s Medal..

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