The best UK scholarships for international students

Getting a UK scholarship is a great way to make uni life in the UK more affordable, especially when the tuition fees are so high. Let’s talk UK scholarships!

Ellie

4 minute read

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Updated on 16 Aug 2024

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Studying

Studying in the UK can be very expensive for international students. With some of the highest tuition fees for international students and a relatively high cost of living, the cost of your degree in the UK will be high. Thankfully, there’re many scholarships you can take advantage of as an international student in the UK.

In this article, we’ll outline the best UK scholarships for international students at an undergraduate and postgraduate level.

In your search for a UK scholarship, you’ll probably think there’re a lot more scholarships for postgraduate students. This is mainly because undergraduate scholarships exist on a more specific basis, depending on your university and nationality. Postgraduate scholarships, on the other hand, are available on a broader level, covering many universities, nationalities, and subjects at once. Both postgraduate and undergraduate scholarships are offered by the government, specific universities, and private institutions.

Let’s take a closer look at undergraduate and postgraduate UK scholarships for international students.

While there’re some incredible scholarships available to international students in the UK, you’ll find the most well known ones are mainly available to postgraduate students. Your best bet for getting a scholarship as an international student pursuing an undergraduate degree in the UK is to look into university-specific and nationality-based scholarships.

University-specific scholarships

The UK has hundreds of incredible universities, all offering their own forms of scholarships for international students. These scholarships are typically merit-based and related to the type of learning you pursue. Your university may also have scholarships for athletes and exceptional students. It’s worthwhile checking out whether your university offers scholarships during the application process.

Your university will most likely offer a partial scholarship to help fund your tuition fees as an undergraduate. However, finding a fully funded scholarship as an international undergraduate student in the UK is pretty rare, and you’d need to have a near-perfect academic record.

Nationality-based scholarships

You may be able to receive a scholarship to study in the UK based on your nationality. The following countries offer scholarships to students from there who want to study in the UK:

• Armenia
• China
• France
• India
• Pakistan

Students from certain parts of Africa can also apply for scholarships to study in the UK. If you’re coming from Africa, the following universities offer scholarships that you can apply for:

• University of Glasgow
• University College London
• Edinburgh Napier University
• SOAS London
• Durham University
• Oxford University
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Cambridge
• London Business School
• University of Birmingham

If you plan to complete a postgraduate degree in the UK, you’re in luck, as many scholarships are exclusively available to postgraduate students. Some scholarships will even cover your flights to and from the UK. Let’s look at the most popular scholarships for postgraduate students in the UK.

Chevening Scholarship

The UK government offers Chevening Scholarships to students with exceptional academic achievements and leadership potential. These scholarships cover tuition fees, a living stipend, and travel expenses to and from the UK. To apply, you must have at least two years of work experience and be committed to returning to your home country after your studies. The Chevening Scholarship is available in a range of subjects, so it’s worth checking out if you can apply.

• Duration: 1 year of study in the UK
• Eligibility: You must have: An undergraduate degree, minimum 2 years work experience, residence of eligible country
• Requirements: Minimum grade of 2:1 in an undergraduate degree, received an unconditional offer from a UK university, English proficiency
• Application deadline: Usually mid-July
• Amount: Cost of your tuition fees, travel expenses and a living stipend

Commonwealth Scholarships

The Commonwealth scholarships are designed to support the overall development of the United Kingdom. This scholarship covers tuition fees, a living stipend and travel expenses to and from the UK. Commonwealth scholarships are broken down into particular categories, including:

• PhD scholarships: These are available for students from countries within the Commonwealth who’ve completed an undergraduate degree with a grade of at least 2:1 and a relevant master's degree.

• Masters scholarships: Particularly for students of science and technology; innovation and entrepreneurship; innovation in health systems; global peace, security and governance; crises responses; access, inclusion and opportunity.

• Shared scholarships: This scholarship is for master students from low—to middle-income countries within the commonwealth who haven’t studied or worked for a year in a high-income country. It’s available for 12 months, and UK universities will request students for specific courses each year.

• Duration: 1-3 years

• Eligibility: You must have: An undergraduate degree, citizenship from a Commonwealth member state

• Requirements: Minimum grade of 1:1 or 2:1 in an undergraduate degree, excellent academic performance, English proficiency, must not be able to study in the UK without this scholarship.

• Application deadline: End of July

• Amount: Cost of your tuition fees, travel expenses and a living stipend

These scholarships offer students from particular countries a fund of £10,000 towards their tuition fees during their postgraduate study. Provided by the British Council and the UK’s GREAT Britain campaign, GREAT offers 210 scholarships in 71 universities across the UK. To apply for a GREAT scholarship, you’ll need to be from one of the following countries:

• Bangladesh

• China

• Egypt

• Ghana

• Greece

• Kenya

• India

• Indonesia

• Malaysia

• Mexico

• Nigeria

• Pakistan

• Thailand

• Turkey

• Vietnam

• Duration: 1 year

• Eligibility: You must have: An undergraduate degree, citizenship from one of the countries listed above

• Requirements: Completed undergraduate degree from your home country, excellent academic performance, English proficiency, proven interest or relevant work experience in the field you plan to study.

• Application deadline: End of June

• Amount: £10,000

Now that you’ve got a collection of the best scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate international students coming to the UK, it’s time to apply! Studying in the UK is an exciting venture for any international, and getting a scholarship is a great way to fund your life in the UK.