Tips For International Students – Achieving Scholarship In The UK

Posted on: August 9, 2019

“The higher the quality of education, the higher the cost will be” – anonymous

In today’s world, universities in the UK are perfectly elaborating the above quote. They are ranked among top-quality education universities worldwide, while most of them are hard to afford. According to a governmental policy announced in 2017, universities are allowed to charge up to €9,250 from national students annually. While international students in the UK are charged with a fee range up to £50,000 annually.

Scholarships in the UK for international students

As mentioned above, international students are charged with a higher fee to study in the UK as compared to national students. This is because British students have benefits of student loans and state scholarships.

The good news is most of the universities in the UK are now offering handsome scholarships for international students that can tackle the financial concerns of many deserving students. This help to build strong entrepreneur genre for future as well. Furthermore, a scholarship is essential for non-affording students as adding living costs in the UK is enough to turn a scholarship into a necessity for them.

UK scholarships for international students are divided into two major groups

  • Governmental Scholarships
  • Non-governmental Scholarships

Governmental Scholarships

The UK knows how to maintain a keen awareness of international student’s financial issues complimenting them as the global attraction for education. Hence, to fulfill the scholarship needs of international students, the British government runs two types of the scholarship scheme, especially for international students.

  • Chevening Scholarships
  • Commonwealth Scholarships

Chevening Scholarships

Chevening scholarship program is the most significant scholarship program that is state-governed in the UK, founded in 1983. This scheme was designed to support students with a long term goal that have high educational potential. The program also lets students assist other students with quality academic potential and have benefited thousands of students since its establishment.

Chevening scholarship funds are sponsored by FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) and their affiliated universities. There are two types of grants that are awarded under this scholarship.

  • Scholarships
  • Fellowships

Chevening scholarship is awarded for a one-year master course. However, it can also be granted for many postgraduate courses. To get this scholarship, you just have to be a domicile of a Chevening scholarship country. Moreover, you have to be eligible with the below requirements:

  • You must meet the English language requirements
  • You must have an undergraduate degree
  • You must have 2+ years’ of work experience

Commonwealth Scholarships

Commonwealth scholarships are the most affluent scheme for international students managed mutually by 53 countries that were formerly known as British colonies. It is funded by the Department for International Development and sponsors students of commonwealth countries for UK universities. Just like Chevening scholarship, it is awarded for a one-year master course as well as postgraduate and doctoral degrees. Furthermore, it covers airline fares, tuition fees, living costs, and allowances. The scholarship is awarded to students of the below subjects:

  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Engineering & Technology
  • Agriculture
  • Theoretical and Applied Science

Non-Governmental Scholarships

In addition to national awards, there are many resources for scholarships available in the UK funded by non-governmental organizations and universities itself to encourage talented students from specific countries.

Marshal program is the topmost scholarship provider that grants students for a master course or a Ph.D. degree in the UK. If you are a USA resident, you can apply for the scholarship fulfilling the criteria below:

  • A US four-year undergraduate degree in the last three years of application
  • An average GPA at a minimum of 3.7
  • You haven’t studied for a British degree before

Many UK universities are offering different types of scholarships for international students. Below is the list of UK universities that provide scholarships for international students:

Gates Cambridge Scholarship

The University of Cambridge is the best university worldwide. It offers a gates scholarship program to eligible international students for full-time postgraduate studies covering all expenses for the period.

Rhodes House Scholarships

Rhodes house scholarship is the oldest and prestigious among all. It awards scholarships to 95 postgraduate students to study at Oxford University every year. It covers all expenses along with tuition fee. The scholarship eligibility criteria have the largest competition in the UK and serve to select the best ones.

University Prize Scholarships

The University of Sheffield rewards five scholarships for Ph.D. applicants every year with a full funding of £20,000 covering tuition fee and additional expenses.

International Scholarships at University of Westminster

The University of Westminster offers scholarships that cover tuition fee, accommodation, living expenses, and airplane fairs. Enrolls students for a master program.

MBA Skoll Scholarships

Said the school business of oxford rewards this scholarship to master degree students. It requires you to have a relevant experience for leading an enterprise for at least a year. It also covers all living expenses along with the tuition fee.

Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships

It grants 30 scholarships annually to those international students who want to do a Ph.D. course. It only covers a tuition fee.

Bristol University Scholarships

The university offers five scholarships for undergraduate students with the account for £8,500 which goes beyond university tuition fees.

Kingston University London Scholarships

This scholarship is partial, and it accounts for £4,000 per academic year. It provides international students with undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

UK Scholarships from the British Council

If you want to pursue a bachelors or master degree in the UK, you can also do IELTS and apply for the scholarship. The scholarship offer eligibility to every country of the world, ranging from £3,000 up to £10,000.

International Undergraduate Engineering Scholarship

The Nottingham Trent University offers scholarships for Bachelor in Sports Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Electronic Engineering. It is open to students of all nations with an annual grant of £5,000.

MBA Scholarships at Brunel University

The University of Brunel London offers scholarships for an MBA (Business Administration) to international students. They provide partial grants accounting for £6,420.

Denys Holland Scholarship

The University College London scholarship awardees can have £9,000 annually and let them decide whether they want to spend it paying tuition fees or living costs. You have to be below 25 years of age to apply for this.

University of Sussex International Scholarships

The scholarship is an ideal one for students seeking full-time postgraduate program. The scholarship is granted for a whole year and covers half of the university tuition fee.

Fulbright Foreign Student Program

The program is formed by a former US senator as a merit-based competitive scholarship program. This also grants for master and Ph.D. programs.

Application requirements

You don’t have to follow a standard set of documentation for UK scholarships. It depends upon the type of award you are applying for or the organization dealing with it. Governmental funded scholarships have different requirements than private ones. Assessing committees have different eligibility criteria to select the best deserving applicant. Hence, the best option is to check the individual element of the scholarship that you are applying for.

Take Home message

Plan your process then thoroughly check for the requirements and set yourself to the eligibility criteria. By this, you will not end up in the situation to get rejected. All the best!