Scholarship Options in the UK

Quick Summary

• Institution-Specific Scholarships: Some universities have general scholarships for academic performance, such as the Oxford Scholars Program and the Cambridge Scholarships, while others have specialty scholarships, such as the Edinburgh Scholar for sciences, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, and the Nottingham scholar for marginalized groups.

• Academic, Merit, and Excellence Scholarships: These are offered to the most qualified academic students since they help reduce tuition fees while promoting performance.

• Performance-Based and Subject-Specific Scholarships: Performance-based scholarships cover skills in sports, music, arts, or dance; academic-based scholarships assist an individual in certain courses, helping him to sharpen their career path.

• Equal Access, Sanctuary, and Disability Scholarships: These scholarships offer assistance in terms of fees to refugees, asylum seekers, and students with disabilities and eradicate inequality in a community.

• Masters Degree Scholarships: Great, Fulbright, Erasmus Mundus, Chevening, and Commonwealth scholarships are to finance master’s or Ph. D. tuition fees, living expenses, and travel for students all over the world in order to enhance cooperation and leadership.

Scholarship Options in UK

Institution-Specific Scholarships

The scholarships available at UK institutions are numerous and differ from one another, depending on the strategies in business and the guidelines of each. Some prestigious universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge, have a number of scholarships that may be associated with academic achievement and leadership abilities since they are focused on creating a pool of the best minds around the world. 

The Oxford Clarendon Fund and Gates Cambridge Scholarship, for example, are available, which is a full-cost scholarship available for graduate study to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject offered at the University of Cambridge. About two-thirds of these awards will be provided to PhD students, with around 25 awards in the US round and 55 in the International round.

This could be due to the strategic goals and focus of the respective university. In contrast, others may have a specific field of study or a specific demography in mind for their scholarships.

For example, the University of Edinburgh offers the Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships for distance learning Master’s programs. Likewise, the University of Nottingham gives Developing Solutions Scholarships to students from developing nations who desire international students who wish to bring change to the development of their nation’s significant economic, ecological, architectural, social, or political systems. These are called institution-specific scholarships and are aimed not only at attracting qualified people but also at achieving such university’s objectives as encouraging invention, diversification, and the achievement of a global impact.

Here are some of the scholarships options in the UK, that you can achieve as an international student:

Academic, Merit, and Excellence Scholarships

There are three broad categories of scholarships: academic scholarships, merit scholarships, and excellence scholarships, which are given to students with excellent grades. These scholarships are meant for those students who have performed well in school examinations to prove their commitment and intelligence. 

Most of the times, the recipients of this scholarship have had good academic performance, implying their hard-working nature. Through such scholarships, the cost of tuition fees in higher learning institutions is greatly minimized, and students can easily continue with their college dreams and achieve more in their careers. As offered to the best performers, these scholarships promote academic achievement and compel students to perform at their best.

Performance-Based Scholarships

The Performance-Based Scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate great results in sports, music, drama, or dance. These scholarships reward talents, and the gifted are awarded scholarships to enable them through college as they pursue excellence in the field of their choice. 

Scholarships for performance scholars, more often than not, possess specific performance accomplishments and dedication towards honing their abilities. Besides helping offset the costs of education, these scholarships also afford the students a chance to polish their talents in their given fields and gain recognition, which is a very healthy way of promoting the overall growth of the students. 

Subject-Specific Scholarships

Subject-based scholarships are provided for students who apply for a certain course or field of study. These are usually given by departmental authorities to facilitate the education of talented students in specific areas of specialization. Thus, subject-specific scholarships, which involve financial support, help students to focus on the chosen subject and contribute to its further development with the help of research. 

Such scholarships assist in developing a group of efficient and motivated scholars who work towards the development of knowledge in their field, thus enabling the students to acquire all the necessary resources that will facilitate their academic and professional success in the chosen field.

Equal Access or Sanctuary Scholarships

Equal access or sanctuary scholarships are provided to help refugees and asylum seekers in accessing education, having left from countries of origin due to persecution. This could be in the form of tuition fee reductions, waivers, or maintenance awards that make it easier for students who have gone through various challenges to continue with their education.

In this regard, such scholarships offer financial support with the aim of restarting life in an effort to pursue some displaced people's academic ambitions. Equal access scholarships prove a great commitment to social justice and inclusion, as they allow every individual, regardless of background, to meet his potential through education.

Disability Scholarships

Disability scholarships are for international students with disabilities, long-term mental illnesses, learning disabilities, or other difficulties. These scholarships offer monetary support and other necessary tools so that students with such a status can attend college and succeed. Through addressing the problems of these students, disability scholarships encourage equal opportunities for learners with disabilities.

These scholarships have a central role in enhancing the lives of students with disabilities, providing them with means to remove the barriers, achieve their educational objectives, and become productive members of society.

Scholarships for Masters Degree

Great Scholarships

Great Scholarships are one of the programs of the British Council together with the Universities of the United Kingdom for students of different countries to sponsor them for a master’s degree in any field. They are scholarship fees for proposed tuition fees whose marketing is targeted towards quality education in the UK and good relations among different countries and cultures.

Fulbright Scholarships

The United States government funds the Fulbright Scholarships to enable American students to fly to Great Britain to attain their Master’s or Ph. D. Some of the areas of focus for this scholarship include tuition fees, other costs of living, traveling, and other merits accorded to cultural students.

Erasmus Mundus Scholarships

Erasmus Mundus Scholarships are those full scholarships offered to students from other parts of the world interested in studying for a Joint Degree in a Master's or Doctorate program in participating universities in Europe, including the United Kingdom. These scholarships provide the students with tuition fees, traveling costs, and, to some extent, their living expenses and foster multicultural understanding and cooperation among students of different origins.

Chevening Scholarships

Chevening Scholarships are fully-funded scholarship programs for future leaders awarded to students all over the world. The grants enable the beneficiary to study for a Master’s degree in any subject offered at any institution in the UK but for one year only. Besides the financial component, Chevening supplies quite specific prospects in leadership and contacts development for like-minded influential people, creating a really close-knit and international community.

Commonwealth Scholarships

Commonwealth Scholarships are financed by the government of the United Kingdom and targeted at the citizens of the countries that are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. These scholarships can help scholars to do a master's or PhD in the UK and include fees, living costs, and travel expenses. It focuses on strict academic performance and the prospect of the positive effects the scholar can bring to his/their home country.

Ready to pursue your higher studies in the UK, contact Nepal Education Consultancy today!