International Recruitment Scholarships general terms and conditions

Whenever the University makes and the Student accepts the award of a scholarship, the following conditions apply unless explicitly stated otherwise:

• Scholarships are typically awarded as tuition fee discounts for the first year of study. The discount amount and duration of the award are specified in the individual scholarship offer.
• Scholarships do not cover living expenses, visa fees, travel expenses, or any other additional costs associated with studying in the United Kingdom.
• The scholarship amount will be deducted from the student’s tuition fee invoice, and any remaining balance must be paid by the student.
• The scholarship amount will be applied to the student’s invoice in full. If the student has received other UoB scholarships, where the tuition fee invoice balance is less than the scholarship award amount only the balance of the invoice amount will be applied, and the remaining scholarship is not transferable and cannot be claimed/ refunded for other purposes.
• The University reserves the right to withdraw the Scholarship at any time.

To be eligible for a University of Birmingham international scholarship applicants must normally meet the following general criteria:

• Be classified by the University as an ‘overseas’ fee payer for tuition fee purposes.
• Have received an offer for a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate program at the University’s UK campus.
• If required, accept the offer of admission to the University by the specified deadline.
• Meet the academic and English language conditions of their offer.
• Be domiciled in the country or region specified in the scholarship advert.
• Not be in receipt of a full tuition fee scholarship from any other source.
• Unless otherwise stated in the relevant college scholarship terms and conditions, students may normally combine partial scholarships awarded by the University of Birmingham, provided the total combined value does not exceed the full tuition fee liability. This enables students to benefit from multiple awards where eligible and applicable.
• Demonstrate the ability to cover living expenses and any remaining tuition fees not covered by the scholarship.

The application process may vary by scholarship but generally includes:

• Submitting an application through the University’s designated scholarship application portal or through a local education consultant agent representative (any such ‘agents’ will be listed in the scholarship advert webpage).
• Meeting all specified eligibility criteria and application deadlines.
• Providing necessary documentation, including proof of academic achievements and English proficiency.
• Complying with any additional requirements as specified in the scholarship advert.
• For scholarships where no formal application is required, where a student meets  the scholarship requirements, the discount will automatically be applied upon full enrolment on your chosen programme in September.
• For scholarships where a formal application is required, students must complete the programme application process and scholarship application by the deadlines provided . 

Decisions will be announced after the scholarship deadline. Only successful scholarship awardees will be contacted.

If a scholarship applicant is not contacted please consider your application unsuccessful. 

Successful applicants will usually receive a scholarship offer or “Notification of Award” via email between May and August either as an attachment or an embedded letter from the awarding Team or Department, specifying:

• The scholarship amount.
• Conditions that must be met to retain the scholarship.
• The deadline for acceptance and registration.
• Information on how the scholarship will be applied to tuition fees.

A ‘Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies’ (CAS) will be issued by the Admissions Team to apply for a student visa once you have met all the conditions of your offer, accepted your offer, and paid your deposit.

The tuition fee on a CAS will be the programme fee and where possible the University will update the CAS with the scholarships that have been awarded.

If the tuition fee on the CAS does not include the scholarships that have been awarded, the “Notification of Award” letter which can be used as part of the visa application.

The University will communicate details of the programme fee and the scholarship directly to the UK Visas and Immigration Agency.

If a scholarship is issued after a CAS has been issued, a new or updated CAS will not be required; proceed with your visa application as usual.

To fully secure and maintain the scholarship recipients must:

• Complete online registration and enrolment by the specified deadline.
• Remain a registered full-time student at the University of Birmingham.
• Maintain good academic standing and meet any progress requirements specified in their offer letter if relevant.
• Scholarships will be withdrawn in cases where a student fails to fully enrol by the start of the academic year.
• Inform the University promptly if they withdraw, defer, or take a leave of absence from their program.
   - Where a student withdraws, the scholarship will be withdrawn, and the student is responsible for all outstanding tuition fees.
   - Where a student defers, the scholarship will be withdrawn in that year, and the student will be eligible to apply for the any relevant scholarships (if available) in the year they start their programme
   - Where a student takes a long leave of absence, the scholarship will be withdrawn in that year, and the student will be eligible to apply for the any scholarships in the year they start their programme depending on when in the academic year they take the leave of absence.
• If a student takes a short leave of absence and is expected to return to the programme in the same year, then the scholarship will be honoured.
• Scholarships will be withdrawn in cases of program withdrawal.
• Where a student changes programme and the new programme is outside of the scholarship parameters, they will no longer be eligible for the scholarship. 

Successful candidates will be notified of their scholarship once the deadline has passed, they will receive a Notification of Award letter either as an attachment or an embedded letter from the awarding Team or Department.

A tuition fee invoice is only created by the University’s Finance Office once enrolment has been completed. A scholarship can only be applied once the tuition fee invoice is created on a students account.

International scholarships are normally administered as tuition fee discounts applied directly to the student’s tuition fee invoice. The University’s Finance Office will only issue an invoice for the full programme tuition fee for the academic cycle. The tuition fee invoice will not reflect any tuition fee payments made or scholarships or discounts awarded by the University will not be reflected on the invoice and the invoice cannot updated to reflect the outstanding balance of tuition fees after payments and discounts have been applied.

To calculate the payable tuition fees, students will be required to manually deduct any scholarships they have been awarded and any payments made i.e. deposits (where applicable) from the tuition fee invoice value. If you require further assistance please contact the University’s Accounts Receivable Team (details provided below in the next segment). 

The University’s Finance Office will apply scholarships to students accounts at the start of the academic year from mid September to early October. 

The University’s Finance Office will issue a "Confirmation of Award" document, one for each scholarship that you have been awarded when the scholarship has been applied to your account. 

If for any reason the scholarship is revoked the University’s Finance Office will issue a "Reduction of Award" for each scholarship revoked which will have a negative (minus) value. 

Students may receive communications from the Accounts Receivable Team in the Finance Office of the University showing the full tuition fee before the scholarship deduction is applied. The Finance Office will ensure the scholarship is reflected in the student’s financial record once enrolment is completed.

If you need confirmation of your account balance, please contact Accounts Receivable via the University’s Service Now finance portal

If a student wishes to pay tuition fees in instalments, please ensure that you advise the Accounts Receivable Team that you are in receipt of scholarship(s). Please provide a copy of all your Notification of Award letters, so the correct instalment plan can be set up.

Students who pay the full tuition fee upfront and are later awarded a scholarship may request a refund of the scholarship amount. Refund procedures are outlined on the University’s Service Now finance portal

University scholarships are normally awarded without reference to an applicant’s personal financial circumstances; therefore, please note the following when seeking tuition-fee discount sponsorship:

Where a student is sponsored by a third party that covers either a portion of or the full programme tuition fee, they are not eligible to hold a University-funded scholarship concurrently. Students must declare their sponsorship status upon receiving a Notification of Award or during enrolment (whichever is sooner) and submit the relevant Financial Guarantee Letter (FGL) to ensure accurate processing.

Any scholarship applied prior to the University being made of sponsorship will be reversed once confirmation of sponsorship is received.

University scholarships are awarded without prior knowledge of an applicant’s financial circumstances. Please note the following when seeking scholarships that cover tuition fees and ensure this information is provided to Admissions, the International Scholarships Team, or Accounts Receivable when requested

Where a student is seeking full or partial funding from a third-party scholarship or sponsorship provider, they must supply the provider with the full advertised tuition fee amount (as per the University website and/ or the University offer letter) even if a Notification of Award or a CAS with a scholarship deduction has been issued, as students in receipt of any third party scholarship are not eligible for the University of Birmingham scholarships.

Where a student has secured a full or partial tuition fee scholarship by a third party, (either pre or post enrolment) they are not eligible to hold a University-funded scholarship concurrently. Students must declare their scholarship/ sponsorship status upon receiving a Notification of Award or a CAS (whichever is sooner) and submit the relevant Financial Guarantee Letter (FGL) during enrolment to ensure accurate tuition fee processing.

Where a student is awarded a scholarship/sponsorship by a third party i.e. a Government scholarship/sponsor, and that provider requires that tuition fees must first be paid by the student and then reimbursed from the third party, it is expected that the student will pay the full advertised tuition and then reclaim the full fee from the third party. Any University provided scholarship applied will then be reversed when proof of payment is requested for or by the third party.

Third party scholarship providers/ sponsors can be directed to the University’s course pages, which list the full international tuition fee for each programme. Where a third party scholarship provider/ sponsor is not able or willing to pay the full tuition fee, the student will be responsible for any remaining balance, as University of Birmingham scholarships will not be applied in such circumstances.

Students must declare any external scholarship or sponsorship as soon as they are awarded and inform the University’s Admissions Office so that any CAS issued for visa application purposed are accurately generated.

International scholarships provided by the International Recruitment Team at the University may be held alongside scholarships offered by other University departments, provided the terms and conditions of both awards allow this. Please ensure you review the terms and conditions of any College/ School/ Departmental scholarships you are considering, as these may differ.

If you have any questions regarding scholarships eligibility, please contact the International Recruitment Team for your region.

Students entering the University of Birmingham through a pre sessional English programme through the Birmingham International Academy will not be eligible for any scholarship until the offer for the full time programme they wish to undertake is unconditional i.e. they have passed all the conditions for that programme.

Where a scholarship needs to be applied for, the student will not be eligible to apply for the scholarship once they are unconditional if the deadline has passed. 

Students entering the University of Birmingham through articulation pathways (such as 1+1 or 2+2 arrangements) are not normally eligible for the University’s core international scholarships, but may be considered for bespoke partner discounts coordinated by the relevant academic College. Candidates unsure of their eligibility for such a discount should contact their College at the University of Birmingham for guidance.

Scholarships cannot be transferred to pay for other charges, such as bench fees or accommodation fees and they cannot be taken as cash.

If a student receives multiple scholarships that together exceed the tuition fee, the excess amount will not be paid out or applied elsewhere.