Terms and conditions

Our Birmingham Masters Scholarship offers £3,000 via a tuition fee discount, to support the brightest and best applicants undertaking Masters study at Birmingham during 2025-26.

All Birmingham Masters Scholarship offers are bound by the below terms and conditions. You should familiarise yourself with all of the below terms and conditions before applying to the Birmingham Masters Scholarship.

1. Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the Birmingham Masters Scholarship, you must be:

Undertaking a Masters course in an eligible subject commencing in the 2025-26 academic year;
Domiciled in the UK and classified as a Home student for tuition fee payment;
Not already registered on a postgraduate programme.

If your application is successful, all offers are based upon the terms and conditions of the scholarship and further eligibility checks will be undertaken. All offers are made upon the assumption that any and all information you submit is truthful and accurate; the scholarship can and will be revoked if you are found to be in violation of the scholarship's terms and conditions at any point.

Awarding will prioritise students who have graduated from one of the Midlands-based universities identified in the below tab; however, having studied at a Midlands-based university is not a requirement for an application.

Please see the below tab for the eligible courses for the Birmingham Masters Scholarship.

Due to the high volume of applications, the University reserves the right to close the scholarship scheme early, meaning that any successive round(s) after the first round of applications may not be executed, despite any initial plans of operating multiple rounds, if all scholarships are allocated to successful applicants.

Eligible courses for the Birmingham Masters Scholarship

The Birmingham Masters Scholarship can only be held by students that are enrolled onto an eligible postgraduate taught Masters degree at the University of Birmingham.

Eligible courses include the following, delivered at our Edgbaston Campus, Stratford-upon-Avon, partnered institutions or by distance learning:

LLM
MA (Taught)
MSc (Pre-reg)
MSc (Taught)
MPH
MEd
MBA
MPA

As the scholarship is only applicable to postgraduate taught Masters degrees, ineligible courses include:

MA/MSc by Research
MRes (combined taught and research)
Integrated Masters degrees (such as MSci/MEng)
Postgraduate Diplomas (PGDip)
Postgraduate Certificates (PGCert)
Postgraduate Research courses (such as PhDs)

If an awardee of the Birmingham Masters Scholarship transfers to an ineligible course, the Birmingham Masters Scholarship will be revoked and the student will no longer receive the £3,000 tuition fee waiver and will be liable for the payment of this value as well as any outstanding tuition fees.

Eligible universities in the Midlands catchment

The list below shows the universities and university colleges considered ‘Midlands’ for the purposes of the Birmingham Masters Scholarship application:

University of Birmingham, Birmingham
Coventry University, Coventry
University of Warwick, Coventry
University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton
Aston University, Birmingham
Keele University, Keele
University of Worcester, Worcester
University of Nottingham, Nottingham
Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent
Newman University College, Birmingham
University College Birmingham, Birmingham
Loughborough University, Loughborough
University of Leicester, Leicester
Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham
De Montfort University, Leicester
University of Derby, Derby
Harper Adams University College, Newport

2. Payment

The value of the Birmingham Masters Scholarship is £3,000. This will be paid as a discount on your tuition fee and no part of the award can be made as a cash payment.

If your tuition fees are charged modularly then the £3,000 will be spread evenly across the first and second semesters of your first year of study.

3. Termination

In any of the circumstances set out below the Birmingham Masters Scholarship will be withdrawn and you will receive no (or no further) payments from the University:

If you permanently leave the University due to illness (whether or not following a Leave of Absence under the University’s Code of Practice on Leave of Absence procedures);
If you leave the University voluntarily for reasons other than illness;
If you are required to withdraw from the University due to disciplinary or fitness to practise proceedings;
If you fail to complete satisfactorily the requirements of your programme.

The University reserves the right to demand the repayment of any instalment or instalments (or part thereof) of the Birmingham Masters Scholarship paid to you in circumstances 2 or 3 set out above.

4. Leave of Absence

In the event that you take, or are required to take, a Leave of Absence during the academic year any Birmingham Masters Scholarship payments still due will be suspended until you return from your Leave of Absence and re-register as a normally registered student with the University.

Upon re-registering you will be paid the balance of any instalments due from the academic year when the Leave of Absence was taken.

If you fail to return to the University after a Leave of Absence then the Birmingham Masters Scholarship will be terminated and you will receive no (or no further) payments from the University, as outlined above.

Apply now for your Birmingham Masters Scholarship

You can apply to the Birmingham Masters Scholarship using the form that is embedded on the webpage linked via the button below.

Apply now

FAQs

Do I need to submit a study application?

Yes, students must submit an application to study one of the eligible courses before applying to the scholarship. If you only apply to the scholarship and don't submit a course application, the University will not be able to award you the scholarship; scholarship offers are entirely contingent upon you having an offer to study on one of the above eligible courses.

I am an international student. Am I eligible for scholarship funding?

No. Funding for this scholarship aims to support Home fee-paying students progress onto taught Masters study. Therefore, to be eligible for this scholarship's funding students must meet the nationality or residency status criteria to qualify for the UK government's postgraduate masters’ loan.

However, we have a range of scholarships specifically for international students which you can explore on our dedicated webpage for international scholarships.

Who can apply?

The scheme is open to all UK or Ireland students who are eligible for 'Home' fees. However, in recognition of the importance of talent retention in the Midlands, we will be prioritising applications from students who have graduated from one of the Midlands-based universities.

At Birmingham we value the regional talent that chooses to live and work in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. We understand the importance of retaining the skills, experience and knowledge of our Midlands graduates, and want to ensure finances are not a barrier to further professional development.

Due to the high volume of applications, the Birmingham Masters Scholarship will have two rounds. This is so we can process applications as and when we receive them and respond to applicants in a timely manner.

How do I apply?

To be considered for an award, applicants must, by the deadline, have done both of the following:

Made an application to their intended Masters programme. Please apply through the relevant programme page on the Course finder section of the University of Birmingham website. This must include all of the relevant supporting documentation: references, transcripts if available, and English language certification if applicable.
Completed the Birmingham Masters Scholarships application form.

You should enter the application ID number that you were given during the application to your Masters programme.

You can apply to the scholarship on the Birmingham Masters Scholarship webpage and you should familiarise yourself with the deadlines to ensure that you submit an application to be considered for the scholarship.

If you are made a reserve within round one, your application will automatically be carried over into round two. You do not need to re-apply. Due to the high volume of applications, the University reserves the right to close the scholarship scheme early, meaning that any successive round(s) after the first round of applications may not be executed, despite any initial plans of operating multiple rounds, if all scholarships are allocated to successful applicants.

What is the selection criteria?

The Birmingham Masters Scholarships will be awarded to more than 200 candidates beginning Masters study in 2025, and awards will be based on previous academic and/or professional performance.

You are expected to attain a First-class or Upper Second-class (2:1) Honours degree (or the equivalent) for your undergraduate qualification and to provide a strong personal statement in evidence of your achievements.

What is the judging criteria?

Eligibility to receive the scholarship will be determined by a University selection panel based on the following criteria:

Academic excellence and previous study - Birmingham Masters Scholarships are primarily awarded on the basis of academic performance in the applicants’ previous studies
Professional qualifications and achievements - Qualifications and other notable achievements from relevant professional roles will be taken into account
Priority will be given to applications from students who have graduated from one of the Midlands-based universities.
Other University or College subject priorities

Priority consideration for the Birmingham Masters Scholarships will be allocated to students who have completed a degree at a university based in the Midlands. Please see the above terms and conditions for the list of Midlands-based universities who will be considered as a priority.

I have received an email offering me the scholarship. How do I accept and receive payment?

If you have been successfully offered the scholarship, you will need to complete the acceptance form in your awarding email. Only once you have responded and accepted the scholarship will you receive the award; if you decline or do not respond by the deadline specified in your offer email, your scholarship will be reallocated.

After accepting the scholarship, you will need to accept your study offer and complete online registration to receive the £3,000 tuition fee waiver; delays in completing online registration will result in the delaying of the scholarship payment.

By accepting the scholarship you accept the terms and conditions of the Birmingham Masters Scholarship outlined above.

Is the scholarship paid to the University or to me?

The Birmingham Masters Scholarship is a £3,000 fee waiver and will be applied directly to your tuition fees; the waiver cannot be exchanged for any monetary value nor can it be paid directly to you. When paying the remainder of your tuition fees, whether by direct debit (monthly or termly) or a single payment, you will only need to pay the remaining value of your tuition fees minus the £3,000 waiver. Tuition fee payments will only be applicable once a student has completed online registration and enrolment.

Detailed information and guidance on how to pay your tuition fees can be found on our Funding pages.

When will I hear the outcome of my application?

Applications will be reviewed and marked after their respective deadlines. Successful applicants will be contacted typically within 3-4 weeks after the respective scholarship application deadline has passed. A scholarship offer email will be sent to awardees to accept or decline the scholarship offer; a deadline to respond will be included in this email. Students who are made a reserve will be contacted in due course as soon as any reallocated scholarships become available.

Due to the volume of applications for the scholarship, we are unable to offer individual responses to each application. Although we endeavour to keep you informed of scholarship updates, if you have not been contacted by the timeframes outlined in the above paragraph or by your course's start date, it may be the unfortunate case that your application has unsuccessful.

If I defer my course entry to the next year, can I still receive the scholarship?

No. The scholarship cannot be deferred and it is only tenable for one year. If you choose to defer your studies, you will need to re-apply for the scholarship in the next cycle if available.

Can I hold other scholarships alongside the Birmingham Masters Scholarship?

Generally, you will be able to hold other scholarships in conjunction with the Birmingham Masters Scholarship, such as the Postgraduate Access Scholarship and the Alumni Scholarship. However, you should always read each scholarships' specific terms and conditions to ensure that the other scholarship can be held in conjunction with the Birmingham Masters Scholarship.

Students can apply for and receive a UK governmental loan as well as the Birmingham Masters Scholarship.

You are encouraged to familiarise yourself with the above terms and conditions of the Birmingham Masters Scholarship outlined on this webpage when applying for and accepting the award.

Birmingham Masters Scholarship terms and conditions