Scholarships for 2024 entry

We are proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate taught and research programmes.

From cash payments to full tuition fee waivers, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps. Our scholarships are intended to support both UK and International students undertaking a postgraduate taught or research programme at Birmingham. To help you afford your studies, we’ve put more than £33 million into student support and scholarships. We also offer a range of advice on searching for funding and managing your finances

You should always read the terms and conditions of each scholarship that you apply for so that you are aware of any key requirements in receiving the funding. A particularly important term to understand is whether a scholarship can be held in conjunction with another scholarship or not. This will ensure that you properly understand the amount of funding you may receive and can budget appropriately for your studies.

Postgraduate Masters Scholarships

We want to welcome the brightest talent to our postgraduate community. That's why we offer a wide range of scholarships and funding opportunities for Masters students.

Widening Participation Funding

Founded as the UK's first civic university, we are proud to enable students from all backgrounds to pursue further study on our postgraduate taught and research degrees. Through our extensive range of financial and academic support, we are committed to helping you excel at Birmingham and beyond.

Postgraduate Research Funding

For researchers, there are many different options to fund your degree. From scholarships and studentships, to loans and partial funding. You may apply to and secure an 'advertised PhD' which already has funding attached to the course, or you may need to self-fund your studies through scholarships, research councils, charities and more.

Key Information

What types of scholarships are available and who can apply?

Scholarships vary across the university in terms of value, who can apply, and the type of funding offered. The most common types of scholarships include tuition fee waivers that reduce your fees partially or completely, and cash payments directly to your bank account to alleviate financial barriers. Some scholarships will be open to a wide range of students whilst other scholarships will be offered by a particular department and will have specific eligibility criteria for explaining who can apply and receive the funding. 

When should I apply for a scholarship?

Each scholarship has its own specific deadline for applying so you should familiarise yourself with this date to allow yourself sufficient time to submit an application. You can find the deadline for applying on the individual scholarship's webpage.

Do I have to wait for an offer to study before applying for a scholarship?

Generally, you are able to apply for a scholarship without having received an offer to study but you must have at least submitted an application to study a postgraduate course. Once you have applied to a postgraduate course, you will receive an application / student ID number; you will need this for the majority of scholarship applications as this will ensure your scholarship is applied quickly and correctly to your account should you be successful in being awarded the scholarship.

You should always read the guidance on the individual scholarship's webpage as the process for applying may vary for each scholarship.

If you do not apply for a scholarship before the deadline, or if you do not submit a study application before the course deadline, there is no guarantee that either application will be considered. It is therefore important that you are familiar with the deadlines for both scholarship and study applications. 

You can see the specific course application deadline on the course webpage under the 'How to apply' tab.

  • The deadline for most postgraduate taught courses is 31 August 2024.
  • The deadline for postgraduate research degrees varies by each programme: there may be a specific date for applying or entry may be offered flexibly throughout the year.

Can I still receive a governmental loan alongside a scholarship?

Most scholarships will allow you to receive a governmental postgraduate loan as well as receiving the scholarship. You should always familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of each scholarship you apply for as the criteria may vary between each scholarship.

You can find more information regarding the UK government's postgraduate loans on our funding webpages.

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    Postgraduate Funding Database

    Our postgraduate funding database collates various scholarship, bursaries and awards from both the University of Birmingham and external companies, such as charities and research councils. These funding options are applicable to postgraduate taught and postgraduate research students. You can filter through the database based upon your student fee status, country, course, nationality and more.

    Postgraduate Funding Database