AI and Data Science Masters Scholarships

The AI and Data Science Masters Scholarships will be awarded to more than 120 candidates beginning Masters study in 2023.

Eligibility

In addition to having applied for a place for a University of Birmingham Data Science or AI related Masters course, applicants will need to demonstrate that they are categorised under at least one of the 9 underrepresented groups as identified by the OfS.

Applications for scholarships will initially be reviewed using a points-based system. Priority for these awards will be given to applicants in the following categories:

1. Black students (as defined by HESA codes: 21; 22; 29; 41; 42)
2. Female students
3. Disabled students
4. Students from low socioeconomic background (Index of Multiple Disadvantage quintiles 1 and 2, low household income)

They may also be available to:

• Care experienced students
• Estranged students
• Gypsy, Roma, Traveller students
• Refugees
• Children from military families, veterans and partners of military personnel.

Applicants who do not meet any of the criteria above will not be considered for a scholarship.

Students must be self-funding or applying for a Postgraduate Government Loan to pay your fees and not in receipt of any other financial support including but not limited to scholarships, awards, bursaries, sponsorship or any other funding.

Judging criteria:

The awards will be allocated on the basis of merit – simply meeting the eligibility criteria will not guarantee that an application is successful. We will adopt a gathered field approach where decisions on the allocation of all 100 awards will be considered by a single scholarship selection panel.

Selection will be determined by a University scholarship panel based on the following criteria:

• Underrepresented group score - All applications will be assessed using a points-based system and priority scoring will be given to criteria 
• Aptitude and skills - Scholarships will consider performance in an aptitude test. Learners will be ranked by the Scholarship Panel based on performance in our on-line aptitude test.
• Student motivation - The panel will consider the student’s interest in the subject, ability to demonstrate that their background has sufficiently prepared them for the programme, relevant experience and how the course will fit into their future plans.

Prioritising criteria in case of oversubscription

All applications will be assessed and priority scoring will be given to criteria 1-3.

Scoring will prioritise:

• Students identified as within two or more under-represented groups.
• Black students based on the rationale that they are just 5% of new Postgraduate taught entrants in 21/22 within University of Birmingham and underrepresented in highly skilled employment. 426 new entrants in 22/23. Largest distinction attainment gap of all ethnicities of 23.4% in 20/21. Lower non-completion rate than White or Mixed individuals .
• Female students based on the rationale that they are underrepresented in the tech sector although females are still the majority of new PGT entrants within the student body at University of Birmingham.
• Disabled students based on the rationale that they are the 2nd most underrepresented group within University of Birmingham with 501 new entrants in 22/23 and underrepresented in highly skilled employment.

Please view our website for the full terms and conditions of the scholarship.

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 AI and Data Science Masters Scholarships application form

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

The deadlines for applications to the scholarship for MSc Bioinformatics (Online) are:

• March 2024 Intake - 23:59 (UK time) on 19 January 2024.

For all other programmes, that commence from September 2024 onwards, the awards will be allocated in three rounds:

• The deadline for round one applications is 23:59 (UK time) on Sunday 31 March 2024.
• The deadline for round two applications is 23:59 (UK time) on Sunday 30 June 2024.
• The deadline for round three applications is 23:59 (UK time) on Saturday 31 August 2024.

If you are unsuccessful in one round, your application will automatically be carried over to the next round: you do not need to re-apply.

The deadline for applications to the scholarship for MSc Bioinformatics (Online) is:

• March 2024 Intake - 23:59 (UK time) on 19 January 2024.

For all other programmes, that commence from September 2024 onwards, the awards will be allocated in three rounds:

• The deadline for round one applications is 23:59 (UK time) on Sunday 31 March 2024.
• The deadline for round two applications is 23:59 (UK time) on Sunday 30 June 2024.
• The deadline for round three applications is 23:59 (UK time) on Saturday 31 August 2024.

If you are unsuccessful in one round, your application will automatically be carried over to the next round: you do not need to re-apply.

Yes, students must submit an application to study one of the above 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.

No. Funding for this scholarship aims to address the skills gap and increase diversity in the UK AI and data science workforce. Therefore, to be eligible for this scholarship's funding students must meet the nationality or residency status criteria to qualify for the postgraduate masters’ loan.

Students who successfully apply for a scholarship will receive a £10,000 cash payment (in two instalments) which can be used to alleviate barriers to entry; for example: the cost of course fees; course materials; cost of living; and associated costs like childcare or transport. It will be awardees' responsibility to ensure that the scholarship is spent appropriately to alleviate such barriers.

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 receive an email to input your bank details via unique URL. This will be the nominated bank account that the scholarship will be paid into. Payment will only be processed once you have fully completed online registration; delays in completing online registration will result in the delaying of the scholarship payment.

The scholarship is paid in two £5,000 instalments towards the start of semester one and two, depending upon each course's start date.

The scholarship, paid in two instalments towards the start of semester one and two, will be paid directly into the awardee's bank account. Upon being awarded the scholarship, successful awardees will be asked to input their nominated bank account via a unique URL. Once received, the payment of the scholarship typically takes between 5-10 working days, depending upon bank processing times.

The reason the scholarship is paid into awardee's bank account is because the scholarship can be used towards alleviating various barriers to entry and, although this includes tuition fee costs, awardees can decide whether they use the scholarship towards tuition fee payments or not. 

It is the awardee's responsibility to monitor bank payment as notification of payment processing may not be possible.

Successful awardees are able to spend the £10,000 scholarship to alleviate various barriers to entry that would hinder pursuing further study; this includes tuition fee payments.

Students who accept an offer to study at the University of Birmingham will receive an invoice outlining the tuition fees that they will be liable to pay. Regardless of being awarded the scholarship or not, all students are therefore responsible for ensuring payment of these fees; payment is typically via a single payment or via direct debit (monthly or termly). 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.

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.

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.

No. As per the terms and conditions of the award, linked to in the 'Eligibility and selection criteria' tab above, the AI and Data Science Scholarship cannot be held in conjunction with any internal or external funding, such as bursaries, scholarships, fee waivers and more. For example, if you are successfully awarded the AI and Data Science Scholarship, you would not be able to hold the Birmingham Masters Scholarship nor the Postgraduate Progression Award.

However, students can apply for and receive a UK governmental loan as well as the AI and Data Science Scholarship.