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David Guard MABECS Birmingham Postgraduate Taught Scholarships

The scholarship is for 2 full tuition fee scholarships for a full-time postgraduate masters programme starting September 2026.
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Award details

    • Award type
      University
    • Award value
      1 years full tuition fee
    • Application deadline
      30 June 2026
    • Study level
      Postgraduate Taught
    • Qualification level
      Masters
    • Campus
      Birmingham (Edgbaston)

The University of Birmingham is pleased to announce the generous award of 2 full tuition fee scholarships for Malaysian students applying for entry to a postgraduate taught programme at the University starting September 2026.

We are proud to be offering these joint awards with our local representative MABECS in Malaysia. See MABECS webpage linked here for further details.

In remembrance of Mr. David Guard. His kindness, his ability to embrace and inspire those around him. His philanthropy to not only help but do his best for others will forever be memorialised through this scholarship. Special thanks to MABECS, for partnering with us to deliver this scholarship.

The scholarships will be awarded to high-performing students starting their University of Birmingham programme in 2026/27 academic year.

Who can apply?

Please note that students already registered and studying on a programme at the University of Birmingham in the UK are not eligible for this award.

In order to be eligible, candidates must:

  • You should have an excellent academic background. Candidates should have or be expecting a 2.1 in a bachelor's degree or equivalent.

  • Have received and accepted an offer for a full time postgraduate taught programme starting September 2026 at the University of Birmingham (Birmingham campus). The student must be entering the first year of a postgraduate taught programme.

  • Meet the academic conditions of their offer to the programme.

  • Be classed by the University as an overseas fee payer for tuition fee purposes and be able to pay the outstanding tuition fees not covered by the scholarship.

  • Start their studies at the University in September 2026 (the scholarship award may not be deferred).

  • If a scholarship recipient decides to defer their programme start date to September 2026, they will no longer be eligible as the scholarship is only available for programmes starting in September 2026.

  • Students seeking to study on a course solely delivered as a ‘distance learning’ programme are not eligible for this scholarship.

  • Successful recipients of the scholarships must have completed online university registration and be ‘Normally Registered’ by 3 October 2026 (23:59 UK time/ GMT+1). If this is not the case, the university will withdraw the scholarship.

  • Be registered with, and have their postgraduate study application attached to our local representatives MABECS.

  • Submit their scholarship application through MABECS by the deadline; 30 June 2026.

Eligible countries

Open to all nationalities but must be living in (domiciled) Malaysia.

How to Apply

This is a competitive scholarship; please ensure you have fulfilled the eligibility requirements outlined above.

To apply for the scholarship, students will need to be registered with MABECS, have accepted an offer from the University of Birmingham by the scholarship deadline of 30 June 2026.

Selection for the award will be based on academic merit and a 500-word essay summary on ‘What this scholarship means to you’ to be submitted to MABECS.

Only under exceptional circumstances in which the University is unable to choose an awardee based solely on academic merit (for instance, if two candidates have identical grades) will applicants be asked to attend an interview. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the value of the award?

This is a full scholarship to cover tuition fees of a full time postgraduate taught Masters degree programme of one-year duration at the University starting September 2026.

Who are our agent partners / local representatives?

For further information please contact our local representatives:

Malaysian British Educational Cooperation Services (MABECS)
B-7-3 Block B West, PJ8
No. 23, Jalan Barat, Seksyen 8
46050 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia

Tel/ WhatsApp: +603-79567655
Email: enquiries@mabecs.com
Website: https://mabecs.com/

When will the scholarship be awarded?

Decisions will be announced in early August and the scholarships will be awarded upon the students’ enrolment in September 2026. Regrettably, owing to the volume of applications received, we will only be contacting those who have been successfully selected.

Scholarships will be awarded based on the eligibility criteria outlined above and according to the application and admission process stated above. The University will make its best endeavours to input the scholarship details onto each student’s CAS record for visa application purposes (this ‘note’ will be visible for the UKVI but not the student).

In accepting and securing this scholarship, awardees are expected to support the University, to a reasonable extent and for a reasonable period of time, by providing profiles, testimonials and engaging in ambassadorial activities if requested by the University.

Can this scholarship be combined with other scholarships?

This scholarship cannot be held in conjunction with scholarships issued by other University of Birmingham departments, terms and conditions of both scholarships permitting, but not with any full University of Birmingham scholarship or any partial or full external scholarship or sponsorship.   

When reviewing and accepting scholarships please review the terms and conditions for each scholarship as they may differ. Please notify the team issuing your scholarship of your acceptance or rejection as applies. 

What are the Terms and Conditions for this scholarship?

  • Students will need to have accepted an offer from the University of Birmingham, have selected Birmingham as their firm choice, and paid the deposit. Be registered with, and have their postgraduate study application attached to, one of our local representatives listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Successful recipients of the scholarships must have completed online registration and be ‘Normally Registered’ by 3 October (23:59 UK time/ GMT+1). If this is not the case, the university will withdraw the scholarship.
  • If a scholarship recipient withdraws from their academic programme of study at the University the scholarship will also be fully withdrawn, and the student will be required to pay any tuition fees owed. The date of the withdrawal (as reported to Taught Student Administration) and the type of programme will determine the amount of tuition fee that will be owed.
  • If a scholarship recipient decides to defer their programme start date to September 2027, they will no longer be eligible as the scholarship is only available for programmes starting in September 2026.
  • Students seeking to study on a course solely delivered as a ‘distance learning’ programme are not eligible for this scholarship.
  • Postgraduate programmes including MPhil, MRes, MMus and MLit are not eligible. PGDip and PGCert programmes are also not eligible.
  • In accepting and securing this scholarship, awardees are expected to support the University, to a reasonable extent and for a reasonable period of time, by providing profiles, testimonials and engaging in ambassadorial activities if requested by the University.

By accepting the award, the scholar will agree to support the University by helping with future student visits, being available for testimonials/ photos/videos for marketing purposes and engaging in other activities such as blogging (if required).

Our International Recruitment Scholarships general terms and conditions also apply to this scholarship

Ask a Question

For all general queries about becoming an international student at Birmingham, or if you have any questions about the scholarship, please email southeastasia@contacts.bham.ac.uk