The United Kingdom occupies an enviable position being amongst the best study abroad destinations in the world, second only to the US! Every year thousands of students and working professionals go to the UK to pursue higher education and upgrade the level of academic and professional expertise.
At times, financial constraints can be a thorn in your journey to academic achievements. To ease the stress on finances, the UK government, education institutions and several other public and private organisations provide a number of scholarships for international students to study in the UK.
Scholarships in UK can be merit-based, need-based, student-specific or course-specific grants. Besides scholarships, most Universities in the UK provide concession in the tuition fee if initial deposits are submitted within a stipulated deadline. The merit-based scholarships are highly competitive and require a focused application and noteworthy statement of purpose. If you are academically proficient, clear about your long-term career goals and can portray these in your scholarship application, chances are high that you will fetch a good scholarship.
The amount of university-specific UK Scholarships varies depending on the student’s profile, ranging from £ 1,000 up to £ 6,000. Doctoral degrees in the UK are generally fully funded. These scholarships are given to the ones who have successfully passed through the competitive application assessments set by the educational institutions.
- The general eligibility criteria for UK Scholarships for Indian Students are:
- The student must be an Indian citizen
- Must have completed the tertiary education in English medium
- Must have a good academic background
The UK Scholarships intakes are:
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Major intakes |
Minor intakes |
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September |
January, February, March, July and November |
We have compiled a list of most renowned Scholarships for Indian Students to study in UK. This is in no way an exhaustive list; there are many more scholarships in UK.
UK GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIPS
Chevening Scholarships
Outstanding students from Chevening-eligible countries are conferred by the UK government’s Global Scholarships Programme. These grants are usually for one-year Master’s degree programme in UK. Most of these Scholarships cover the entire tuition fees, an economy class return airfare to the UK, living allowance (individual), and additional allowances to cover necessary expenditure. Nearly 1,500 Chevening Scholarships are available for high academic performers all over the world in every academic cycle.
Commonwealth Masters Scholarships
Commonwealth Scholarships are offered by the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK to the international students hailing from developing Commonwealth countries seeking to pursue Masters and PhD in the UK. The scholarship offers airfare to and from the UK, thesis grant (if applicable), additional allowances to cover personal basic expenses, examination and tuition fees, all included.
Commonwealth Fellowship Plan
Commonwealth Fellowship Plan is a government initiative taken especially for the students of Commonwealth countries which makes the major contribution to their home country on the completion of the higher education programme in the United Kingdom. This scholarship covers the entire tuition fee of the scholar, one economy-class return and many more allowances.
UK INSTITUTION-SPECIFIC SCHOLARSHIPS
Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships
The Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships was launched by St. John’s College in honour of Dr Manmohan Singh. These awards are given to the academically outstanding Indian students to pursue doctoral studies in St. John’s College and the University of Cambridge in specific fields like Science & Technology, Economics and Social Sciences. Applications in Aerospace Engineering and Energy Studies are given the highest priority. The scholarships are fully funded and cover all the tuition fees, visa fee, international airfare, monthly regular payment to meet living expenses.
The Global Study Awards
The British Council, Study Portals and ISIC in partnership have initiated ‘The Global Study Awards’ to encourage international students to study in UK and expand their intercultural understanding. The deserving scholar receives a scholarship worth £10,000. This scholarship is opened twice a year to two international students.
Goa Education Trust Scholarships
Goa Education Trust (GET) aims to supply students from Goa a medium to avail the golden opportunities in education, in areas of their interest. Eligible students get scholarships and research fellowships for their Masters in UK. The scholarship covers full or half tuition fees for the courses.
Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarships
Every year 10 long-term awards are offered by Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT) for international students which include accommodation and living expenses in the Britain, fees and a contribution to international fares. Two years programs are not included in this scholarship.
British Council Great Scholarships for Indian students
British Council Great Scholarships announces around 198 scholarships with a total budget of £2.6 million every academic year in partnership with 40 UK universities. The scholarships consist of approximately 169 Postgraduate and 29 undergraduate awards from art and design to engineering, law and management courses.
Inlaks Scholarships
The American, European and the United Kingdom institutes grant these scholarships for funding brightest students to meet all the necessities including tuition fees. These scholarships are provided basically for university courses and specific programmes.
Felix Scholarship
Felix Scholarships are introduced for academically outperforming and disadvantaged students from India and different developing countries, having less than 30 years of age, who hold a first class Bachelor’s degree from a renowned Indian university. Maximum six scholarships are offered to the students to pursue their postgraduate education at University of Reading & School of Oriental, University of Oxford and African Studies each year by the Felix Scholarship Trust.
Erasmus Mundus
The quality of higher education, through cooperation between Europe and the educational institutes throughout the globe, is improved by Erasmus Mundus Scholarship. The financial backing for institutes and scholarships for people are provided by this programme. The scholarship amounts vary depending upon the level of studies/teaching/research, their courses duration and also on the nationality of student. A non-EU applicant receives higher scholarship than that of EU applicant.
UK UNIVERSITY-SPECIFIC SCHOLARSHIPS
University of Westminster
- The University of Westminster offers numerous scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students. Some of the prestigious scholarships among them are listed below:
- Westminster Undergraduate Half-Fee Scholarship offers 50% tuition fee waiver based on student’s academic brilliance and financial need.
- Westminster Full-fee Scholarship offers 100% tuition fee waiver for students pursuing a full-time Master’s programme at the University. This scholarship is highly competitive since only one scholarship is awarded by the University for an international student.
- High Achiever Scholarship grants £2,500 per academic year for a full-time undergraduate holding a September intake offer. International students need not apply for it through a formal application process, the Admissions Office will contact the eligible student after confirmation.
Coventry University
Coventry University invests £1million in scholarships every year for international students who are wishing to pursue an undergraduate and postgraduate degree at the University. Each scholarship worth up to £1,500.
Coventry Academic Performance Scholarship – Undergraduate, offered to full-time undergraduate students having at least two of three A-levels at grade A or equivalent qualifications.
Coventry Academic Performance Scholarship – Postgraduate, offered to full-time postgraduate students having at least a 2:1 or equivalent qualifications.
Rhodes Scholarships at University of Oxford
The oldest and the most prestigious scholarship is the Rhodes. This scholarship was acknowledged in the will of Cecil Rhodes in the year 1902. There are basically five Scholarships provided to the Indian students each year who are elected for their outstanding intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service, to pursue their education. These scholarships are awarded to the exceptional postgraduate students at the University of Oxford. The scholarship includes complete tuition fee, health insurance, and one economy-class flight ticket to the home country
Queen Mary University
Queen Mary provides numerous scholarships and a wide range of competitive bursaries for Undergraduates, Masters and PhD students. The university has invested over £ 25 million to support international students.
Gates Cambridge Scholarships
Outstanding aspirants from any country are eligible for Gates Cambridge who are looking forward seeking an admission into a full-time postgraduate degree of any subject that is offered in the University of Cambridge. This scholarship not only covers the full cost of studying but also offers added discretionary funding.
University of Hertfordshire
The University of Hertfordshire provides merit-based scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students. International students need not apply for it through a formal application process.
Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships
Thirty scholarships are offered by the University to outstanding international students who are seeking a PhD Research study programme in any field that is offered by the University. Maintenance expenses are not met by these awards but these cover the difference of the fee for a UK student and that charged by an international student.
University of Sussex Chancellor’s International Scholarships
University of Sussex Chancellor’s International scholarships are offered on the basis of the potential and academic performance who have applied and are offered full-time Postgraduate degrees at the University of Sussex. The scholarship offers 50% tuition fee wave off and it is offered for a year in majority of courses in Sussex.
UAL Vice-Chancellor’s Postgraduate International Scholarships
This aims at fully supporting 10 students belonging to low-income group countries and have applied for studying a qualifying full-time Master’s degree at the University of the Arts London. The scholarship amount is £25,000.
Bristol University International Office Scholarships
Bristol University offers five International Office Scholarships for students to pursue their undergraduate degree. Each student gets a stipend of £8,500 towards tuition fee and living expenses for one academic year.
University of West London International Ambassador Scholarships
University of West London offers 50 scholarships worth £5,000 to brightest students, pursuing a full-time Bachelors or Masters programme.
Developing Solutions Scholarships at University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham awards 105 scholarships for international students to pursue Master’s Degree at the university. Out of them 30 scholarships offers complete waiving of tuition fee and 75 scholarships cover 50% tuition fee waiver.
As a leading education consultant in India,Apply Overseas helps you to get scholarships from vast opportunities available in the UK. You can earn scholarships offered by the University as per your academic performances.