UK scholarships for international students wishing to pursue masters degree programs in Europe are available in almost all of UK universities and colleges. The United Kingdom is home to over 395 higher education institutions, which together provide over 50,000 masters degree programs.
To make studying in the UK easier for international students, several leading UK universities and colleges offer partial and fully paid scholarships that are either sponsored by individual institutions, private organizations, or the United Kingdom government.
The fully-funded masters scholarships are meant to enable outstanding but financially challenged students from around the world to afford the cost of studying in the UK at the post-graduate level. This is a major boost to those who dream of earning higher education credentials from top UK universities.
But why study in the UK?
There are several reasons why international students should consider studying in the UK. To start with, the duration of most master’s degree programs in the UK is only 1 year.
Secondly, you can easily get admission and scholarship in any UK institution of higher education. Applicants can apply for postgraduate studies from a wide range of academic disciplines. There are a wide variety of educational fields and a wide range of university scholarship programs available to interested international students.
Thirdly, UK Scholarships are fully funded and will cover almost all of your expenses. Most UK masters scholarships are sponsored by the UK government. Others are sponsored by individual universities and colleges in the UK, while some are sponsored by private organizations in partnership with those higher education institutions.
Students from all over the world are eligible. To be considered, you must apply for a full-time master’s degree program and be willing to relocate to the United Kingdom for studies. Applicants can apply with a certificate of English proficiency if their previous degree was in English.
List of Government Sponsored UK Scholarships for International Masters Degree Students
Here are some Master’s Scholarships funded by the UK Government.
Chevening Masters Scholarship
The Chevening Scholarship program is the best UK scholarship program for international students. This scholarship is sponsored by the United Kingdom government through the Chevening office that is tasked with selecting suitable international students from around the world and awarding them higher education sponsorships.
The Chevening UK government scholarship is offered in partnership with several UK universities that admit selected candidates to Study 1 year masters degree programs with all expenses covered. For more information, check out our guide on how to apply for the government sponsored Chevening UK scholarships for international students.
Commonwealth Masters Scholarship
The Commonwealth Masters scholarship program is available at any of the UK universities. It is one of the best fully paid UK scholarships that sponsors bright students from Commonwealth Countries to pursue masters and doctorate study programs with all expenses covered.
The Commonwealth Shared Masters Scholarship is offered in partnership with the United Kingdom’s Foreign Development and Investment Office (UK FDIO). The scholarship is available to masters-level students who benefit from an all expenses covered sponsorship to study in any university in the UK.
Welcome UK Government Scholarship
The Wellcome UK Scholarships program provides fully-funded, higher education scholarship opportunities that are funded by the UK Government. This Welcome UK Government sponsorship program is open to citizens of low- and middle-income countries to pursue higher education and training at the master’s degree level in universities found within the United Kingdom.
Wellcome UK International Masters Fellowship Scholarship Program
To increase access to higher education opportunities for financially challenged international students, the Welcome UK Gov Scholarship program runs a parallel international masters fellowship. The UK Gov International Masters Fellowship Scholarship Program sponsors the education of postgraduate students who are enrolled to colleges and universities outside the United Kingdom.
In other words, beneficiaries of the Wellcome UK International Masters Fellowship Scholarship can study in the UK or in an approved higher education institution located anywhere in the world.
The Welcome UK Gov International Students Scholarship sponsors students to an International Master’s Fellowship for a period of 30 months, unless one is studying on a part-time basis. The first 12 months should be dedicated to doing a taught Master of Science (MSc) course at a recognised, higher education centre of excellence anywhere in the world. The remaining 18 months should be dedicated to doing a research project at an eligible organisation in a low or middle-income country.
The International Masters Fellowship awards £120,000 that is meant to provide support for:
- Monthly stipend
If your taught course or training is in the UK, you can use £16,000 a year (outside London) or £18,000 a year (in London) to cover the cost of your monthly stipend. If your course or training is outside the UK, you should check living costs with your prospective training organisation.
2. Travel costs eg. outward and return airfares
3. Approved tuition fees, according to the rate charged by the training organisation.
NB: The Welcome UK Government Masters Scholarship supports distance learning taught master’s degrees.
If stipends paid to students are liable for taxation in the foreign country of study that one is based in, they can use part of the stipend to cover the taxed amount.
Government of Scotland Saltire Scholarships
The Government of Scotland is funding Scottish Universities to provide master’s degree programs for international students.
The Saltire Scottish Government Scholarship program is meant to encourage bright foreign students to pursue master’s degree programs in Scotland, UK. These Scottish Government Scholarships are known as the Saltire Scholarships.
Best UK Scholarships by Private Organizations
Bestway Foundation Scholarships
The Bestway Foundation provides scholarships and grants for overseas postgraduate Economics & Development Studies, mostly to students from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh. It also awards scholarships to international students from other countries in partnership with selected UK universities like the University of Kent and the University of London.
Bestway Foundation Postgraduate Scholarship at the University of Kent
The University of Kent Bestway scholarship is open to international students wishing to study in the UK at the Master’s Degree or postgraduate level.
Bestway Foundation Postgraduate Scholarship at the University of Bradford
The University of Bradford has partnered with the Bestway Foundation to offer this UK scholarship to financially poor, bright students who desire to take Master’s Degree programs in the United Kingdom.
Bestway Foundation Scholarships at SOAS University, London
The Bestway scholarship School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) program at the University of London is pleased to offer Bestway Foundation Scholarships to students interested in pursuing a Master’s degree at the institution.
Clarendon Scholarships at Oxford University
Oxford University offers 130 Fully Funded Scholarships to students under the Clarendon Scholarship program to help them pursue Master’s degree programs in UK.
Developing Solutions Scholarships
The Developing Solutions Scholarship at the University of Nottingham is one of the UK scholarships available to interested international students that are meant to facilitate their master’s degree studies in the England. The Developing Solutions scholarship is offered in partnership with the institution of higher education on both Full and Partial sponsorship terms.
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship by Cambridge University offers 100 Fully Funded Scholarships to International Students to Study Master’s degree programs at the acclaimed institution of higher learning.
Hodgson Law Scholarship
This fully paid Hodgson Law Scholarship is available to students of the Master of Laws degree program at University of Liverpool ( Full fees and stipend for LLM school students).
Think Big Scholarships
Bristol University is currently accepting applications for the Think Big Scholarships. The level of funding from the Think Big UK Scholarships ranges from £5,000 to £20,000, which can be applied toward the completion of a Master’s degree.
International Scholarships for Vulnerable Students and Minority Groups in the United Kingdom
Masters Degree Scholarships for the Disabled at UCL Snowdon
The Accelerate Disabled Leaders Masters Scholarship at UCL Snowdon for the Physically Handicapped and Sensitively Weak grants a £15k tuition fees scholarship to disabled students pursuing Master of Science degree programs and a further £15k stipend for upkeep.
Islamic Development Bank Scholarships
The Islamic Development Bank scholarship is available to bright Islamic students who wish to pursue Master’s degree programs in the UK. The fully paid masters scholarship program is offered in partnership with leading UK universities, namely the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.
UK Scholarships for Women/ Female Students
British Council Masters in STEM Scholarships for Women
The British Council STEM scholarship for women offers fully paid masters degree scholarships to bright female students who are pursuing postgraduate studies in the fields of science, technology, and mathematics.
The University of Strathclyde is one of the UK universities that offer this STEM scholarship for Women in partnership with the British Council. This masters in STEM scholarship will cover Tuition Fees waiver, Monthly Stipend, Travel Costs, Living Costs, Equipment costs, Study Costs, and Childcare.
The Eira Francis Davies Masters Scholarship for Women
The Eira Francis Davies Women’s Masters Scholarship at Swansea University is one of Swansea University’s several master’s degree scholarships. The partial scholarship covers the cost of tuition fees and is offered to female students taking masters level courses in the field of human and health science.
Hatfield Lioness Scholarship for Women
The University of Durham offers fully paid scholarships to needy female students under the Hatfield Lioness Scholarship program for women. The sponsorship is availed to women pursuing postgraduate studies in all academic fields except MBA programs.
Anne Marie Schimmel Scholarship for Women
The Anne Marie Schimmel Scholarship for women is available to outstanding female students who wish to study a Master’s Degree Program at Cranfield University or any other UK university.
Masters Degree Scholarship Programs by Individual UK Universities
Reach Oxford University Scholarships
The Reach Oxford scholarship program by United Kingdom’s Oxford University offers 100 scholarships to bright international students from around the world annually. Selected candidates are granted a fully paid scholarship to a full-time master’s or Ph.D. degree program at one of the best universities in the world.
University of Birmingham Scholarships
The Global Masters Scholarship at the University of Birmingham is open to all international students. Applicants have an opportunity to study for a master’s degree in the UK University of Birmingham.
University of Sussex Scholarships in England
The University of Sussex is a public university with a leading research-intensive university in Roshan, England. The university has several international scholarships available to interested students.
Edinburgh University Scholarships
Fully funded scholarships from the University of Edinburgh are available to master’s degree students pursuing online degree programs at the university. Nationals of all countries are eligible for this online degree-funded scholarship. The online masters degree scholarships are a great opportunity for international students to get UK credentials from the the University of Edinburgh.
Applying for European Masters Degree Scholarships in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, a master’s degree can be completed in in one year. You won’t have any trouble getting accepted to any higher education institution or receiving financial aid. Outstanding young students from all over the world have the chance to study master’s program at prestigious universities across the United Kingdom thanks to the fully financed scholarships listed above.
The majority of scholarships in the United Kingdom are provided by the government of the United Kingdom, but other scholarships come from private organizations. Students from any corner of the globe are welcome to apply.
Most scholarships offered by the United Kingdom Government are fully sponsored and will take care of practically all of your costs. Applicants are permitted to submit their applications without a proof of English proficiency if one’s applicant’s most recent degree was earned in English.
Additionally, applicants have the option of applying in a variety of fields. There is a broad spectrum of higher education subfields to choose from, as well as a broad spectrum of application options for prospective students.
For information on scholarship availability, application process, requirements, and deadlines, please check the links to the respective websites of the UK scholarships and universities that you’re interested in as provided in this article. You may also want to see other international masters scholarships in Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States for foreign students.