Scholarships in the UK for International Students 2026

Chevening. The Chevening Scholarship pays for a master's degree in the UK for citizens of Chevening-eligible countries. Two conditions rule many people out before grades do: at least two years of work experience, about 2,800 hours, and a promise to return home for two years afterwards. Universities such as Kent and Cranfield host Chevening Scholars; the award is the same.

Commonwealth. The Commonwealth Master's Scholarships and the Commonwealth PhD Scholarships are for citizens of eligible Commonwealth countries who live there, with a first degree at 2:1 standard. The PhD scheme is aimed at least developed countries and vulnerable states, and the King's College London page lists a living allowance of £1,712 a month.

Oxford and Cambridge. The Clarendon Scholarship at Oxford has no nationality restriction, and the Gates Cambridge Scholarship is for citizens of countries outside the UK; both pay course fees and a living allowance. Oxford also has the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships for applicants from its list of eligible countries, and the Rhodes Scholarship.

46 awards here fund a master's degree. Apart from Chevening and Commonwealth, look at subject awards: the University of Bristol AI scholarships cover tuition and a living stipend for an MSc in artificial intelligence; the British Council Women in STEM scholarships cover tuition, living costs, travel and visa costs for women; and the Skoll Scholarship pays the full MBA fees at Oxford's Saïd Business School.

Charities fund master's students from particular regions too. The Marshal Papworth Scholarships are only for candidates from developing countries, and put the average value of a one-year course at £19,000, and the Ferguson Trust Scholarships at Manchester Metropolitan University are for self-funded students from 15 named developing countries.

34 awards fund doctoral study. UK PhD funding is usually a studentship: tuition fees plus a tax-free stipend, often at the UKRI rate. The Francis Crick Institute lists £27,715 a year for four years; Imperial College runs President's PhD Scholarships with no nationality restriction; and Warwick adds a research grant of up to £5,000 to the UKRI stipend.

Read the fee status line carefully. Some studentships pay only the UK (home) fee, which leaves an international student to cover the difference; the Leeds Doctoral Scholarships are for UK students only, and the Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships allow up to six overseas places per award.

Full undergraduate funding for international students is rare. The Reach Oxford Scholarship covers Oxford course fees, among other costs, for nationals of countries that receive development assistance; the Ellison Undergraduate Scholarship at Oxford is open to all nationalities; and Imperial's Beacon Scholarship is for students from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa. Many other undergraduate awards are a fixed reduction in fees rather than full funding.

The eligibility lists on these pages are specific, so it is worth reading them for your own country. Pakistan is named on the Chevening page as a participating country, and Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nigeria all appear in the eligible lists for the Commonwealth Master's Scholarships, the Reach Oxford Scholarship and the British Council 90th Anniversary Fellowship, which pays £2,500 a month to postdoctoral researchers. The Ferguson Trust list also includes all four.

For Indian citizens living in India there is the Chevening Gurukul Fellowship at Oxford, and the Chevening Clore Leadership Fellowship names India among its countries. The country list on the Commonwealth PhD page, on the other hand, does not include India.

The next dated deadlines among these awards:

• Ellison Scholars Program at Oxford University - 1 December 2026
• Reach Oxford Scholarship - 26 January 2027

Many UK awards close with the university's own graduate admission round, so apply for the place early.