UK educational institutions are world-class institutions. The excellence of their teaching, research and scholarship is acknowledged worldwide.
Such is the reputation of British education that, every year, UK institutions attract hundreds of thousands of international students. Many who come to study here pay for their courses privately, and some receive financial help.
UK government departments and the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus a number of other UK organisations, offer a variety of scholarships and other awards to help international students study in the UK. These awards are a sign of the UK's strong commitment to the rest of the world. They also show the UK's awareness of the many benefits that come from sharing the excellence of its schools, colleges and universities with visiting students and scholars from abroad.
To find out whether you might be eligible for a scholarship or for financial grant support, start by asking your own Ministry of Education. You can also consult your local British Council office, which will have information about UK award schemes
Online scholarships search
You can now find any scholarships that are appropriate to your country of origin, level of study, subject, and institutions where you are interested in studying. To try the search, visit
http://ukscholarshipsdatabase.britishcouncil.org
Boarding schools and colleges
Gifted children studying at this level are invited to compete in open scholarship examinations for academic, musical and other specialist scholarships. The schools hold these examinations in the September to December and January to April terms of the year before admission. The examination papers can be sent to local British Council offices, so that children in other countries can sit the examinations locally. These scholarships can cover up to fifty per cent of fees.
Headmasters also often offer means-tested bursaries to gifted children. The Independent Schools Council Information Service (ISCIS) web site has guidance on scholarships for independent boarding schools.
Career based courses
A very small number of scholarships is available and there is strong competition for these. Your Ministry of Education and local British Council office will be able to give you more details of scholarships for career based courses.
Migrant workers from the European Economic Area and their families may be eligible to apply for residential bursaries to study at art and design colleges, and agricultural colleges.
Degree courses
Scholarships for degree courses are most likely to be available from your own government (contact your Ministry of Education for information), but are also available from many higher education (HE) institutions.
Another possible source of funding is the British Chevening Scholarship or the Department for International Development (DfID) Shared Scholarship Scheme (see below). Be aware, though, that the competition for these tends to be tough.
Postgraduate programmes and MBAs
The main scholarships for Master's courses are as follows.
British Chevening Scholarships. These allow particularly able students to pursue research or taught postgraduate courses.
British Council Fellowship Programme. This scheme provides grants for postgraduate study or research, ranging from short attachments to research leading to a Ph.D.
Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowship Plan (CSFP). Awards are made to citizens of Commonwealth countries and are primarily for postgraduate programmes, although funding for undergraduate degree courses may be possible if there are no suitable equivalents in your home country.
Shared Scholarship Scheme. This programme funds awards for taught postgraduate courses.
Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme (ORSAS). Awards are for postgraduate study for an initial period of one year. Application forms are available from UK HE institutions
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