With its high quality education standards, multicultural environment and welcoming atmosphere, London has become a very popular hub for international students. Every year, London welcomes around 450,000 students from all over the world,

HOW TO FIND SCHOLARSHIPS IN LONDON

Universities in London are known to offer plenty of scholarships for international students every year. These scholarships can be partial or full, partly or fully covering tuition fees. Some scholarships can also cover living expenses throughout your study period.

So what is the right path to follow to find scholarships that are a perfect fit for you? Each scholarship is different, with unique requirements and selection processes, thus it is a good idea to research about different scholarships for students before sending out scholarship applications.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF SCHOLARSHIPS?

The secret behind picking the right scholarship is to know the nitty-gritty details of different types of scholarships for students. This will help you understand their features and decide which ones to apply for. Here is a list of scholarships and their various types:

  • Full Scholarships: This is the most popular kind of scholarship among international students, since it covers your tuition fees as well as the living costs. Full scholarships for international students are usually very competitive, with a large number of students applying for them. In addition, full scholarships are generally granted to the most exemplary students. 
  • Partial Scholarships: Partial scholarships for international students can cover your tuition fees partly or entirely. They do not usually cover living costs.
  • Country-Specific Scholarships: There are scholarships that are only granted to students who come from certain specific countries. You will need to carefully research the eligibility criteria to make sure you fit the requirements before you can send in your scholarship applications.
  • Course-specific Scholarships: Some scholarships are unique to courses, and can only be applied for if you plan to take up the particular course.
  • External Scholarships: In order to help students from their countries, some governments and local sponsors provide scholarships for international students. They also offer loans to students as part of an external scholarship.

Here are some useful tips to bear in mind before you start your research on scholarships to study in London:

  • UK scholarships can be granted according to financial needs, academic abilities or both of these factors.
  • Most scholarships only receive applications from students who have already been offered a place in a course at a university.
  • Start your research and application process as early as possible as most universities set the deadline for scholarship applications early in the year.

LIST OF GOVERNMENT-FUNDED UK SCHOLARSHIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Check out a list of UK scholarships funded by the government for international students:

  • British Chevening Scholarships: These UK scholarships are funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and its counterparts, aiming to develop global leaders. The students for this scholarship are selected by the British embassies and high commissions around the world.
  • Marshall Scholarships: This postgraduate scholarship is offered to students from the United States who have shown academic merit, leadership capabilities and ambassadorial potential in the past. However, this scholarship does not cover the cost of courses like MBA degrees.
  • Commonwealth Scholarships for Developing Commonwealth Countries: This includes Master’s and PhD scholarships to help international students from Commonwealth developing countries to pursue higher education in.
  • Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme: These scholarship programmes are for international students from developing Commonwealth countries. The Commonwealth Shared UK Scholarships are granted only for courses in these areas:
  1. Science and technology for development
  2. Strengthening health systems and capacity
  3. Global prosperity promotion
  4. Global peace, security and governance
  5. Strengthening response to crisis, or
  6. Access, opportunity and inclusion

LIST OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL UK SCHOLARSHIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

AROUND THE WORLD

  • Euraxess UK: This scholarship for international students is an initiative by the European Commission to provide support for researchers in Europe. The UK branch of the Euraxess UK scholarship programmes is run by the British Council. They offer a wide range of graduate scholarships to international students.
  • CastleSmart Scholarship: Estate agency CastleSmart offers an undergraduate scholarship of £6,000 to one student in the UK every year. When sending a scholarship application to this programme, you also need to create a riveting YouTube video that includes your educational and career plans.

STUDENTS FROM AFRICA

  • Aga Khan Foundation Scholarship Programme: This is a need-based UK scholarship offered to international students from Africa.

STUDENTS FROM CHINA

  • Great Britain China Centre Chinese Student Awards: These PhD scholarships are awarded to Chinese students who want to pursue a PhD in any subject at a UK university, offering to fund of up to £3,000.

STUDENTS FROM ARMENIA

  • The Luys Scholarship Programme: These scholarship programmes award loans or scholarships to students from Armenia, allowing them to study at top UK universities like Oxford and Cambridge.

STUDENTS FROM FRANCE

  • Entente Cordiale Scholarships: These UK scholarships are offered to French students who want to pursue postgraduate degrees in the UK.

STUDENTS FROM INDIA

  • Saltire Scholarships: These scholarship programmes are offered to students from Canada, India, US, Pakistan and Hong Kong, allowing them to pursue an education at any degree level in UK.
  • Charles Wallace Trust Scholarships: These UK scholarships are offered to doctoral and research students as well as to visiting fellows from India and Pakistan.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS IN LONDON?

These are some of the eligibility criteria for international students to apply for UK scholarship programmes:

  • Applicant must intend to enrol for a course at undergraduate or postgraduate level.
  • Applicants must meet the academic capabilities of the programme they are applying for.
  • Some scholarships require applicants to meet a certain minimum or maximum age.
  • You must present a TOEFL or IELTS score that meets the minimum requirement specified by the particular scholarship programme.
  • If the scholarship is only offered to students from a certain country, they must meet this requirement as well.

HOW TO APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS IN LONDON

Most universities have scholarship deadlines well before the start of the course. Here are the steps you can follow to find the perfect scholarship and apply for it:

  • Step 1 – Choose your course: There is a Study London course database available where you can research and shortlist courses that you might want to pursue.
  • Step 2 – University profile check: Once you have narrowed down your options, research universities offering the courses you are interested in and read in detail about the profiles of universities you have selected.
  • Step 3 – University scholarships: Research about the scholarships being offered by your choice of universities and check whether you are eligible for them.
  • Step 4 – Course application: Generally, you need to apply for a course and be offered a place before sending in your scholarship applications.

The best kind of scholarships are the ones that are open to students from all around the world. One of the major higher education institutes offering scholarships for selected undergraduate and postgraduate international students is the London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA). You can read more about the scholarship details here.

 

This article was written by Meghdeep Patnaik and edited by Luna Campos.