How Masters Scholarships Work, And Where to Find Them

Masters scholarships form one part of the Masters funding ecosystem, alongside postgraduate loans, part-time work and less common options like crowdfunding.

If you already know how Masters scholarships work and just want to know where you can find them, here's a link to the how to find a scholarship section. Alternatively, if you just want scholarship application advice, we have those, too.

Otherwise, if you'd like the full rundown, read on!

Types of Masters scholarships

Masters scholarships all put money towards a Masters degree, but they don’t all do so the same way. Regardless of the specifics, unlike a loan, you won’t typically need to pay the money back. The only circumstance you may need to do so is if you drop out of your programme early, but even then, it depends on the scholarship.

Scholarships can be divided into these common types:

• Merit-based scholarships, which are awarded by institutions (not just universities) to those showing outstanding academic achievement.
• Bursaries, which are awarded to those in the most need so they can still access education. You may also see needs-based scholarships, which are sometimes just a bursary by another name and sometimes merit-based scholarships specifically aimed at those in need.
• Fee waivers, which don’t provide any money directly, but will instead mean you don’t have to pay some or all of your tuition fees.

How much is a Masters scholarship worth?

There’s no specific amount Masters scholarships tend to be worth—instead, it varies a lot based on the scholarship.

As a first example, the Chevening Scholarship is a UK Government scholarship aimed at giving international students with strong leadership potential a chance to study in the UK. It’s pitched as a ‘fully funded scholarship’, meaning it covers flights, course fees, an arrival and departure allowance, a monthly personal living allowance and a travel top-up allowance. The total amount will therefore vary based on the cost of your programme, but we estimate around £30,000 in our guide.

Not all scholarships are so all-inclusive, though. More common are university scholarships, such as University of Sheffield’s International Postgraduate Scholarship. This offers a £3,000 fee waiver to international students studying a postgraduate taught degree during the period specified (more eligibility applies, of course). Unlike with the Chevening Scholarship, you’ll still need to cover the rest of the fees yourself along with maintenance costs, so you’d likely combine this with other sources of funding (potentially other scholarships if eligibility allows).

Where to find Masters scholarships

University Masters scholarships

These scholarships are often the easiest to find via a quick google, though ‘full ride’ scholarships like Chevening are uncommon. Another thing to bear in mind is that (like a lot of funding) certain scholarships may only be available to international or home students.

If you aren’t married to a particular university yet and want an overview of what’s on offer, you might like our scholarship search section. You can filter it to your own circumstances to cut down on reading irrelevant scholarships, so why not give it a try?

Study abroad scholarships

These are harder to find unless you already know what you’re looking for…but thankfully, we’ve already done the research! We’ve written funding guides for the following countries, which includes any scholarships available to international students looking to study abroad:

• UK funding
• Germany funding
• France funding
• Italy funding
• Ireland funding
• Switzerland funding
• China funding
• Denmark funding
• Wales funding
• New Zealand funding
• The Netherlands funding
• Sweden funding

Charity scholarships

While not an obvious choice for postgraduate funding, you might be surprised at what’s available from charities and trusts. Like university scholarships, these are less likely to fully fund your education, but you may be able to create a portfolio through applications to multiple charities.

If you’re interested, we have a guide to charity funding, with a general focus on funding for studies in the UK. Along with mentioning databases like Turn2us, we also shout out specific scholarships and grants that may be of interest.

Should you be pressed for time, here are a few highlights:

• Turn2us, The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding and The Grants Register are good resources. The latter is only available in print.
• If you’re looking at a research Masters, large trusts and foundations like The Wellcome Trust, The Leverhulme Trust and The Nuffield Foundation could be good funding sources.
• Minor grants may be available from smaller charities, such as The Vegetarian Society or The Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust.

Skill shortage scholarships

These are government schemes that aim to fill in job gaps by providing funding for education. In the UK, the big ones are:

• Teacher training bursaries – Up to £27,000 for in-demand subjects.
• NHS Masters funding – Grants for Nursing, Midwifery, Social Work, and Allied Health professions.

How to apply for a Masters scholarship

Applying for a university Masters scholarship

For some university scholarships, you won’t need to apply at all—if you’re a self-funded student who meets the criteria, you’ll be automatically given consideration. If this is the case (like for the University of Sheffield International Postgraduate Scholarship we mentioned earlier), that will be noted on the scholarship information page. These cases are both helpful and unhelpful—you don’t need to worry about making a strong application, but you also have no direct control over your consideration.

Alternatively, some university scholarships are more ‘traditional’, in that you’ll need to make your own application after applying to your course. If this is the case, see our general application tips below for how to stay ahead.

In either case, you’ll typically need an offer from the university to apply for a scholarship, so we’d recommend applying to courses as soon as possible.

Applying for a charity scholarship or grant

Since charities and trusts are so varied (even compared to universities), how you apply to funding opportunities likewise varies. In some cases, you may have a similar situation to the above where the application is out of your hands. For example, the Leverhulme Art Scholarship Bursaries are applied to by institutions, not students, so earning those opportunities will be at the discretion of the institution.

In other cases, you’ll have a more hands-on role in the application, so typical application tips apply (see below, as well as our charity funding guide). A notable difference with general scholarships is that, unlike a university, you may need to show how completing your Masters will align with the organisation’s values and direction. That’s not always going to be possible, of course, but it could be the key difference maker when they review the applicants.

General Masters scholarship application advice

While not universal, this is the information you’ll typically need when applying for a Masters scholarship:

• Course details – which Masters you're applying for.
• Personal statement – why you’re the best candidate for the scholarship.
• Financial evidence – if applying for need-based support.
• Academic transcripts and references – sometimes required for competitive awards.

In all cases, the scholarship information page should tell you exactly what you need to send in, so make sure to read carefully! There’s no way to get an application turned down quicker than sending in the wrong information.

As for specific tips, consider the following:

• Plan ahead – a good Masters funding application takes time to put together, and you may want to apply for more than one scholarship option. Don't rush things.
• Check eligibility criteria – scholarships are usually more specific than other types of postgraduate funding: is yours only for graduates of a certain university, for citizens of a specific country, or for students with particular backgrounds? Checking these details will ensure you aren't wasting your time.
• Know who you're applying to – knowing your audience is important when writing a funding application. If you're applying for a charity grant, for example, then you might want to tone down the jargon.
• Think like a funder – scholarships don't just exist to help pay for Masters degrees: they also have wider aims, such as supporting work on particular topics or widening participation in postgraduate study. Use your application to show how you fit the bill for a particular award.
• Don’t recycle applications – much like how it’s recommended to tailor your CV and cover letters to jobs when applying, similar advice applies for scholarship applications. You should treat what they state on the page like a checklist, and it’s your job to check off as much as possible. If the application requires a personal statement, that is the perfect opportunity to tune your presentation to the requirements.
• Note application deadlines down when you see them – funding opportunities are almost always oversubscribed, so applying late (if it’s even possible) is just asking for trouble. If you have a calendar app on your phone or computer, you may wish to add the deadlines in there so you’re less likely to forget. This isn’t relevant if you apply for the scholarship as soon as you see it, but if you’re following the tips above, you should be taking your time.
• Check whether you can combine funding – it should be stated in the eligibility criteria, but not all scholarships allow you to use them as part of a funding portfolio. Some forbid combining with other scholarships at the same organisation (not uncommon for university scholarships), while others have different restrictions.