For many prospective students, the main obstacle to coming to study in the UK is the cost of education. I will be honest, it is very difficult to get “free” education in the UK. By “free”, I mean full a scholarship from a university, government or company. But nothing is impossible and one way or another you can get funding to help you with the costs.
So in this post, I wish to share with you 6 possible ways to get help with paying for your course. These can apply for an undergraduate (bachelor’s) and a postgraduate (master’s, PhD) course.
1. University Scholarships
You can get a scholarship towards your tuition fees in many UK universities. Usually, unis do not cover the whole cost of education, but you can hope for 10-50% of your fees to be paid through a scholarship.
There are a few types of scholarships:
⇒Scholarships based on educational excellence – these types of grants are based on your grades. For example, getting a high score in IB (International Baccalaureate) or A-levels. This, of course, depends on the university you are coming to study at. For example, the University of Nottingham will consider you for a scholarship if you have achieved more than 38 IB Points.
⇒Scholarships based on the country you are from. Many UK universities are willing to support international students from developing countries. If you have not studied overseas before and you are planning to come back to your country to make a positive difference in your community, you can hope for a support from one of the universities. You can even get the whole master’s course paid for (including transport to/from the UK and accommodation!) – for instance, check out this Masters Scholarship at the Manchester University for students from Uganda.
⇒Scholarships based on the school you are studying at. School-specific grants are usually offered to undergraduate students and also based on exceptional grades. You should check with your school if it has any links with the universities overseas in terms of scholarships. Again, the University of Nottingham has a scholarship program for students from Malaysia that are studying at Chinese Independent Schools.
⇒Scholarships granted on the basis of subject/course you are going to study in the UK. Even though there aren’t any scholarships suited to your case offered by a university, there is still a chance that a specific school/faculty at this university offers a scholarship scheme. For example, the faculty of Engineering at the University of Bath offers 8 scholarships for international students to study a Masters Program (around 10% discount on the fees)
⇒Scholarships earned for sports excellence – certain universities offer financial support for students with national or international sporting achievements. I have found out that the Business School at the University of Exeter offers up to £3,000 a year for students with exceptional sports talent.
As you can see, at least one of this categories can apply to you, I believe a bit of luck and a lot of hard work can help getting this scholarship!
2. Sponsorship From the UK Government – Chevening Scholarship
Chevening Scholarship Program is the scheme run by the UK Government for international students. What amazing about this program is that your fees will be fully funded, as well as your accommodation, flights and visa costs! It is a dream come true for those who wish to study a Master’s Program in the UK!
Though this option is more for mature students (for those with a Bachelor’s degree and two years of working experience). If it is your goal to study in the UK, you should keep this opportunity in mind. Time flies and you can still fulfill your wish of a UK degree even after you have completed your undergraduate education in your home country.
Keep in mind, that you are expected to return to your home country for at least two years after completing this scheme. You do have to apply for one of the eligible programs, but there is a great range of course and universities that are eligible for this scholarship. Oh, and just make sure you are from one of the Chevening Eligible countries 🙂
3. Governmental Scholarship From your Country
The government of your country can sponsor you to study abroad. Most probably you will have to return home for a few years to bring the knowledge back to your home country.
I know at least 4 fellow students that were studying in the UK on Bolashak Scholarship – the program offered to students from Kazakstan. A similar program is run by the government of Russia.
I suggest googling in your own language to find out which schemes are offered by your country.
4. Company Sponsorship
If you are working for a large international company or for educational institution there is a great chance they are willing to sponsor you for further education abroad. Also, there are companies that sponsor students even if they are not yet or ever going to work at their firm. It could be a way for them to acquire future talent or be a part of their social responsibility.
For example, Indian nationals looking for a loan or gift scholarship to study a postgraduate (master’s or PhD) course abroad should check the JN Tata Endowment Program. You do not have to be to be an employee of Tata Group to be eligible to apply and you can still be studying in your final year of university.
Another example I found is JP Morgan Scholarship for female students at the University of Bath. You can get £3,000 worth of funding per year and an industrial placement opportunity at the firm! To be eligible you need to be a girl, a lady or a woman studying Computer Science, Engineering, Math, Physics or Natural Sciences at the University of Bath.
I truly believe if you search for help, and you are willing to put hard work, be flexible and patient- you can definitely get some funding to make your dream come true!
5. Bank Loan
If the above methods are not applicable to you or you need to make sure the full cost of education is covered – you could borrow money from the bank. It will obviously be more costly and risky, but I know of students who have done it. In the UK, that is how most of the British students pay for their education – a student loan from the government.
Your country might be offering a favourable loan for education as well. Before borrowing money, I suggest thinking where you are planning to work and how much you are likely to earn upon graduating. Are planning to work in a country where salary rates are low comparing to the prices of education in the UK? Then perhaps it is not the most reasonable thing to borrow money from the bank.
6. Exchange Programs
I met my best friend Sandy while she was doing an exchange program at the University of Nottingham. Sandy was a student of Korea University and managed to get into the exchange program to study in England for 6 months!
So if the above options are out of the picture and you are currently choosing which course/university to attend at home – why don’t you choose the one that offers such opportunity. Again, do your research! In many cases, you would just be paying fees for your home university and in the end, will not suffer the great expenses of studying in the UK.
These are all the funding options we were able to find, but if there is more we will let you know!
Best of luck from Mind The Grad!
P.S. Do let us know in the comment section if there are any questions 🙂
