Scholarships

There are scholarships and grants for international students who wish to study in Britain. There is a lot of competition for a limited number of awards, but it is worthwhile applying for the ones relevant to you. You should begin your research early as some scholarships require you to apply at least a year before your course starts.

The University of Aberdeen Alumni Discount Scheme

The University of Aberdeen is very pleased to offer a 20% discount in postgraduate tuition fees for all alumni who have graduated with a degree from the University of Aberdeen. The Alumni Discount Scheme applies to both home and overseas students, and applies to the self-funding element of the postgraduate tuition fee. This is the element of tuition fee which you are personally paying yourself and does not cover the element of tuition fee which is covered by a scholarship, funding body, your employer, a company, or any another source of funding. The Alumni Discount applies only to the tuition fee element and does not apply to any additional costs such as additional programme costs or research costs.

The British Council

In the absence of a local British Council office, consult the nearest British Embassy or High Commission. It may also be useful to visit the Education UK Scotland website and the UK Council for International Student Affairs.

Charities, Organisations and Companies

A number of governmental and non-governmental bodies, including educational charities, provide financial assistance to a diversity of students seeking education overseas. Approaches can also be made to commercial and industrial companies in the fields related to your specialisation, eg in the medical field to pharmaceutical companies, in engineering to construction or electronics firms. Generally, apply to the Managing Director in the first instance. Note that certain bodies such as banks may specialise in student loans.

Your Country’s Ministry of Education

Scholarships, grants and student loans could be available from your local government. Enquire with the Ministry of Education within your own country to find out what is available.

Other Sources of Funding Information

Useful Contacts

Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS)
Tel:              +44 (0)207 254 6251         +44 (0)207 254 6251 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting                            +44 (0)207 254 6251         +44 (0)207 254 6251      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
http://www.egas-online.org/

UKCOSA, The Council for International Education
Tel:               +44 (0)297 288 4330         +44 (0)297 288 4330 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting                            +44 (0)297 288 4330         +44 (0)297 288 4330      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
http://www.ukcosa.org.uk/

International Scholarships & Bursaries

The University of Aberdeen offers scholarships and bursaries within a number of areas. Further opportunities can be found on the college websites of Arts and Social Sciences, Life Sciences and Medicine and Physical Sciences.

Sir Thomas Sutherland Scholarships

Two undergraduate scholarships open to citizens of China or Hong Kong liable to overseas tuition rates with preference given, in the first instance, to applicants connected with HSBC (as employees or the descendants of those currently employed by HSBC). The scholarships are for undergraduate study in any aspect of banking, finance, business or business-related studies, for entry in September 2013.

For further details please click here. 

Development Trust International Taught Postgraduate Scholarships

The University of Aberdeen Development Trust is delighted to launch a new International Taught Postgraduate Scholarship programme with the opening of the application process for the first three scholarships for the 2013/2014 academic year.

Each of the University’s three Colleges, Arts & Social Sciences, Life Sciences & Medicine and Physical Sciences, will be able to make one international taught postgraduate scholarship award of £4,000 each year to go towards tuition fees for September 2013 entry. Please visit the below links for more information on the awards.

General Scholarship Schemes

Chevening Scholarships

What are Chevening Scholarships?
Chevening Scholarships are the UK government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisations. The Scholarships are awarded to outstanding scholars with leadership potential. Awards are typically for a one-year Master’s degree. 

Who can apply for a Chevening Scholarship?
Chevening Scholarships are for talented people who have been identified as potential future leaders across a wide range of fields; including politics, business, the media, civil society, religion, and academia. Applicants should be high calibre graduates with the personal, intellectual and interpersonal qualities necessary for leadership. Chevening Scholars come from over 110 countries worldwide (excluding the USA and the EU), and this year the Scholarships will support approximately 700 individuals. There are over 41,000 Chevening alumni around the world who together comprise an influential and highly regarded global network. 

When do applications for 2013/14 Chevening Scholarships open?
Applications for 2013/14 Chevening Scholarships will open at the end of October 2012 and close in December 2012. Exact dates will be available on the country pages of www.chevening.org. 

How to apply for a Chevening Scholarship
For information on applying for a Chevening Scholarship for 2013/14, sign up now for alerts at www.chevening.org and read the guidance for 2013/14 applicants at www.chevening.org/apply. Full information about deadlines and priority subjects for countries which offer Chevening Scholarships will be available on the country pages of www.chevening.org. 

Further information
For further information on applying for a Chevening Scholarship, sign up for alerts at www.chevening.org. Applicants can also contact the Chevening Scholarships Secretariat at www.chevening.org/enquiry.

Scotland's Saltire Scholarships

This exciting scholarship opportunity is open to Canadian, US, Chinese & Indian nationals studying a full time Undergraduate, Masters or PhD at the University of Aberdeen. The scholarship is supported and funded by the Scottish Government in partnership with University of Aberdeen. Awards worth £2000 each are available towards the cost of tuition fees for one year. To be considered for the scholarship you will need to have applied to the University of Aberdeen for a place starting in 2013 and have firmly accepted an offer, either conditional or unconditional by 31st May 2013. Applicants should be made online via the TalentScotland website, where further information on the eligibility criteria and application process is available.

Saint Andrew's Society Scholarships

The Saint Andrew's Society of Washington, D.C., accepts applications for US students of Scottish descent wishing to study in the UK to be awarded from its Washington Scots Charity and Education Fund Scholarship Program. Please see www.saintandrewsociety.org/scholarships.htm for further details.

Financial Aid for US students

The University of Aberdeen is recognised by the US Federal Government as one of the foreign institutions that US students can come to study at and use their financial aid in the UK. You will need to apply for your Financial Aid in the US. On your application you should list the University of Aberdeen as one of your choices of institutions you want to study at (you can list more than one). The code for the US Financial Aid application for the University of Aberdeen is G09368. Further information and guidance regarding how to apply can be found here.

Commonwealth Scholarships

Commonwealth Scholarships are awarded to students from countries of the British Commonwealth. Applications should be made to the Commonwealth Scholarship Agency in the student's own country. For further information please visit http://www.acu.ac.uk/.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme

The Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme (formerly known as the Department for International Development Scholarship Scheme) is open to students from East African countries intending to take a Masters course at the University of Aberdeen. The University works in partnership with Windle Trust International to fund this award and applicants should contact the Windle Trust in the first instance.  

Windle Trust International
Oxford Road
Cowley
Oxford OX4 2EN

Web: http://www.windle.org.uk/
Email: info@windle.org.uk
Or contact the British Council

Internal Scholarships by Subject Area:

Chemistry

  • The department has many endowments, which are used to assist postgraduate students. E-mail chemistry@abdn.ac.uk.

Mathematics / Bacteriology / Pathology

  • Milner Scholarships are available to postgraduate research students in the field of mathematics, as well as research in bacteriology or pathology. For more information, contact maths@maths.abdn.ac.uk.

Music

  • There are scholarships available for musicians including the Ogston Postgraduate Scholarship (click here for further details), Nora Bently Scholarship, the Scottish Students' Songbook Award, 5 Principal's Scholarships and 10 Chapel Choir Scholarships. For further details, visit www.abdn.ac.uk/music/scholarships.shtml.

Plant & Soil Science

The Robert Carrick Memorial Trust provides sources of funding for Zulu students to study Environmental Sciences. Available for taught Masters courses only, not research. Awards are not necessarily made every year, and benificiaries should be of Zulu origin, be domiciled in Kwa Zulu, and be likely to make a distinct contribution to the development of the Zulu lands.

Sports Scholarships

There are a number of Sports Scholarships available annually for postgraduate and undergraduate students from any discipline, who show outstanding sporting ability. For further details, visit http://www.abdn.ac.uk/sportandexercise/performance/.

Country Specific Scholarships

 

David Stewart Awards

Malaysian nationals, who are normally resident in Malaysia, commencing a full time postgraduate Masters programme at the University of Aberdeen in September 2013 are eligible to apply for a David Stewart Scholarship. 2 scholarships valued at £2,000 each will be awarded. The closing date for applications is Friday 19th July 2013. 

For further details and an application form please use the links provided below.

West Africa Merit Scholarship

Nigerian or Ghanaian nationals, who are normally resident in Nigeria or Ghana, commencing a full time postgraduate Masters programme in the College of Life Sciences and Medicine or the College of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Aberdeen in September 2013 are eligible to apply for the West Africa Merit Scholarship. 5 scholarships valued at £2,000 each will be awarded on the basis of academic merit. Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, the overseas equivalent of a UK first class honours degree.

For further details and an application form please use the links provided below.

Esso Angolan Scholars Program

The Esso Angolan Scholars Program, administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE), is open to Angolan students seeking to pursue a Master's degree in the geosciences. Eligible applicants will have a Bachelor's degree in geosciences (or a related field) from an institution in the UK or the US before the Master's program begins in the fall of 2013. Additionally, top applicants will be selected to attend a short course in Houston, Texas with IIE and ExxonMobil.

Scholarship recipients will receive full tuition, housing and living expenses, medical insurance, as well as academic and visa support.

The deadline for applying is 31 December 2012.  More information about the scholarship and the online application form can be found at www.iie.org/EssoAngolanScholars.  Please note that the deadline has been extended into January 2013.

Tullow Oil Scholarship Scheme

The Tullow Oil Group are offering an exciting scholarship opportunity for degree and HND holders from Ghana, Uganda, Gabon, Cote D'Ivoire, Congo Brazzaville, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Surinam and Uruguay who wish to undertake a postgraduate Masters' programme commencing in September 2013. The scheme aims to build capacity in areas where Tullow's host countries experience significant skills gaps, especially, but not exclusively, around these countries' oil and gas industries. The closing date for the scheme is 13 February 2013. For more details about the scheme visit www.tullowgroupscholarshipscheme.org where you can also learn more about which programmes of particular relevance are offered at the University of Aberdeen.

Fulbright Commission

The Fulbright Scholarship program aims to promote mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and the UK. In 2013/2014, one Fulbright - Aberdeen University Award will be offered to pursue a Master's degree in either Theology and Religious Studies or Health Services at the University of Aberdeen. The award covers all expenses including tuition fees and general maintenance costs while staying in the UK. For further information about the scholarship and for details on how to apply please click here. 

University of Aberdeen Merit Scholarship

This exciting scholarship opportunity is available to North American Students pursing any* undergraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen (*with the exception of medicine).

The University recognises academic excellence. The scholarship award is provided in the 4th year of study, and is based on continual academic achievement during a student’s first 3 years of study at the University. The scholarship award includes:

Tuition fee discount in the final (fourth) year of study, based on the student’s academic achievements in the first three years of study at Aberdeen.*
One-time, 20% discount on the first years fee of any subsequent degree available to all Aberdeen graduates.

*The scholarship award in the final (fourth) year is based on academic merit, and is calculated on the number of semesters the student achieves College Honour Roll status (achieving a CAS 16.0 or above per semester), during the first 3 years (6 semesters) of study at the University. The award level is calculated as follows
4 of 6 semesters on Honour Roll = 25% fee waiver in final / fourth year
5 of 6 semesters on Honour Roll = 50% fee waiver in final / fourth year
6 of 6 semesters on Honour Roll = 75% fee waiver in final / fourth year

If you have any questions regarding the scholarship award please contact Tessa Birley at tessa.birley@abdn.ac.uk.

James Henry Scott Scholarship

Applications are invited for the James Henry Scott Scholarship, funded by The Swire Educational Trust. The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of academic merit and is open to candidates commencing a one year MSc in Environmental Science from the People’s Republic of China, or Hong Kong. The scholarship will cover International Postgraduate Tuition Fees for the 2013/14 academic year will provide a maintenance award of £13,590. The closing date for applications is 30 May 2013.

James Forbes & Alexander Morrison Scholarships 

Two UG scholarships open to Australian nationals with preference given, in the first instance, to alumni of the Scotch College and their children or grandchildren, then to residents of Melbourne. The scholarships will cover tuition fees and are open to Australian nationals studying any subject in the College of Arts and Social Sciences. Further information about James Forbes & Alexander Morrison Scholarship. 

Scotch College Scholarship

One Doctoral scholarship open to citizens of Australia liable to overseas tuition rates with preference given, in the first instance, to alumni of the Scotch College and their children or grandchildren, then to residents of Melbourne. The scholarship will cover tuition fees plus £6,000 per annum in maintenance for an Australian citizen undertaking research on any topic associated with Australia, Scottish-Australian relations and/or Scots in Australia. Further information can be found here.

OMV New Zealand Ltd. Scholarship

 

This scholarship was established in August 2009 and is funded by OMV NZ Ltd. The scholarship is available to students from New Zealand pursuing a postgraduate degree in disciplines relevant to the energy industry including Engineering, Environmental and Earth Sciences. Applications must be submitted by 15 December 2009 and further guidance is available here.

Chevening Scholarships for Russia

The College of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Aberdeen are delighted to announce the provision of a maximum of 2 Chevening Scholarships for students from Russia in the areas of Politics and / or International Relations at Postgraduate Level. The closing date for applications to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is 28th February 2011.

More detailed information on how to apply can be found on the FCO website and from the British Council Russia.

The Chevening Scholarship covers the following expenses:

  • Tuition fees at the University of Aberdeen for a full-time course of study lasting from 3 to 12 months at Postgraduate level in Politics and / or International Relations costing £12,000 maximum
  • Living expenses (monthly stipend)
  • Arrival and departure allowances
  • Thesis allowance
  • Travel costs to and from the UK (one round trip)

 

College of Arts and Social Sciences: India Merit Scholarships

The University is delighted to offer our Indian applicants, who meet the criteria, merit scholarships, of the value of £1000. Applicants will be considered on the basis of the following criteria:

  • First class degree
  • 3 years relevant work experience

For more details of this scholarship please contact the International Officer for India, Ainsley McIntosh on a.mcintosh@abdn.ac.uk.

Science without Borders

 

The University of Aberdeen has been selected as one of the Universities to take part in the Science without Borders programme, offered by the Brazilian Government. For more information visit: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/international/brazil.php.

Daiwa Foundation Tohoku Scholarships

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation in partnership with the British Council in Japan is offering scholarships to students from Japan who have been affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011 and who want to study in the UK. The scholarships are available for all undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses (including foundation programmes), as well as PhD and post-doctoral research programmes. Funding of up to £20,000 per student will be awarded to cover tuition fees, living expenses, and travel expenses. Applicants are required to explain their vision for the future and financial plans as part of the application process and must secure a place on a course of study at a UK institution in order to take up funding. Applications will also be considered from students from the region who are currently studying in the UK, but who require financial support to continue their studies.

Application forms can be downloaded from the Briritish Council's Japan website (www.britishcouncil.or.jp)and should include a personal statement outlining the purpose of study and long-term goals.

Completed applications forms should be sent to:

Daiwa Foundation Tohoku Scholarships Section
British Council
1-2 Kagurazaka
Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo 162-0825

The application deadline is the 15 June 2012. The selection panel will meet in July 2012 to assess applications and applicants will be informed of the results immediately thereafter.