The United Kingdom is one of the most popular study destinations for students from all around the globe. The UK is a hub of top-notch educational institutes, which are usually the highest-ranking universities of not only the UK but also maintain their position in the world’s top-ranking list of universities.

High-quality education, internationally recognized fame and higher graduate employability rate are some of the main reasons behind students’ preference for the UK universities, particularly Russel Group of Universities.

Almost 37% of the undergraduate students comprises of all the international students studying in the UK hence, Russel group of universities are usually preferred by students who wish to complete their bachelor’s degree in the UK.

Why do you need to apply for UK scholarships?

However, not every student can afford the high tuition fee schedules of such prestigious universities and it can be much more expensive for international students to not only bear the burden of heavy tuition fees, but also other various living and travel expenses.

There is an even higher tuition fee range for the foreign students belonging from outside the European Union due to which scholarships are considered of pretty crucial significance for the non-EU students. Moreover, financial aid is far more needed for the students who want to study for their bachelor’s degree in the UK University since they do not get employed at this stage usually.

Therefore, the availability of scholarships and bursaries has become the ultimate solution in order to facilitate the financial issues of international students. There is a distinct yet variable set of requirements for different scholarships that students need to fulfill. Some top-notch universities may demand more extensive documentation due to high competition.

However, the exact requirements for any kind of scholarship majorly depend on the type of scholarship as well as the scholarship-granting institute.

Which kinds of UK Scholarships are available for international students?

There are a great number of scholarships that international students can avail of depending upon their conditions. There are majorly two types of scholarships to count on in the UK referring to governmental scholarships and non-governmental scholarships.

What are governmental scholarships?

There are mainly two mainstream scholarship schemes introduced by the British government that international students can avail. These include; Commonwealth Scholarships and Chevening Scholarships.

Commonwealth Scholarships:

Primarily funded by the department of international development, Commonwealth scholarships are applicable to all the students who belong to the commonwealth countries and want to study in any of the UK universities.

The expenses covered by this scholarship mainly include the necessary living expenses, tuition fees, and certain travel expenses along with some allowances. Most of the time, commonwealth scholarships are awarded to those students who want to get their doctoral degree of three to four years duration and Master’s degree program of one-year duration or some of its equivalent courses.

Moreover, the subjects mostly preferred for the commonwealth scholarships include Agriculture, Engineering & Technology, Humanities & Social Sciences, as well as Theoretical & Applied Sciences. Therefore, the students who wish to study their bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree program in such subjects can easily avail themselves of the commonwealth scholarships.

Chevening Scholarships:

Founded in 1983, the Chevening Scholarships is basically the global scholarship scheme of the UK primarily governed by the state. Other funding authorities for the Chevening Scholarships refer to FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) as well as its partners.

There are usually two kinds of grants offered in this scheme, including Fellowships and Scholarships. It is usually applied to the international students who belong to any of the Chevening-eligible countries. It is granted for mostly a Master’s degree program of one-year duration, however, it may also be applicable for some other postgraduate programs. The eligibility criteria for the Chevening Scholarships majorly include English language proficiency and a bachelor’s degree along with more than 2 years of professional experience.

The international students who are ineligible for these previously mentioned scholarships can also apply for some other famous schemes for financial aid, referring to the ‘Euraxess UK scholarships’ and the ‘Royal Society Grants’

UK Universities Scholarships:

In case the students are unable to fulfill the criteria of governmental scholarships, they can still get their bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree program from their desired UK University depending on their own scholarship schemes. These are usually termed non-governmental scholarships. Well, there is a plethora of scholarships offered by various UK universities whereas the major ones include:

• Cardiff University Scholarships
• Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships
• International Undergraduate Engineering Scholarship
• UK Scholarships from British Council
• Kingston University London Scholarships
• Fulbright Foreign Student Program
• MBA Skoll Scholarships
• Gates Cambridge Scholarship
• Bristol University Scholarships
• University Prize Scholarships
• Denys Holland Scholarship
• MBA Scholarships at Brunel University
• University of Sussex International Scholarships
• International Scholarships at University of Westminster
• Rhodes House Scholarships