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Master’s Scholarships 2020
The University of Reading offers a range of scholarships to master’s students. Some awards are offered directly by the University and others are allocated to our students by external funding bodies.
University of Reading Master’s Scholarships 2020
The Schools featured here offer partial scholarships through the University of Reading’s 2020 Master’s Scholarships Scheme. These scholarships are awarded primarily on the basis of previous academic achievement. In order to apply, a candidate must have received an offer of admission to one our participating master’s courses. Scholarships are awarded in two rounds. Round one will review applications received by 1 March 2020 and round two will consider applications received by 1 June 2020. Candidates unsuccessful in round one automatically go forward for consideration in round two, provided they still hold a valid offer of admission to an eligible course.
Scholarship guidelines
- These scholarships take the form of a tuition fee reduction.
- Study may be on a full-time or part-time basis. The fee reduction is applied in a single payment at the commencement of the master's degree.
- There are two types of scholarships – those for international students (applicants who are classified as overseas for tuition fees purposes) and awards for ‘UK/EU students, whose tuition fees are ordinarily lower.
- Tuition fees are confirmed when an offer of admission is made.
- The scholarships in this scheme are awarded primarily on the basis of previous academic accomplishment.
How to apply
Scholarship applications are now open. To be considered for a scholarship you first need to submit an application for your chosen master’s programme and receive an offer.
Interested in applying for a master's programme?
If you would like to apply for one of our master's programmes, please use our online application service.
Receive funding updates
To receive updates on funding opportunities along with other information about the University of Reading, please submit your details here.
Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science
4 scholarships of £3,000 each for international students and 5 scholarships of £1,000 each for UK/EU students offered to offered admission to:
Architecture
Students enrolling on our Master of Architecture in 2020, who hold a first-class honours degree, have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship worth £1,000 for each of the two years of the course. This scholarship is subject to conditions, including successful progression between each academic year.
Arts and Communication Design
5 scholarships of £3,000 each for international students and 5 scholarships of £1,500 each for UK/EU students offered admission to:
- MA Creative Enterprise: Art pathway
- MA Creative Enterprise: Communication Design Pathway
- MA Creative Enterprise: Film Pathway
- MA Creative Enterprise: Theatre Pathway
- MA Fine Art
- MA Communication Design: Book Design Pathway
- MA Communication Design: General Pathway
- MA Communication Design: Information Design Pathway
- MA Communication Design: Typeface Design Pathway
- MA Research Typography and Graphic Communication
Computer science
10 scholarships of £3,000 each for international students and 5 scholarships of £1,000 each for Home/EU students offered admission to:
Construction Management and Engineering
3 scholarships of £3,000 each for international students and 3 scholarships of £2,000 each for UK/EU students offered admission to:
- MSc Construction Cost Management
- MSc Construction Management
- MSc Construction Management & International Development
- MSc Design and Management of Sustainable Built Environments
- MSc Information Management for Design, Construction and Operation
- MSc Project Management
- MSc in Renewable Energy: Technology and Sustainability
Education
2 scholarships of £2,500 for international students offered admission to:
English Language and Applied Linguistics
1 scholarship of £3,000 for an international student and 1 scholarship of £1,500 for a UK/EU student offered admission to:
1 scholarship of £3,000 for an international student and 1 scholarship of £1,500 for a UK/EU student offered admission to:
Food and nutritional Sciences
4 scholarships of £5,000 each for international students offered admission to:
Henley Business School Scholarships
Henley Business School offers a substantial scholarship fund to UK, EU and international students applying for their master’s courses.
Read more on MBA Scholarships and Henley Business Postgraduate Scholarships.
H. Knapman Scholarship - accommodation scholarship for scientists
Three accommodation scholarships for St Patrick's Hall. These scholarships have an approximate value of £5100 each for international, EU or UK students studying on a full-time basis and offered admission to an MSc course in one of the following Science departments:
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Food and Nutritional Sciences
- Meteorology
- Pharmacy
Through a generous donation we are able to fund three accommodation scholarships for students who will commence an MSc course in one of our Science departments in September 2020. The scholarship will pay for 40 weeks of accommodation in one of the standard rooms in St Patrick’s Hall (students wishing to stay in Reading longer may source accommodation for the remainder of their studies at their own expense via our STAY at Reading service). The scholarship can be held in conjunction with another scholarship that pays full or partial tuition fees but the H. Knapman Scholarship cannot be offered to a student who already has a scholarship that provides a full stipend for living costs (e.g. Chevening, CSC, Felix).
Applications for this scholarship are now open. To be considered for a scholarship you first need to submit an application for your chosen master's programme and receive an offer of admission. The closing date for applications is 1 June 2020.
Humanities
2 scholarships of £1,500 each for international students and 3 scholarships of £1,500 each for UK/EU students offered admission to:
International Development, Agriculture and Economics Scholarships
The Graduate Institute of International Development, Agriculture and Economics (GIIDAE) has £300,000 worth of master’s scholarship funding available for the 2020-21 academic year. Further information is available on the GIIDAE website.
Law
2 scholarships of £3,000 each for international students and 3 scholarships of £1,500 each for UK/EU students offered admission to:
Meteorology Scholarships
2 scholarships of £3,000 each for international students and 2 scholarships of £1,500 each for UK/EU students offered admission to:
Politics, Economics and International Relations
6 scholarships of £3,000 each for international students and 4 scholarships of £1,500 each for UK/EU students offered admission to:
Psychology and clinical language sciences
5 scholarships of £3,000 each for international students offered admission to:
Alumni discounts
Already completed a qualification at the University of Reading? Then you are entitled to a discount on your tuition fees to help you progress to the next level of study, whether that is a master’s course or a PhD.
The discount is 10% off the fees for a master’s course or the first year of another postgraduate degree (up to a maximum of £1,000) and is automatically granted to eligible students. For part-time study, the discount applies to first-year fees.
Read more information on alumni discounts.
Scholarships offered by other sponsors
The University collaborates with many sponsors around the world and within the UK, including funding schemes run by governments, NGOs, and private and donor organisations.
A number of scholarships are listed below, however students seeking financial aid are also encouraged to research the opportunities that may be on offer in their own country or through other organisations.
Highways England Master's studentship in Archaeology
Highways England are funding two Master’s Studentships in Archaeology, to be run by the University of Reading in conjunction with MOLA Headland Infrastructure.
The award-holders will spend the first 12 weeks of their programme (July-September 2020) on a placement with MOLA specialists and will then enrol on the University of Reading full-time MA Archaeology.
Each award focuses on a different topic:
- The effects of sub-sampling Roman pottery assemblages from large infrastructure projects
- Integrating scientific analysis into the study of Iron Age and Roman copper-alloy objects from large infrastructure projects
Each award covers:
- Tuition fees for new UK/EU students (£7,735)
- £5,000 during 12-week placement
- £11,500 stipend over the duration of the master’s course
The deadline for applications is 1 May 2020 and we will open for applications shortly.
To be considered for a Master’s Studentship in Archaeology you first need to submit an application for the full-time MA Archaeology programme and receive an offer. You will then be eligible to apply for the Master’s Studentship.
Chevening Scholarships
Chevening Scholarships are the UK government's global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisations. The University of Reading and Chevening have been working together for over 20 years, offering international students funding to complete their Masters degrees in Reading. Around 500 Chevening scholars have so far completed their studies at the university.
Commonwealth shared scholarships
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are for candidates from less developed and lower middle income Commonwealth countries, for full-time Master’s study on selected courses.
The University of Reading, in partnership with the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, offers four scholarships under this scheme for the following courses:
MSc Food Technology: Quality Assurance
This scholarship is only available for applicants from eligible Commonwealth countries (Bangladesh, Cameroon, Eswatini, The Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu and Zambia.)
To apply, applicants are required to submit an application for the eligible course at the University of Reading as well as completing the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s online application form
Applications for this scholarship opened on 6 November 2019.
Deadline to apply for this scholarship is 16.00 GMT on 18 December 2019.Felix scholarships
Since 1991/92 the University of Reading has been one of three institutions in the UK that participates in the prestigious Felix Scholarships Scheme. It was founded to offer gifted underprivileged students from India and certain other developing countries the opportunity of furthering their postgraduate education by attending a university in the UK.
The deadline for applications is 30 January 2020.
Read more details about Felix Scholarship and find out how to apply.
JOINT JAPAN/WORLD BANK GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM (JJ/WBGSP)
The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) is open to applicants from developing countries with relevant professional experience and a history of supporting their countries’ development efforts who are applying to a master degree program in a development-related topic.
The eligible programmes offered at University of Reading under this award in 2019/20 were:
- MSc Agricultural Economics
- MSc Agriculture and Development
- MSc Applied International Development
- MSc Climate Change and Development
- MSc Communication for Development
- MSc Development Finance
- MSc Food Security and Development
- MSc Environment and Development
- MSc Food Economics and Marketing
- MSc Research Agricultural and Food Economics
Full details of the scholarship, eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found on the JJ/WBGSP website
Please note that applicants must have an unconditional offer for one or more of the Preferred Programmes before submitting a JJWBGSP scholarship application. To apply for our postgraduate courses, please click here.
Applications for 2020-2021 will open soon. The deadline to apply for this scholarship last year was 12:00pm EST 11 April 2019
Rotary Graduate Scholarship Programme
Rotary District 1090, which represents the Rotary Clubs in the Thames Valley area, offered a scholarship of USD30,000 for postgraduate studies in the academic year 2019-2020 and is likely to do so again for 20-21.
Applicants should be:
- from outside the UK
- from low- to middle-income countries
- planning to study at a university within Rotary District 1090 (which includes the University of Reading) under one of the following Rotary areas of focus: Peace and conflict prevention/resolution or Economic and community development.
The deadline for applications last year was 17:00 GMT on 31 March 2019.
For more information, including eligibility criteria and the application form, visit the Rotary Scholars in District 1090 website (opens in new window).
Snowdon Masters Scholarships
The Snowdon Scholarship programme aims to give a small number of exceptionally talented disabled people an opportunity to achieve their true potential.
University of Reading - GREAT Scholarships 2020 - China and India
The University of Reading is pleased to have been selected by the British Council as a co-funder for three GREAT Scholarships.
- China – one in our School of Built Environment and the other in our School of Politics, Economics and International Relations.
- India - any master's course
Applications for eligible students are now open and the deadline for applications is 1 May 2020.
Funding opportunities for postgraduate research
The University invests heavily in postgraduate research each year. For more information on our funding opportunities, please view the Graduate School's fees and funding page.