The University of Reading offers an extensive range of scholarships to master’s students. Some awards are provided directly by the University, others are allocated to our students by donors and sponsors and a few are jointly funded.
The University of Reading has been named University of the Year for Scholarships and Bursaries 2026 in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026.
The University of Reading Excellence Scholarship is available for International fee paying students in the form of a tuition fee reduction.
New for students enrolling in the 2026/27 academic year, scholarships will be allocated automatically based on performance in your previous degree studies. To be awarded a scholarship, students must hold, or be expected to achieve, an undergraduate degree with a minimum UK Lower Second Class (or equivalent) standing. Scholarships range in value from £2,000 to £7,000 depending on the strength of your academic record.
You don’t need to apply for this scholarship – eligible students are automatically awarded funding based on the information contained within their degree application. The notification of a scholarship will be contained within the letter offering admission to the University.
If your application was received prior to the launch of the 2026/27 Excellence Scholarships scheme and you have been offered admission for an eligible course, we will review your application and, if you satisfy the funding criteria, contact you with details of your award. Students applying for flexible learning/part-time modular courses are not eligible for the Excellence Scholarship.
Full terms and conditions will be published shortly.
We have a step-by-step guide on how to apply for a master’s course. To make an application to one of our master's programmes, please use our online application service.
To receive scholarship updates along with other information about the University of Reading, you can register your interest in funding opportunities.
Note for applicants for February 2026 entry - If you're starting your master's in February 2026, the terms and conditions of our 2025/26 Excellence scheme apply (the information above covers the 2026/27 programme) and students selected for funding will be notified no later than 12 December.
University of Reading Scholarships
Applications for September 2025 entry are now closed.
10 awards of £3,000 are available to alumni of the University of Reading. The scholarship is paid directly to the recipient as a contribution towards living costs. To be eligible you must have completed an Undergraduate programme of study at the University of Reading of at least 120 credits (or equivalent) or have completed at least one term / semester of study as a Study Abroad student. Eligible offer holders will be contacted directly by the University with full details of the scheme and invited to apply for the scholarship.
The closing date for the final round of applications is 23:59 BST on 1 June 2025 for September 2025 entrants and 1 December 2025 for February 2026 entrants. No applications will be considered after the closing date.
Applications for 2025/26 entry are now closed.
This is an exciting scholarship for 2025 that was made possible thanks to the generosity of donors who share the University of Reading’s passion for Climate Science and improving climate education.
The award provides two awards of £10,000 (this is split with £5,000 as a tuition fee discount and £5,000 as a grant towards living expenses) and is available to International students who hold an offer for one of the listed courses.
The application form, along with the Terms and Conditions, will be available on me@reading. The deadline for applications is 29 May 2025.
Applications to this scholarship for 2025 entry are now closed.
The School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences (SPCLS) is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion. The SPCLS Centenary Bursary aims to encourage students from under-represented groups in the UK to pursue postgraduate studies in Psychology. The award consists of a £2,000 fee reduction and a £2,000 bursary. To learn more about this award, please visit the SPCLS Centenary Bursary information page.
Whilst the University of Reading Excellence Scholarship does not require an application form, some of the other scholarships offered do require you to submit an application form to be considered. It is important to read the information for each scholarship to see whether it requires an application form or not.
For scholarships that do require you to submit an application, typically you will need to have an offer on your chosen course before you are able to apply for the scholarship. Once you have an offer on a course, please apply for the scholarships via me@reading applicant portal. The scholarship application form will be accessible up until the closing date.
Before applying for one of the scholarships that requires an application form, such as the Alumni Master’s Scholarship, or the GREAT Scholarship, please read our Guidance on Completing the Scholarship Application Form for useful information about the application process.
Stefani (Cyprus), MSc in International Human Resource Management with Vice-Chancellor Robert Van de Noort at the Scholarship Reception.
| What advice would you give to students applying for a scholarship? |
| Stefani: "I would say go for it, because from my experience University of Reading really values excellence and gives plenty of opportunities." |
| How did you feel being told you had been chosen for a scholarship? |
| Stefani: "I firstly felt surprised and then really valued. I truly felt like the hard work I have done in the past is valuable and appreciated." |
If you completed your undergraduate degree with us, you're entitled to a discount on your master's degree at Reading. You'll automatically receive a 20% discount on your annual tuition fees.
Read more information on alumni discounts.
The Frank Palmer Award is named after renowned linguist and former Professor of Linguistics at Reading, Frank R. Palmer. It provides a 10% discount on the tuition fees to our most promising offer-holders for the following master’s programmes at the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics.
To satisfy the eligibility criteria, students must have received an offer of admission, accepted that offer and met all other conditions (if applicable) by 23:59 (UK time), 1 July 2026 (for September 2026 start) or by 23:59 (UK time) 15 November 2026 (for February 2027 start)*. For more information on the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics, please visit the Department website.
*Please note, if you hold a full scholarship or you are a sponsored student, you will not be eligible.
Students enrolling on our Master of Architecture in 2025, 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. Subject to conditions for 2025 entry
The School of Biological Sciences and the Royal Entomological Society recognises the importance of studying entomology at master’s level. Together they are funding a £1,000 bursary to all students who enrol to study on our MSc by Research Entomology programme in 2025.
The Bursary can only be used against tuition fees and is designed to encourage more students to study in this fascinating field.
Applications for 2025 are now closed. Applications for 2026 will open in April 2025.
The Fulbright University of Reading Award in Food Security offers funding for US students for the following Master’s and PhD programmes in Food and Nutritional Sciences:
This award is possible through generous legacy gifts by Harry and Jean Nursten to the University of Reading and to the US-UK Fulbright Commission.
The Empowering Change Scholarship is offered by the Graduate Institute of International Development, Agriculture and Economics (GIIDAE) to a number of scholars who have demonstrated their suitability for the scholarship and have a track record of outstanding academic achievement.
It provides a contribution towards living expenses and a reduction in tuition fees and is designed to support well-rounded students from a World Bank low- or medium-income country who seek to create socio-economic change, using what they have learned through their postgraduate studies with GIIDAE.
Find out more and apply for the Empowering Change Scholarship.
Henley Business School offers a substantial scholarship fund to UK and international students applying for their master’s courses.
Read more on MBA Scholarships and Henley Business Postgraduate Scholarships.
The University of Reading welcomes all students with the academic ability to succeed on our degree programmes, regardless of their background.
We are committed to supporting those who face barriers to accessing university, including sanctuary seekers (people with refugee, humanitarian protected or asylum seeker status).
Through our Sanctuary Scholarships scheme, we support sanctuary seekers, helping them with the costs of higher education through bursaries and fee waivers.
Applications for the 2025 entry Sanctuary Scholarships have now closed.
Scholarships offered by other sponsors
Applications for Chevening Scholarships 2026 entry are now closed.
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 Master's degrees in Reading. Around 500 Chevening scholars have so far completed their studies at the University.
Applications for 2026 entry will open on 12 November 2025.
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 two scholarships under this scheme for the following courses:
This scholarship is only available for applicants from eligible Commonwealth countries: Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia.
The Ernest Hoch Scholarship for 2025/26 is now closed.
Two scholarships of £4,000 are available to successful applicants who have been offered admission to any MA programme in the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication. These scholarships are awarded on merit. Applicants must demonstrate strengths in areas related to the interests of Ernest Hoch, which are broadly defined as information design, design with an international context and design education.
The courses covered by the Ernest Hoch Scholarship are:
The Ernest Hoch Scholarship is applied as a discount of tuition fees.
To be considered for a scholarship you first need to submit an application for admission to one of the above master's programmes and receive an offer. You will then be eligible to apply for the scholarship.
The scholarship application form will be made available to eligible students via the me@reading applicant portal.
The Felix Scholarship for 2025/26 is now closed.
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 University of Reading is delighted to have been selected by the British Council as a co-funder for four GREAT Scholarships. These scholarships are awarded to master’s students from specific countries. Some are for specific courses, whilst others may be for any University of Reading master’s degree. and All GREAT scholarships have a value of £10,000.
The Reading Real Estate Foundation (RREF) offers financial support to postgraduate students based on a demonstration of need. In the academic year 2024-25, successful applicants were eligible for an award of up to £10,000 towards the cost of tuition fees.
Applicants must have an offer to study MSc Real Estate & Planning.
More information about the bursary may be found on our Reading Real Estate Foundation financial support page.
The Barton Willmore Scholarship Fund offers financial support to students from diverse backgrounds into the UK planning profession.
Applicants will need an offer to study Masters in Spatial Planning and Development.
More information about The Barton Willmore Scholarship Fund may be found on our Reading Real Estate Foundation financial support page.
The Department of Typography and Graphic Communication is offering one bursary of £9,000 to a successful applicant from the United Kingdom who has been offered admission to the MA Communication Design programmes. The award is on merit although applicants must be UK residents and must demonstrate financial need and an alignment to the interests of the Stationer’s Foundation (applications for the Book Design and Typeface Design pathways tend to align to these interests most directly, although applications from any of the MA Communication Design pathways can be considered).
Full information about the Stationer’s Foundation Postgraduate Bursary Scheme.
The Stationer’s Foundation Bursary is applied as a discount of tuition fees. The deadline for applying is 16 June 2025. No applications after 23.59 GMT on that day will be considered.
To be considered for this Bursary, you first need to submit an application for admission to MA Communication Design and receive an offer. You will then be eligible to apply for the Bursary. The Bursary application form will be made available to eligible students via the me@readingapplicantportal and will be accessible up to the closing date. Both Unconditional and Conditional offer holders may apply to this scholarship, however to accept the scholarship any conditions will need to have been met.
If you completed your undergraduate degree with us, you're entitled to a discount on your master's degree at Reading. You'll automatically receive a 20% discount on your annual tuition fees.
Read more information on alumni discounts.
The Snowdon Scholarship programme aims to give a small number of exceptionally talented disabled people an opportunity to achieve their true potential.
Funding opportunities for postgraduate research
