Master’s Scholarships 2021
The University of Reading provides an extensive range of scholarships to master’s students. Some awards are offered directly by the University, others are allocated to our students by external funding bodies and a few are jointly funded.
The University of Reading’s Master’s Scholarships Scheme offers two funding opportunities:
- scholarships that are centrally-funded and for which all master’s students are eligible (General Scholarships)
- scholarships provided by our schools and which are course-specific (Subject Scholarships).
Students can usually be considered for both types of award. Successful candidates may be offered one or both of these scholarships.
Scholarship guidelines:
- In order to apply, a candidate must have received an offer of admission to one our master’s courses.
- These scholarships take the form of a tuition fee reduction.
- Study may be on a full-time or part-time basis but flexible learning (modular) master’s courses are excluded.
- There are two types of scholarships – those for international students and those for UK/Republic of Ireland students, whose tuition fees are ordinarily lower.
- Tuition fees are confirmed when an offer of admission is made.
- Scholarships are awarded primarily on the basis of previous academic accomplishment.
Full terms and conditions are provided with the application form and in submitting a scholarship application the candidate is deemed to have read and agreed to the terms and conditions.
General scholarships
The University has allocated £200,000 in partial scholarships for students commencing their master’s degree studies in the 2021/22 academic year. The value of awards is as follows:
- UK/Republic of Ireland students – £2,000 each
- International students – £4,000 each.
Applications are open now and will close on 20 July 2021.
Subject scholarships
The Schools featured here are offering partial scholarships for students studying the courses listed in the 2021/22 academic year. Scholarships are awarded in two rounds. The value of awards is as follows:
- UK/Republic of Ireland students – £2,000 each
- International students – £4,000 each
Round one reviews applications received by 1 March and round two will consider applications received by 15 June. 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. Applications are now open.
How to apply
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 scholarship application form will be made available to eligible students up until the closing date for applications.
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 for international students and 5 scholarships for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to:
English Literature
1 scholarship for international students and 1 scholarship for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to:
Computer science
10 scholarships for international students and 5 scholarships for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to:
English Language and Applied Linguistics
1 scholarship for international students and 1 scholarship for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to:
Construction Management and Engineering
3 scholarships for international students and 3 scholarships for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to:
Languages and Cultures
1 scholarship for international students and 1 scholarship for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to:
Economics
3 scholarships for international students and 2 scholarships for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to:
Education
1 scholarship for international students and 1 scholarship for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to:
Food and nutritional Sciences
7 scholarships for international students and 2 scholarships for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to::
Meteorology Scholarships
2 scholarships for international students and 2 scholarships for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to:
Politics, Economics and International Relations
3 scholarships for international students and 2 scholarships for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to:
Other University of Reading Scholarships
Architecture
Alumni discounts
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 £1,500 off the cost of your full-time tuition fees, or if you’re a part-time student studying over two years, you'll receive a £750 discount each year.
Read more information on alumni discounts.
EU bursary 2021-22
Harry Nursten Scholarship - Food and Nutritional Sciences
The Harry Nursten Postgraduate Scholarship aims to encourage students from under-represented groups to study at the postgraduate level in Food and Nutritional Sciences. The scholarship is able to make an award up to a value of £5,000 each year and each award is tenable for one year. In order to apply, you must have received an offer of admission to one our participating master’s courses. Scholarship awards are given based on academic merit to those most in financial need.
Henley Business School Scholarships
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.
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 2021-22 academic year. Further information is available on the GIIDAE website.
H. Knapman Scholarship - accommodation scholarship for scientists
One accommodation scholarship for St Patrick's Hall with an approximate value of £5100 for international 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 this accommodation scholarship for a student who will commence an MSc course in one of our Science departments in September 2021. 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).
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 15 June 2021.
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 2021) 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 related to items found during the excavations on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme.
- Long-term and landscape approaches to craft, architecture and economics using structural ironwork
- An examination into the morphology of Iron Age and Romano-British livestock using selected faunal data
To be considered for a scholarship you first need to submit an application for the MA Archaeology and receive an offer of admission. The closing date for applications is 1 May 2021.
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.
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 Master's 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 a number of scholarships under this scheme. We expect to hear in late January 2021 which courses have been approved and will publish accordingly.
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 are not open yet.
Read more about Commonwealth Shared Scholarship.
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 2021.
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.
The scholarship is now open for applications from those holding an unconditional offer with one of these GIIDAE programmes:
Full details of the scholarship, eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found on the JJ/WBGSP website. For the 2021/22 programme, we expect applications to open in March 2021.
Please note that applicants must have an unconditional offer for one or more of the Preferred Programmes before submitting a JJ/WBGSP scholarship application. To apply for our postgraduate courses, please click here.
Rotary Graduate Scholarship Programme - International Development, Agriculture and Economics Programmes
Rotary District 1090, which represents the Rotary Clubs in the Thames Valley area, is looking to award a scholarship of USD 30,000 to a candidate who has been offered a place on one of the following one-year full time master's courses starting September 2021:
- MSc Food Security and Development
- MSc Applied International Development
- from outside the UK
- from low- to middle-income countries
Please note: you should only submit a scholarship application after receiving an offer to study one of the above full-time courses. The deadline for applications is 5pm on 9 April 2021.
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 2021
The University of Reading is delighted to have been selected by the British Council as a co-funder for seven GREAT Scholarships. These scholarships are awarded to master’s students from specific countries and have a value of £10000. The countries for which the University has been allocated funding are:
- Bangladesh
- China
- Ghana
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Sri Lanka
Information Design and Ernest Hoch Scholarships in Typography and Graphic Communication
Information Design Scholarship
Two scholarships of £3000 each are available to successful applicants who have been offered admission to our MA Communication Design: Information Design pathway. These scholarships are awarded on merit. Applicants must demonstrate strengths or interests in information design.
Ernest Hoch Scholarship
Two scholarships of £3000 each 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:
- MA Creative Enterprise: Communication Design Pathway
- MA Communication Design: Book Design Pathway
- MA Communication Design: Graphic Design Pathway
- MA Communication Design: Information Design Pathway
- MA Communication Design: Typeface Design Pathway
- MA Research Typography and Graphic Communication
Deadline for applications: 15 June 2021.
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.
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.