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 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 via the me@reading applicant portal, and will be accessible up until the closing date.

Interested in applying for a master's programme?

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.

English Language and Applied Linguistics

1 scholarship for international students and 1 scholarship for UK/Republic of Ireland students offered admission to:

Other University of Reading Scholarships

Architecture

Students enrolling on our Master of Architecture in 2021, 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.

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

A bursary of up to £6000 is being offered to students resident in the EU who will commence their studies at the University of Reading in the 2021/22 academic year.

Further details about the 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.

Read more about the Harry Nursten Scholarship

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.

The scholarship application form will be made available to eligible students via the me@reading applicant portal, and will be accessible up until the closing date.

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.

Both studentships provide:

  • tuition fees (at the UK/Republic of Ireland rate)
  • £5,000 during the 12 week placement
  • £11,500 stipend paid over the course of the master’s programme.

Each award focuses on a different topic related to items found during the excavations on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme.

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.

The scholarship application form will be made available to eligible students via the me@reading applicant portal, and will be accessible up until the closing date.

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.

Read more details about Chevening Scholarships

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 course: 

This scholarship is only available for applicants from eligible Commonwealth countries (Bangladesh, Cameroon, Eswatini, The Gambia, Ghana, 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 will be open between 26 February 2021 and 16:00 (GMT) on 9 April 2021.

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 scholarship is now closed for 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 will open for applications on 22 March 2021, and is open to students 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.

The deadline for applications is 21 May 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.

Apply for a postgraduate course.

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  
Applicants should be:
  • from outside the UK
  • from low- to middle-income countries

Further details of the scholarship and the eligibility criteria are provided on the Rotary Foundation website.

Apply for the Rotary Graduate Scholarship.  

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.

GREAT scholarships

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

Read more about the GREAT scholarship

The scholarship application form will be made available to eligible students via the me@reading applicant portal, and will be accessible up until the closing date.

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:

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. 

The scholarship application form will be made available to eligible students via the me@reading applicant portal, and will be accessible up until the closing date.

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.