A number of UK universities have built dedicated scholarship infrastructure specifically for international applicants, ranging from automatic tuition reductions to highly selective, fully funded awards.
The ten universities below each have a well-established scholarship offering worth researching directly.
1. University of Oxford
Oxford runs several major funding schemes, including the [Clarendon Fund Scholarship](/clarendon-fund-scholarship/) and the [Reach Oxford Scholarship](/reach-oxford-scholarship/), covering both graduate and undergraduate international applicants.
2. University of Cambridge
Cambridge is home to the [Gates Cambridge Scholarship](/gates-cambridge-scholarship/), one of the most generous fully funded postgraduate awards available to international students anywhere in the UK.
3. SOAS University of London
SOAS hosts the [Felix Scholarship](/felix-scholarships-soas/), a long-running, fully funded master’s scholarship specifically designed for Indian students, alongside other international funding options.
4. University of Birmingham
Birmingham’s Global Excellence Scholarship reduces tuition fees for high-achieving incoming international undergraduates across most of its degree programs.
5. University of Leeds
Leeds offers an International Excellence Scholarship applied automatically to academically strong international undergraduates during the offer stage.
6. University of Warwick
Warwick’s Chancellor’s International Scholarship supports a small number of outstanding incoming international undergraduates with a significant tuition fee reduction.
7. University College London
UCL’s Denys Holland Scholarship supports students, including international applicants, who combine strong academic promise with genuine financial need.
8. University of Bristol
Bristol’s Think Big Scholarship offers a tuition fee reduction to international undergraduates who demonstrate strong academic achievement and clear future ambition.
9. King’s College London
King’s offers a Global Undergraduate Scholarship to incoming international undergraduates with excellent academic records, reducing tuition for the standard length of the degree.
10. University of Nottingham
Nottingham’s Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship for Excellence supports high-achieving international undergraduates with a tuition fee reduction assessed as part of the standard admissions process.
Because most UK university scholarships are assessed automatically from the admissions application, submitting a complete, well-prepared UCAS or direct application tends to matter more than a separate scholarship essay in most cases.
Prospective applicants should also check whether a university.’s scholarship is open to every nationality or restricted to specific partner countries, since several UK schemes narrow eligibility in ways that are easy to miss when scanning a general scholarship list.
Reaching out directly to a university.’s international admissions office with specific questions about scholarship timing often clarifies details that general guidance cannot fully capture for every individual applicant.’s situation.
Comparing the net cost after scholarship across several UK universities, rather than focusing on headline tuition figures alone, tends to give a clearer picture of which offer is genuinely the strongest for a given applicant.
A number of these universities also run joint scholarship and accommodation packages for the first year, which can meaningfully reduce the overall cost of relocating even when the headline scholarship figure looks modest on its own.
Checking each university.’s scholarship renewal conditions is also worthwhile, since maintaining the award for the full degree typically requires meeting a minimum academic average every year rather than only at entry.
Students should also factor in the cost of mandatory health cover and accommodation deposits when comparing offers, since these recurring costs sit outside the tuition scholarship itself at nearly every UK university.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all of these universities require a separate scholarship application?
Most assess scholarships automatically from the standard application, though a few, including UCL’s Denys Holland Scholarship, require additional documentation.
Are Oxford and Cambridge scholarships only for postgraduate students?
Oxford also funds undergraduates through programs like Reach Oxford, while Cambridge’s most prominent scheme, Gates Cambridge, is postgraduate only.
Is financial need considered at all of these universities?
It varies. Some, like UCL’s Denys Holland Scholarship, weigh financial need heavily, while others are primarily merit-based.
Can these scholarships be combined with a UK government loan?
International students are generally not eligible for UK government student loans, so these scholarships typically serve as a separate, often primary, source of funding.
How long do these university scholarships typically last?
Most are renewable for the standard length of the degree, provided the student maintains satisfactory academic progress each year.
Are these scholarships available across every subject at each university?
Most apply broadly across undergraduate or postgraduate programs, though a handful of faculty-specific awards have narrower subject eligibility.
Does applying early improve scholarship chances at these universities?
Yes, since many scholarships are assessed from a pool of applicants who already hold an offer, responding to offers early can improve visibility for limited funding rounds.