Does the UK government provide any financial support or scholarships for students applying to study there?
Yes, the UK government funds several scholarships, mainly for postgraduate students. Chevening covers full tuition, a living allowance, and airfare for Master's students with leadership potential and two years of work experience. Commonwealth and GREAT scholarships also fund postgraduate study, but undergraduate international students get little direct government financial aid.
Yes, the UK government does fund real scholarship money, but it is aimed almost entirely at postgraduate study rather than undergraduate degrees. If you are applying for a Master's or PhD, several flagship, fully or partially funded programs are genuinely worth your time to research.
Major UK Government Scholarship Programs
| Scholarship | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Chevening Scholarships | Full tuition, living allowance, and return airfare for Master's students with leadership potential and two years of work experience |
| Commonwealth Scholarships | Tuition, stipends, and travel costs for talented students from developing Commonwealth countries |
| GREAT Scholarships | Partial funding, minimum £10,000 toward tuition, for one-year postgraduate courses from select countries |
| Marshall Scholarships | Prestigious funding for high-achieving young Americans studying at any UK university |
What Undergraduate Applicants Should Know
- Direct UK government financial aid or loans are generally unavailable to international undergraduate students.
- Most undergraduate funding comes from individual university scholarships, merit awards, or bursaries instead.
- Each government scholarship carries strict eligibility rules, such as Chevening's two-year work experience requirement.
My Advice
Confirm your degree level first, and if you are postgraduate bound, start your Chevening or Commonwealth application timeline a full year ahead of your intake, since these scholarships close far earlier than most university application deadlines.
Which UK scholarships can you actually get?
Matched to your CGPA, course and budget. Find out in 30 seconds.
More Scholarships & funding questions
- Is it possible to get a fully funded scholarship if he scores seven or above (seventy percent) in the third year in Germany?
- Do I need to score well in GRE, GMAT, or IELTS to get good scholarships in top business schools for a MBA?
- When does the Korean Government Scholarship open applications for undergraduate students from India?
- What kind of questions might be asked during scholarship evaluations?
- Are you helping with educational loans or bank loans for studying abroad in UK/Ireland for a Master's?
- Is the scholarship available for the next intake in USA for a Master's?
- Which entrance exam should an average scoring 12th grade student prepare for to study abroad without family funding?
- What percentage of scholarship can I possibly get for my profile in USA?
More UK questions
- Is a loan sanction letter from the government regulated Indian Bank accepted for a UK student visa application?
- By when should my HEP point be completed, should it be this month to avoid delay in UK?
- Is January 2027 intake possible for masters in business analytics in UK/UAE?
- Is it possible to study computer science with specialization in artificial intelligence in UK/New Zealand for a Master's?
- Can I study in the UK without IELTS, and which universities accept other English tests?
- How do US universities evaluate Indian LLM applicants differently from UK or European law schools?
- What is the fee range for a one-year MBA course compared to a two-year course in UK?
- Can I call my husband on a dependent visa after I go on a student visa for my masters abroad in UK/Ireland?