Master's funding

All students interested in studying one of our master's courses are eligible to apply for postgraduate funding.

Master's Scholarships 2024

The Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences offers seven scholarships of £5,000 each for international students and two scholarships of £2,500 each for UK/Republic of Ireland.

Take a look at our scholarships page for more details

Alumni discount

If you've previously completed a degree with us, you’ll automatically receive our alumni discount of £1,500 off the cost of your tuition fees.

Fulbright Nursten Award in Food Security

We are proud to offer an exclusive Fulbright Award to students from the United States, giving them the opportunity to study in a world-leading research environment with a prestigious reputation in the food industry and academic community.

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:

MSc Food Science
MSc Food Technology – Quality Assurance
MSc Nutrition and Food Science
PhD in Food and Nutritional Sciences (first year funding only)

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.

Harry Nursten was a Fulbrighter and a leading food scientist who chaired the University of Reading's Food Science Department for 16 years. His experiences as a Fulbright Scholar were transformative both to his career and to food science in the UK.

Jean Nursten was a noted sociologist who was also affiliated with the University of Reading. Both Jean and Harry were committed to advancing knowledge, promoting civic engagement, and developing students to be compassionate leaders, which aligns with the values of both the Department and the Commission.

The award provides tuition fee waivers, generous cost-of-living stipends for the first year of study, visa support, while also allowing students to immerse themselves in a new culture.

Apply via the Fulbright Commission website

Harry Nursten Scholarship

The Harry Nursten Postgraduate Scholarship aims to encourage students from under-represented groups to study food and nutritional sciences at postgraduate level.

The scholarship is able to make an award up to the 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 of our participating master’s courses.

Eligible courses:

MSc Food Science
MSc Food Technology – Quality Assurance
MSc Nutrition and Food Science

Scholarship guidelines:

Applicants must be nationals and residents of the UK and must be studying towards a postgraduate taught qualification in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, either full-time or part-time.
Scholarship awards are given based on academic merit to those most in financial need.
The deadline for applications will be 1st March of the year you intend to study.

How to apply:

Complete the application form (Word - 44KB) and email to Dr Stella Lignou (Admissions Tutor, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences) at s.lignou@reading.ac.uk.

Knapman Scholarship - Accommodation Scholarship For Scientists

Through a generous donation, the University is able to offer an accommodation scholarship to a full-time master’s student in the sciences, including food and nutritional sciences. The scholarship will pay for 40 weeks of accommodation in one of the standard rooms in St Patrick's Hall and has an approximate value of £5,100.

The scholarship can be held in conjunction with another scholarship that pays full or partial tuition fees, but cannot be offered to a student who already has a scholarship that provides a full stipend for living costs.

In order to apply, you must have received an offer of admission to one of our master’s courses.

Applications for the 2023/24 academic year are now closed.