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University of Reading Master’s Scholarships - over £2 million in funding available

The University of Reading Master’s Scholarship schemes are now open for applications for 2025/26. The University of Reading offers an extensive range of scholarships to master’s students. Some awards are provided directly by the University, others are allocated to our students by donors and sponsors and a few are jointly funded. We are delighted that in 2025/26 we will be offering more funding than in any previous year, totalling over £2 million in funding!

University of Reading Excellence Scholarships

We are excited to announce a new scholarship for 2025 – the University of Reading Excellence Scholarship. Over £1.75 million in funding, the majority of our overall funding, has been dedicated to this scholarship to support the studies of students from across the world.

The University of Reading  Excellence Scholarship is available for students from every country in the world, and nearly every master’s course is eligible. The scholarship takes the form of a tuition fee reduction and you could be considered for one of the following awards:

Eligibility Scholarship amounts 
 International students

£10,000

£5,000

£3,000 (Henley Business School only)
UK students 

£5,000 

£2,500

Scholarships will be awarded between November and July and all eligible students will be considered automatically. You do not need to apply for this scholarship, as you will be automatically considered, but you will only be considered once you hold an offer on your chosen course. You will therefore need to hold an offer before 1 July 2025 to be considered. You do not have to pay a deposit to be considered and you may hold on offer for a full-time or part-time course, but flexible learning / part-time modular master’s courses are excluded.

Full terms and conditions.

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.

To receive scholarship updates along with other information about the University of Reading, you can register your interest in funding opportunities.

Other University of Reading Scholarships

HOW TO APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

Whilst the University of Reading Excellence Scholarship does not require an application form, some of the other scholarships offered do require you to submit an application form to be considered. It is important to read the information for each scholarship to see whether it requires an application form or not. For scholarships that do require you to submit an application, typically you will need to have an offer on your chosen course before you are able to apply for the scholarship. Once you have an offer on a course, please apply for the scholarships via me@reading applicant portal. The scholarship application form will be accessible up until the closing date.

Before applying for one of the scholarships that requires an application form, such as the Alumni Master’s Scholarship, or the GREAT Scholarship, please read our Guidance on Completing the Scholarship Application Form for useful information about the application process.

Stefani (Cyprus), MSc in International Human Resource Management with Vice-Chancellor Robert Van de Noort at the Scholarship Reception. 

What advice would you give to students applying for a scholarship? 
Stefani: "I would say go for it, because from my experience University of Reading really values excellence and gives plenty of opportunities."
 How did you feel being told you had been chosen for a scholarship?
Stefani: "I firstly felt surprised and then really valued. I truly felt like the hard work I have done in the past is valuable and appreciated."

ROTARY GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME

Please note that applications open on 1 January 2025 and will close 7 March 2025.

Rotary District 1090 in the Thames Valley is planning to award one scholarship of USD 30,000 for postgraduate study at Reading University in the academic year 2024/25. Applicants’ studies, careers and community work must fit within Rotary’s area of focus, Protecting the Environment. Applicants must be from a low or middle-income country and outside the UK.

We will only accept applications from candidates who have been offered places to study on one of the following one-year full-time master’s courses at Reading University, starting September/October 2024:

  • MSc Environmental Management in the Department of Geography & Environmental Science
  • MSc Climate, Environment and Development in the Graduate Institute of International Development, Agriculture & Economics.

These courses match the Rotary Foundation cause of Protecting the Environment.

To read more about Rotary Foundation and Scholarships, please visit the Rotary Foundation Website. To apply for a Scholarship, visit the Rotary Scholarship Application Form.

Your application must explain how your proposed course of study meets the requirements of Rotary’s environmental area of focus. Please also note that you should only start the application after receiving an offer to study at the University of Reading on one of the above full‐time courses.

Your application must explain how your proposed course of study meets the requirements of Rotary’s environmental area of focus.  Please note also that you should only start the application after receiving an offer to study at Reading University on one of the above full-time courses.

Frank Palmer Awards by the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics

The Frank Palmer Award is named after renowned linguist and former Professor of Linguistics at Reading, Frank R. Palmer. It provides a 10% discount on the tuition fees to our most promising offer-holders for the following master’s programmes at the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics.

To satisfy the eligibility criteria, students must have accepted an Unconditional offer of admission by 15 December 2024 (for February 2025 start) or 1 July 2025 (for September 2025 start)*. For more information on the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics, please visit the Department website.

*Please note, if you hold a full scholarship or you are a sponsored student, you will not be eligible.

Entomology Bursary

The School of Biological Sciences recognises the importance of studying entomology at master’s level. The bursary will award £2,000 to all students who enrol to study on our MSc by Research Entomology programme in 2024. The Bursary can only be used against tuition fees and is designed to encourage more students to study in this fascinating field.

The Fulbright University of Reading Award in Food Security

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.

International Development, Agriculture and Economics Scholarships

The Graduate Institute of International Development, Agriculture and Economics (GIIDAE) has master’s scholarship funding available. Further information is available on the GIIDAE website.

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.

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 two scholarships under this scheme for the following courses: 

This scholarship is only available for applicants from eligible Commonwealth countries: Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, 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 by the 12 December 2024 16:00 (GMT).

Read more about Commonwealth Shared Scholarship

Felix scholarships

The Felix Scholarship is now open for applications. The deadline is 30 January 2025.

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.

Read more details about Felix Scholarship.

GREAT scholarships

University of Reading - GREAT Scholarships

The University of Reading is delighted to have been selected by the British Council as a co-funder for four GREAT Scholarships. These scholarships are awarded to master’s students from specific countries. Some are for specific courses, whilst others may be for any University of Reading master’s degree. and All GREAT scholarships have a value of £10,000.

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.


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 a 20% discount on your annual tuition fees.

Read more information on alumni discounts.

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.

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