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Scholarships for international students

Check available scholarships and your eligibility

As an international or EU student at Portsmouth, you can access many scholarships. Your eligibility for these scholarships varies depending on which course you're studying, where you're from and your academic achievement to date.

Here's a summary of the scholarships you can access as an international student if you choose to start studying with us from September 2024 or January 2025. If you're a home (UK) student, see our information about scholarships and bursaries for undergraduate (Bachelor's) and postgraduate taught (Master's) UK students.

University of Portsmouth International Scholarships

Chancellor's Global Academic Merit Scholarship

From January 2025 entry onwards, eligible applicants will be considered for the Chancellor's Global Academic Merit Scholarship. This scholarship will take the form of a £5,000 fee reduction that will apply to your first year of study.

This scholarship is merit-based and applicants will need to have applied and accepted their academic offer by the given deadline. To be considered, applicants will also need to complete this form as part of their application. Applications will then be considered by the University's scholarship panel and the successful candidates will be contacted by email to confirm their status shortly after the submission. 

To be eligible for this scholarship you must be a self-funded international student studying at our Portsmouth campus only. Only applicants who have been assessed as an overseas student for tuition fee purposes can access this scholarship.

  • If you're studying an undergraduate,  or postgraduate taught course, you must have applied as a self-funded student on a full-time, on-campus, course for January 2025 entry.
  • The scholarship is available for students who have never studied at the University of Portsmouth previously.
  • International College Portsmouth(ICP) students are excluded from this scholarship.
  • The scholarship will take the form of a £5,000 fee reduction, effective at the time of registration and will only apply to your first year of study.
  • To be considered, you will need to complete the scholarship application form as part of your application before 1 November 2024 (for January 2025 entry).
  • The scholarship cannot be combined with any other scholarship, discount or fee offer.
  • The discounted fee will be stated on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS). This is the final document you receive when you have an unconditional offer to study at the University of Portsmouth and have paid your deposit.
  • Only applicants who have been assessed as overseas students for tuition fee purposes can access this scholarship.
  • Due to the number of applications received, we are unable to offer individual feedback and only successful candidates will be contacted.

Vice Chancellor's Global Development Scholarship

For September 2024 and January 2025 entry, eligible students will be able to receive the Vice Chancellor's Global Development Scholarship. This scholarship will take the form of a £2,500 fee reduction that will apply to your first year of study.

If you are from one of the countries below, you will be eligible for this award:

  • Afghanistan
  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Bangladesh
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • Brunei
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Cote d'Ivoire
  • Dominican Republic
  • DR of the Congo
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • Ethiopia
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Haiti
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iraq
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Lebanon
  • Libya
  • Macau
  • Mauritius
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • Mongolia
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nepal
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Panama
  • Philippines
  • Russia
  • Rwanda
  • Senegal
  • South Africa
  • South Sudan
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Syrian Arab Republic
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Uganda
  • Ukraine
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vietnam
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
  • If you're studying an undergraduate course, you must be a self-funded student on a full-time, on campus, course with annual fees of £16,200 or above for September 2024 and January 2025 entry.
  • If you're studying on a postgraduate research or postgraduate taught course, you must be a self-funded student on a full-time, on campus, course with annual fees of £16,200 or above for September 2024 or January 2025 entry.
  • The scholarship is not available for students who have previously studied other courses at the University of Portsmouth, who will instead be allocated the alumni discount.
  • The scholarship is available for ICP (International College Portsmouth) students progressing to the University
  • The scholarship will take the form of a £2,500 fee reduction, effective at the time of registration and will only apply to your first year of study.
  • The scholarship cannot be combined with any other scholarship, discount or fee offer.
  • The discounted fee will be stated on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS). This is the final document you receive when you have an unconditional offer to study at the University of Portsmouth and have paid your deposit.
  • Only applicants who have been assessed as overseas students for tuition fee purposes can access this scholarship. Eligibility is determined by nationality.

EU Scholarship

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, if you're an EU, EEA or Swiss national, starting a course at a UK University, you will no longer be eligible for the same fees as UK students. You'll pay the same fees as an international student.

At the University of Portsmouth an EU Scholarship will be applied to your fees reducing them to the same amount as UK students. To be eligible for an EU Scholarship you need to be an EU, EEA or Swiss national and resident.

The scholarship will apply to new undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research students for the following intakes: September and January 2024/25 and September and January 2025/26.

For more information, and Terms and Conditions for this scholarship, please visit our EU Scholarships webpage.

SQA Advanced Diploma Scholarship

The Advanced Diploma Scholarship from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is worth £4,000. You can apply for this scholarship if you meet the following conditions:

  • You're a Chinese mainland student
  • Graduate from SQA
  • You've firmly accepted an unconditional or conditional offer with us
  • You've achieved, or are predicted to achieve, a general Graded Unit of A (i.e. AAA or AA) with no subject grade below 60 from your academic studies or you have significant, relevant social practices experience, or managerial or professional work experience
  • You've achieved English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0
  • You haven't yet started your postgraduate course with us

You must apply for this scholarship before you start your course. Applications are open from 15 May 2025 – 15 June 2025 for September entry.

If your application is successful, we’ll assess your application and grades against other applications to decide the scholarship amount you’ll be granted. Your scholarship amount will be automatically discounted from your tuition fee at the start of your course.

Sanctuary Scholarship

If you're seeking asylum and studying an undergraduate (Bachelor's) degree, you could get a Sanctuary Scholarship to cover all of your undergraduate tuition fees.

You'll also get ongoing personal and financial support during your course so you can concentrate on your studies. There's one Sanctuary Scholarship available each year. It isn't based on your income and you don't need to pay it back whilst you're ineligible for UK Government financial support.

Find out more about the Sanctuary Scholarship here.

External Scholarships

Chevening Scholarship

Chevening is the UK Government’s international awards scheme aimed at developing global leaders.

Funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisations, Chevening offers an opportunity for future leaders and influencers from all over the world to develop professionally and academically, network extensively, experience UK culture, and build lasting positive relationships with the UK.

These highly coveted scholarships are awarded to outstanding scholars with leadership potential. Awards are typically for a 1-year Master’s degree in any subject.

We've welcomed many Chevening scholars to Portsmouth over the years – could you be the next one?

To apply for a Chevening scholarship you must have:

  • An undergraduate degree
  • At least two years' work experience (including voluntary experience)
  • Leadership skills such as excellent communication skills, a positive attitude, and the sheer determination to achieve your goals.

For more information about Chevening, please visit chevening.org.

Commonwealth Scholarship

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) gives scholarships to students from the Commonwealth. These scholarships aim to attract outstanding talent to British universities and to combine sustainable development with the UK national interest.

Scholarships reward merit and promote equity, inclusion and access to education, especially to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Visit the Commonwealth Scholarships website to find out which scholarships are open to you and for information about how to apply.

Other External Scholarships

There are many other external scholarships from various sources you may be eligible for.

It's a good idea to do your own research to find out about scholarships that are available for students from your region, but we've listed a few below.