Find out more about the many scholarships, bursaries and prizes available to our students.
If your household income is at or below £35,000, you may be eligible for the Opportunity Scholarship. You do not need to apply for this as you will be automatically considered if you meet the eligibility criteria.
Many other schemes are provided by both the University and external organisations. This is not a comprehensive list, and you may also find it useful to look at individual academic units to check if any subject specific funding is available, as well as external charities and trusts.
Prizes for academic performance
Endowed prizes: prizes with a range of values, awarded mainly to Stage 1 undergraduates
Engineering prizes: prizes to assist the most promising engineering undergraduates
Care leavers
Care Leaver Bursary: for students who have been in local authority care or under a Care Order
Performance Sport Scholarships: awarded on an annual basis and available to undergraduate and postgraduate applicants, as well as current students. Scholarships are reviewed annually.
Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS): a Government funded programme that represents a unique partnership between sport and higher and further education. A TASS award is made on an annual basis and individuals are nominated by their National Governing Body.
Expeditions: the University is particularly keen to encourage expeditions organised by students to carry out research at destinations outside the UK and can offer funds to assist with this
ncl+ Student Achievement Awards: local and national recognition for individuals and groups from across the University for their hard work and achievements
Research Scholarships: providing undergraduates who have research potential with experience of research
Frank Knox Memorial Fellowships: available for graduates from the UK to study for up to two consecutive years in one of the Faculties at Harvard
Fullbright Award for study in the US: grants to enable you to study any discipline and at any accredited US institution
Kennedy Scholarships: open to British citizens, tenable at Harvard or MIT, and providing full funding for one academic year
Medical Women's Federation: various grants and prizes throughout the year to assist qualified Doctors or women studying towards a medical degree leading to GMC registration as a doctor
The Gibbs Travelling Research Fellowship assists women graduates with considerable experience of research who intend to undertake fieldwork projects outside of the British Isles in Biology, Archaeology, Social Anthropology or Sociology. The Fellowship is open to women graduates of the University of Cambridge, with preference given to present or former members of Newnham College
Thouron Award: up to 10 awards, covering tuition fees, health insurance and living expenses, which enables travel within the USA, available for British candidates who want to pursue a full-time postgraduate course at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
Funding for postgraduate study can be very competitive. Start looking for funding about nine months before the start of your course. Many of the schemes have strict and early deadlines.
Studentships
Some University schools and institutes advertise opportunities on their own websites. Studentships are also listed on our Funding and Finance database.
The closing date for applications for 2019/20 was 28 June 2019. No applications will be considered after this date.
Overview
The scholarships are available as part of Newcastle University’s 2019 Postgraduate Support Scheme for Master’s students. They have been designed to enable students from under-represented groups to progress to higher level study.
The University is offering Postgraduate Opportunity Scholarships on the basis of:
a £5,000 award per student
for UK students progressing from an undergraduate course for which they were charged the higher (normally £9,000)
tuition fee from 2012 onwards
targeted at under-represented groups in Higher Education including women studying eligible postgraduate engineering and science courses
for 2019 entry to eligible taught or research Master’s degrees only
for students with an offer of a place on an eligible course: students without an academic offer will not be considered
Newcastle and non-Newcastle students are eligible to apply. You do not need to wait for your undergraduate degree classification to apply for a scholarship.
Newcastle alumni students are able to take advantage of the University’s 20% reduction in postgraduate tuition fees (conditions apply). Read more about the alumni discount.
Eligibility
Postgraduate Opportunity Scholarships are available only to students applying to Newcastle University who:
have been offered a place to study full time for one year or a maximum of two years part time on one of the University’s eligible taught or research Master’s courses commencing in September 2019
are UK students progressing from undergraduate courses for which they were charged the higher tuition fee applying since 2012/13 and falling into the following categories:
a student living in England when they entered undergraduate study at any UK institution
a student living in Scotland when they entered undergraduate study at any English, Northern Irish or Welsh institution
a student living in Northern Ireland when they entered undergraduate study at any English, Scottish or Welsh institution
UK domiciled students (Newcastle and non-Newcastle graduates) who have paid fees at the ‘home’ rate since commencing undergraduate study from 2012 onwards
meet one or more of the following criteria:
a woman studying an eligible engineering or science course
have been in Local Authority care, or supported by the Foyer Federation, for at least three months in the last 10 years before September 2019
have been in receipt of Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA) while an undergraduate
have been in receipt of the maximum Maintenance Loan from the Student Loans Company in their final academic year
were from a neighbourhood which has a low progression rate to higher education (as determined by individual postcode on entry to undergraduate study)
were from a neighbourhood which has a high level of financial, economic or social deprivation (as determined by individual postcode on entry to undergraduate study)
Non-eligible students
Students ineligible to receive scholarship awards are those:
already holding higher degrees at Masters’ or doctoral level
studying any non-eligible course
undertaking a full time or part time course lasting longer than two years
studying intercalating Masters’ degrees within MBBS or BDS courses
continuing their study and registered for higher degrees prior to September 2019
commencing doctoral degrees as research students in 2019
commencing undergraduate study in 2011/12 or earlier before £9,000 fees were introduced
who have not been made academic course offers by Newcastle University for study in 2019/20 by 28 June 2019
categorised as international for fee paying purposes or EU domiciled students
categorised as UK students not progressing from undergraduate courses which they were charged the higher tuition fee (normally £9,000) and specifically:
students from Wales who entered undergraduate study from September 2013 as the Welsh Government, through the Student Loans Company, provided tuition fee grants of some £5,500 to all Welsh students to cover partial fee costs
students from EU countries outside the UK who entered undergraduate study from September 2012 at an institution in Wales, if they were in receipt of a tuition fee grant from the Student Loans Company that covered fee costs
students from Scotland or other EU countries outside the UK who entered undergraduate study from September 2012 at an institution in Scotland, if their fees were paid for them by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland
students from Northern Ireland or other EU countries outside of the UK who entered undergraduate study from September 2012 at an institution in Northern Ireland
students who studied their undergraduate degree outside of the UK
Funding provided by Research Councils is usually very competitive with strict application deadlines. In most cases, you must apply through the department in which you intend to study. Most Research Councils will not accept applications made directly to them.
Contact your prospective supervisor or department to find out more about Research Council funding opportunities, eligibility criteria and how to apply. UK students are usually eligible to receive funding for all of their tuition fees and maintenance. EU students usually receive fees-only funding.
