Carnegie Education Fund - Undergraduate Tuition Fee Grants (Carnegie Education Fund)

Undergraduate Tuition Fee Grants (Carnegie Education Fund)

You get your university tuition fees paid, up to £1,820 per year (about 2,150 EUR), for undergraduate study at a Scottish university. The grant covers your fees in full or in part, depending on your situation. The money goes straight to your university, not to you. You apply one year at a time and can reapply if you still need help the next year. It works for full-time and part-time study. The grant comes from the Carnegie Education Fund, an independent Scottish charity that helps people who cannot get their fees paid by the government. It does not cover living costs like rent, food or travel.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are on a Bachelor's degree at a Scottish university, or you have an offer of a place. Full-time, part-time and distance learning all count. Sub-degree courses (HNC/HND), access courses, the Open University and postgraduate study are not covered.
• Home in Scotland: Scotland is your permanent home. Living there only to study does not count.
• Connection to Scotland: You spent at least two full years at a Scottish secondary school or college. You can also show another strong, recent link, for example being raised there or having a parent who has lived in Scotland for 15 years.
• Low household income: Your gross household income is roughly within set limits, starting at about £30,000 for a single person with no children and rising with the number of children. These are guide figures, not hard cut-offs, and each case is judged individually.
• No public funding for your fees: You cannot get your fees paid by SAAS (Scotland's government student funding), by student finance elsewhere in the UK, or by a foreign government, or that funding does not cover the full amount. If you can get a SAAS student loan, you must claim it in full first.
• Immigration status: You can stay in the UK indefinitely, or you hold a visa valid for the whole course, or you are seeking asylum.
• No previous degree: You have not already graduated with a university degree. A second degree is funded only in special cases, such as retraining into a shortage field like health, social work, IT or engineering after being unemployed or facing redundancy.

How to apply

You apply online through the Carnegie Education Fund website. An eligibility checker gives you an indicative result before you start. The application window for 2026-27 runs from 1 June 2026 to 5 p.m. on 1 December 2026. You usually hear back 2 to 3 weeks after your application and reference are complete.

How realistic are your chances?

This grant is cut narrowly: you must live in Scotland, study at a Scottish university, have a low income and be shut out of government fee support. That keeps the eligible group small and the field smaller than for open scholarships. If you clearly meet those conditions and can document your income and your Scottish connection, your prospects are good. For the second-degree route the budget is handled first come, first served, so apply early.