University of Sheffield - Postgraduate scholarships

What you get

The University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom offers several scholarships for international Master’s students, all of which take the form of a reduction in tuition fees. The largest scholarship is a tuition reduction of about 8,050 EUR (7,000 GBP) for students from ten selected countries. A separate tuition reduction of about 3,450 EUR (3,000 GBP) is available to students from mainland China. The most generous scholarship, the Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust Scholarship, is worth full tuition-fee waiver plus about 14,375 EUR (12,500 GBP) for living costs, with 3 places available. Most scholarships cover the entire duration of your Master’s programme. For two-year programmes, the reduction applies in the second year, provided you have successfully completed the first year.

Who can apply

• Degree level: You are starting a full-time, on-campus Master’s degree at the University of Sheffield. Diplomas, certificates and online or distance-learning courses are not taken into account.
• Fee status: You pay tuition fees for international students (international tuition fees) and fund your studies yourself. Neither the state nor a research council, a charity or a company covers the costs for you.
• Where you study: You will complete the entire degree programme in Sheffield, in the United Kingdom. Degree programmes offered in conjunction with a partner university are not permitted.
• Nationality (7,000 GBP award): You have lived in India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey or Vietnam over the last three years.
• Nationality (3,000 GBP award): You are a student from mainland China.
• Nationality (Ferguson award): You are a permanent resident of one of the approximately 75 low-income countries listed by the World Bank, have not previously studied abroad, and have been admitted to one of the following five degree programmes: MSc in ‘International Development’, LLM in ‘International Law and Global Justice’, MA in ‘International Political Economy’, ‘Global Journalism’ (MA) or ‘International Public and Political Communication’ (MA).
• Field of study: All degree programmes are eligible for automatic fee reductions, with the exception of courses involving clinical fees, Crossways courses and Erasmus Mundus courses.

How to apply

No separate application is required for the automatic fee reductions. You will receive them by accepting your offer before the deadline (for example, by 6 July for the scholarship worth 7,000 GBP). The Ferguson Scholarship works differently. First, you will receive an offer for one of the five degree programmes listed. A high-level panel will then draw up a shortlist and assess candidates on the basis of their academic achievements, motivation, professional experience and future plans.

How realistic are your chances?

Automatic fee reductions are the safe option. If you meet the country and degree programme criteria and accept your offer by the deadline, you will receive the funding without having to go through a selection process. The Ferguson Scholarship is the opposite: There are only 3 places, and a panel selects recipients from highly qualified applicants from dozens of countries. Even if you meet all the criteria, the competition is fierce. Applying early and accepting your offer on time will secure you the automatic scholarships.