Birkbeck International Excellence Scholarships 2026

The Birkbeck, University of London International Excellence Scholarships 2026 support outstanding international students enrolling for a full-time Master’s degree beginning January 2026. The award provides a tuition fee reduction and is open to students from regions including Africa, Asia, the Americas, and others.

Summary

1. Application Deadline: Round 1 – November 2, 2025 | Round 2 – November 16, 2025
2. Value: Tuition fee reduction (amount varies by region)
3. Study Level: Master’s
4. Sponsor: Birkbeck, University of London
5. Eligible Countries: All countries

Eligibility Criteria for Birkbeck International Excellence Scholarships 2026

To be eligible, you need to meet all of the following conditions:

1. you are an international overseas tuition fee-paying student holding an unconditional offer on a full-time postgraduate taught programme offered by Birkbeck, starting in January 2026. You must have been assessed as an international fee payer to qualify.
2. you are an ordinary resident of a country in the relevant region
3. you are self-funded
4. you are classified as an 'overseas' tuition fee payer.

Only one scholarship award can be offered per student and the scholarship cannot normally be held in conjunction with any other scholarship. You may apply for multiple scholarships; if you are successful in being awarded multiple scholarships, the highest-value scholarship will be awarded to you.

Benefits of Birkbeck International Excellence Scholarships 2026

1. £3,000. The scholarship will be applied as a discount to the tuition fee for your first year of study at the point of enrollment.

How to Apply

Once you have received an unconditional offer from Birkbeck, you can apply using the online application form for the region where you ordinarily reside.

1. Application form for those ordinarily residing in South Asia/Central Asia. You must be a national of, and living in, one of the following territories: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Please note that applicants ordinarily residing in India are not eligible for the International Excellence scholarship. Please refer above to our special Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarships for students domiciled in India.
2. Application form for those ordinarily residing in East Asia/Southeast Asia. You must be a national of, and living in, one of the following territories: Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau SAR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, or Vietnam.
3. Application form for those ordinarily residing in Turkey and Northern Africa. You must be a national of, and living in, one of the following territories: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, South Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, Western Sahara.
4. Application form for those ordinarily residing in The Americas. You must be a national of and living in the Americas, with the exception of Brazil. If you are a Brazilian national and you hold an offer to study a master's programme at Birkbeck, you might be eligible for the Birkbeck Global Future Scholarship (see above).
5. Application form for those ordinarily residing in Sub Saharan Africa. You must be a national of, and living in, one of the following territories: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Democratic Republic), Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, eSwatini, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
6. Application form for international students based in the UK. You must be an international student of any nationality living in the UK, and you must have been assessed as an international fee payer. You must hold an unconditional offer to study a full-time master's programme. If you do not require a Student Visa to study in the UK, then you can apply for this scholarship to study a part-time course. Please note that the scholarship will be awarded for the first year of your studies only, regardless of the duration of your chosen course.

Successful scholars will be selected based on a statement of no more than 2,000 words in support of the application. The statement should detail why they are the ideal candidate for the scholarship. Applicants are required to demonstrate they have made provisions to fund the remainder of their tuition fees.

If you are successfully awarded this scholarship, you will be notified by email. You must complete a payment of the Student visa non-refundable deposit within the time limit stated on your award letter (typically five to seven working days).

You must successfully enroll for the autumn 2024 intake to receive the award, and no later than 12 December 2025.

Deadline

For courses starting in January 2026, the deadline to apply for this scholarship is

1. Round 1: 11:59 pm (GMT - UK time) on Sunday 2 November 2025
2. Round 2: 11:59 pm (GMT - UK time) on Sunday 16 November 2025

Please note: Students who have applied by the first deadline do not need to submit a new application to be considered for the second round.

For more details, visit Birkbeck University Scholarship webpage

Application Link(s)

• Apply for Birkbeck International Excellence Scholarships 2026