Many students will find themselves unable to afford a postgraduate programme unless they are funded through a studentship or scholarship. This means that finding a place on a postgraduate programme is only part of the search; finding a scholarship may be a much bigger challenge.
So how do you get a scholarship? For any scholarship you will have to make a formal application, usually by filling in an application form. Depending on the scholarship, this may be a simple or very extensive form. Since there are always more people seeking scholarships than the number of scholarships available, there will then be a selection process by the organisation providing the funding. In most cases scholarships are awarded to the most academically excellent applicants, and this is usually the only selection criterion. However, some will be restricted to the best candidates in particular categories – perhaps for those from a particular country or seeking to study a specific subject or from a particular background (perhaps from a poorer family) or with a particular talent (for example, sport or music).
There are a few key ‘rules’ about applying for any scholarship.
• Read the regulations and criteria for the scholarship very carefully and make sure you meet them all. Make sure you are not applying for a specialist scholarship that does not apply to your field, such as a science scholarship if you want to study drama, or for a scholarship that does not apply for come other reason, for example a scholarship for mature students if you are aged only 23. Otherwise you will waste your own and other people’s time.
• Make sure you meet the application deadline. This will vary between scholarships, but is usually quite early in the year, before the date you want to start your programme.
• Fill in the application carefully, providing all the information needed.
• Try to ‘sell’ yourself. Remember that scholarships are very competitive, and you need to show that you are an excellent applicant. Evidence that you were one of the top 5% of students in your first degree (i.e. undergraduate) course for example, that you were awarded one of the top ‘1st class’ degrees from your university or that you have received prizes or previous scholarships in your field will all help.
• Choose referees who will support your application strongly and who will stress your excellence – but be careful, for many scholarships require very particular people to write a reference, such as the Head of Department of your undergraduate degree programme or your personal tutor on that programme.
Because of the competition for scholarships you also need to apply for as many as possible and to be prepared for rejections, even if you know you are an excellent student. To be rejected is not a sign of failure, just an indicator that many people are seeking to study for a postgraduate degree.
So how do you find out what scholarships are available? There are thousands of organisations around the world that support postgraduate scholarships, so searching can take quite some time. It is not possible here to identify all or even a small proportion of them, so we shall look at the main sources of funding and suggest some ways of searching. We suggest that you look at all of these possible sources, and allow plenty of time for the search!
Government scholarships
Many national governments have schemes to award scholarships for excellent students to study abroad, usually as part of the country’s strategy for economic growth. To find out about these scholarships you will need to enquire through your own government offices, your current university careers advice service or through the British Council offices in your own country.
Business/commercial scholarships
Both large and small businesses provide funding for scholarships. In many cases these are available only to those who work for or have been offered employment by those companies, as they are in effect part of the company’s training programme. You may need to guarantee that you will return to work for the company for a specified period (perhaps one to five years) after graduation. Finding out about these awards will be through advertising from the companies or through a web search.
Charity organisation scholarships
Both local and national charities provide funding for students to study abroad, particularly where the charity has an educational or development focus. Such scholarships may be limited in number and only available to students from certain backgrounds, perhaps to those from poor or difficult family circumstances, or to those seeking ultimately to work in development or teaching or healthcare fields.
Local scholarships
These are the most difficult to find out about yet in some ways are often the easiest ones to gain. Many local organisations or charities have small numbers of scholarships for the education of those from a particular town, city, school, church or university. The best way to find out about these awards will be through your own local contacts and organisations. Ask your local church or faith organisation leader, or your local government office or your former school headteacher or the head of the local business guild or chamber of commerce.
Scholarships from international organisations
Some international organisations offer scholarships if they have an educational or development focus. For example, the European Union has scholarships to support students from Latin America wishing to study at postgraduate level in an EU country. Information on EU scholarships can be found on the Welcome Europe website.
UK government scholarships
The UK government has always tried to encourage international students to study for their postgraduate degrees in the UK, and has a number of scholarship schemes to support this. More than 20,000 international students are funded each year through these schemes. The most significant ones are:
• ORSAS (Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme) Scholarships.
• Chevening Scholarships.
• Commonwealth Scholarships.
• DfID Shared Scholarship Scheme.
UK research council scholarships and studentships
Each of the seven research councils in the UK that fund university research has scholarship schemes. These are only open to UK students and EU students, and not postgraduates from outside these areas. Full-time scholarships, which are highly competitive, cover fees plus living costs of at least £12,600 per year. Applications for scholarships from the research councils have to be made through a university and directly to the research council.
UK business scholarships
Most UK businesses that provide scholarships provide them for their own sponsored employees. Companies with an international profile with offices and bases around the world may therefore offer some of these awards to students from outside the UK. These may be available for study in a university in your own country, but may also be available for study in the UK.
Charity organisation scholarships
Just as with charitable organisations in your own country, UK-based charities may be able to offer scholarships for international students. Some charitable trusts, for example, see the sponsorship of international students as a key aim, and may have a small number of awards available each year.
University scholarships
Scholarships awarded by individual universities are an important source of funding for international students. These may include scholarships paid by the university or by an individual department. Universities use such scholarships as an important part of their marketing – some may be paid for by the university itself, while others may be paid for from endowments or donations made to the university to support international student scholarships. Examples include the Rhodes Scholarships at the University of Oxford and the Gates Scholarships at the University of Cambridge. Information on these scholarships will be published in the university’s prospectus or on its website or, often, in a separate booklet on scholarships.
Professional association scholarships
Professional associations, and particularly those with strong international links, sometimes provide scholarships to enable international students to study in the UK. These will be restricted to those studying within one of the fields covered by that professional association – so it is worth looking at the websites of any UK professional body in your academic field to see if they have a scholarship scheme.
Chapter 3 of the book Postgraduate Study in the UK by Nicholas and Rosalind Foskett gives much more detail, including further sources of information to assist postgraduate students in finding a suitable scholarship or other financial support.
It is very likely therefore that you may want to get a job to earn extra money while you are a postgraduate student. Most UK students have a part-time job alongside their studies. There are a number of issues you need to think about though if you are planning to work while in the UK.
First, what jobs will be available? Students work in a very wide range of jobs – from serving in fast food restaurants, bars, supermarkets or shops, to working as a cleaner, to being a part-time classroom assistant in a school. You may well have experience in some type of job, which will be helpful in getting a job when you are in the UK. You will also have some idea of the sorts of job you are willing to do and the sorts that you are not willing to do.
You can find out about jobs from a wide range of places. Some will be advertised in local newspapers, some will be advertised on notice boards at the university, some will simply be advertised by a sign in the shop or bar window. Many will be advertised by word of mouth only – a student may tell his or her friends that there is a vacancy where they work. Some university Student Unions have now developed websites where local employers can advertise jobs that would be suitable for students, so it will be useful to find out if your chosen university does this.
Secondly, there is the question of how much you will be paid. Obviously, this depends on the job and how experienced you are. In the UK, though, there is a minimum wage for those over 21 of £5.52 per hour. This means that most of the jobs that postgraduate students do are likely to pay between £5.52 and £7.00 per hour.
Thirdly, as an international student you need to be aware of laws about working in the UK. If you are from a European Economic Area (EEA) country, then there are no restrictions on you getting a job and working for as many hours as you choose to each week. However, if you are from one of the countries that joined the EU in May 2004 (the eight ‘accession’ states) or Bulgaria and Romania that joined the EU in January 2007, there are some restrictions in place, which you should check on the Home Office website.
If you are from a country outside the EEA, there are a number of limits that you need to be aware of. You will have come into the UK with a student visa entitling you to stay in the UK as long as you are a full-time student. With a student visa you can get a job that employs you for up to 20 hours per week during university semesters (or terms) and full-time during the vacations without needing to get a work permit. If you have come to the UK with your family, then your husband or wife will only be allowed to work if you will be in the UK as a student for more than 12 months.
Once you have started work you will need to apply for a National Insurance (NI) number. You can do this by calling 0845 600 0643 to make an appointment, which will take place at your nearest Jobcentre Plus office (or Social Security office in Northern Ireland). You will need to make an appointment to complete the required form and show them documentation including your passport and payslips or a letter from your employer confirming your job. Some employers, particularly small businesses, may not know that international students can start work without an NI number (UK citizens cannot!), so take with you to any job interview a copy of the leaflet on ‘International students working in the UK’ which you can download from the Department for Children, Schools and Families website.
Once you are in the UK you may want to think of ways of reducing your cost of living or earning extra income to make your money stretch further. A good way to start with this is to talk with other students on the programme, other students in the university and also the Student Union. They will be able to give you a lot of information on things like where to do your shopping to buy food or clothes at low cost, and how to get a reduction on charges (a discount) for many goods and services. In all university towns and cities there will be many shops and services who will give a discount to students if they can show a Student Union card to prove they are a student – and this could include anything from 10% off the cost of a haircut to half-price cinema tickets to reduced costs in local restaurants.
The best advice to help keep your costs down is:
• Join the Student Union so that you can use your student card to get discounts.
• If you need to travel by bus or train, then buy a student travelcard from the bus company or the rail station – this could reduce your travel costs by up to 33%.
• Buy goods and services from shops recommended by the Student Union.
• Many Student Unions have special sales for everything from stationery to pictures to fruit and vegetables, when outside suppliers come to sell goods at special low prices to students.
Chapter 5 of the book Postgraduate Study in the UK by Nicholas and Rosalind Foskett gives much more detail, including other types of employment you could consider.
Wherever in the world you go to study for a postgraduate degree, it is unlikely that you will feel very wealthy during your time as a student. However, most postgraduates cope well on a limited budget – and even those who come to the UK with some concerns about finance usually find that they are able to find a part-time job to help support them. However, there is a risk for some students that they will get into financial difficulties – perhaps because money from home is delayed, or because changing exchange rates mean that you have less money than you expected, or perhaps because you lose your job or have unexpected costs or ill-health. While universities cannot solve all your financial problems, they can give a great deal of advice and support if you get into financial difficulties.
• All universities will have expert advisers in the Student Union who have considerable experience of the sort of financial problems all students can face and particularly those that international students may face. So this is often the place to start if you need help.
• Most universities have hardship funds to help students in extreme difficulties. The Student Union advisers will be able to tell you how to apply for support from the hardship fund. The support may be as a loan that you have to pay back but might be a grant that you do not have to repay. However, hardship funds can usually only give you small sums of money for an emergency – perhaps up to £200. They will not be able to solve long-term financial issues.
• Universities will normally be willing to find ways of paying your fees over a longer period of time if necessary. You will need to discuss this with the Finance Department or Fees Office, but most are very willing to help. But it is important to remember that you will eventually have to pay all your fees – and most universities will not allow you to be awarded your degree until you have settled all your university debts, even if you have successfully completed the course.
• You should also talk to your bank. Banks are very experienced with the financial issues international students may face and can give excellent advice. They may be able to provide you with a loan, or reschedule your debts.
The most important thing, though, is to talk about your financial problems as early as you can – do not wait until it has become a very serious problem. Financial problems do not disappear if you pretend they are not there, and it is usually much easier to get help if the problem is dealt with at an early stage.
