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Posted Jan. 13, 2025

What funding is available for women studying STEM subjects at postgraduate level?

Scholarships for women in STEMSTEM subjects – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – have traditionally attracted more men than women. This can be seen throughout history and at all levels of education, from school, through to undergraduate and postgraduate study, as well as in the field of work.

With gender stereotypes portraying some fields as being more masculine and therefore more suitable to men than women, there are often fewer female role models in the fields of science and engineering, and this means that fewer women are choosing to undertake postgraduate study or work in careers in these fields.

In fact, according to data from UNESCO (UN Scientific Education and Cultural Organisation) only 30% of female students choose STEM-related subjects when they enter higher education. Plus, worldwide female enrolment is especially low in IT (3%), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5%), and engineering, manufacturing and construction (8%).

This gender bias is being tackled by companies and universities, and as a result of this there have been increasing numbers of women choosing to study STEM subjects.

Student subject statistics by gender

There has been a slow but steady increase in females studying STEM subjects at undergraduate level at UK universities according to HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency). This table shows the statistics of males and females studying STEM subjects at universities in the UK over the last few years.

Subject

2019/2020

2020/2021

2021/2022

2022/2023

 

Physical Sciences

Male 38,795
Female 27,585

Male 39,005

Female 29,045

Male 37,665

Female 29,300

Male 36,475

Female 29,460

Mathematics

Male 29,295

Female 17,360

Male 30,405

Female 18,010

Male 29,555

Female 17,435

Male 29,060

Female 16,825

Engineering & Technology

Male 140,225
Female 34,890

Male 146,060

Female 36,875

Male 147,060
Female 37,965

Male 145,585

Female 39,350

Computing

Male 105,610

Female 26,305

Male 120,980

Female 32,485

Male 125,465
Female 37,310

Male 134,985

Female 44,485

Medicine & Dentistry

Male 27,670

Female 42,735

Male 29,450

Female 47,445

Male 30,390

Female 51,095

Male 30,510

Female 53,265

Source

Women in STEM scholarships

To encourage more women to study STEM subjects at postgraduate level in the UK, in 2020 the British Council launched the Women in STEM scholarship program to provide women from eligible countries with the funding to study a masters degree in a STEM subject at UK universities.

Recipients of the Women in STEM scholarship will have their masters degree fully funded, including tuition fees, travel costs, visa costs, health cover and a living stipend

Women are eligible to apply for one of these scholarships if they are from South Asia, East Asia and the Americas.

Women in STEM scholarships are awarded in partnership with selected UK universities and research institutions in the UK, and to date more than 300 scholarships have been awarded.

What UK universities offer the Women in STEM scholarships?

Many prestigious UK universities offer eligible female students the chance to apply for a Women in STEM scholarship. Each university offers this funding opportunities to female students from different eligible countries, and the scholarships are only available for certain STEM-related masters degree courses. Here are the details of a few of them – you can find out more about each funding opportunity by clicking on the relevant link.

Brunel, University of London

  • Five fully funded scholarships for female students from Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam.
  • Application deadline: 11 April 2025.
    Find out more.

University of Manchester

  • Six fully funded scholarships for female students from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
  • Application deadline: 30 April 2025
    Find out more.

Imperial College London

  • Five fully funded scholarships for female students from Brazil.
  • Application deadline: 10 April 2025.
    Find out more.

Cranfield University

  • Five fully funded scholarships for female students from Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Uzbekistan.
  • Application deadline: 30 April 2025
    Find out more.

University of Strathclyde

  • Five fully funded scholarships for female students from Mexico.
  • Application deadline: 30 April 2025.
    Find out more.


There are many other UK universities working in partnership with the British Council to offer Women in STEM scholarships, so check the British Council website to see what STEM funding is available for female students from your country wanting to study a STEM masters degree in the UK.

Other STEM postgraduate funding in the UK

As well as the British Council’s Women in STEM scholarships, there are many other funding options for women choosing to study postgraduate courses in one of these subjects, including the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund. Recognising that the majority of physicists in the UK and Ireland are currently white and male, leading physicist Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell has set up this innovative fund with the Institute of Physics to encourage greater diversity in the field of physics. The Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund is for graduates wishing to study a PhD at a university in the UK or Ireland who are from under-represented groups in physics including women, people of colour and students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Application deadline: 20 January 2025. Find out more.

STEM scholarships for women in Europe

There are also plenty of good funding opportunities for women wanting to study STEM subjects at postgraduate level at universities in Europe. For example, the European Central Bank offers ECB Scholarship for Women – grants worth €10,000 each to 15 women who are pursuing postgraduate programs in the fields of economics, statistics, engineering and computing at a university or business school in Europe. This scholarship is for female EU nationals from low-income backgrounds. Find out more.

STEM scholarships for women in the United States

Interested in studying aerospace engineering in the United States? One of the funding options available is from Zonta International, a global organisation with the vision of building a better world for women and girls. Zonta International established the Amelia Earhart Fellowship to help fund women from any nationality who are studying a PhD degree in aerospace engineering or space sciences at any US university or college. Since being established in 1938, over 1,700 Amelia Earhart Fellowships have been awarded to 1,335 women from 79 countries. This is a $10,000 scholarship with the purpose redressing the gender balance in the aerospace industry where currently women only make up about 25% of the workforce. Application details: applications for Amelia Earhart Fellowship 2026 open in July 2025. Find out more.

In conclusion

There are plenty of funding options for women who want to study STEM subjects at universities in the UK, Europe, the United States, and worldwide. This blog details just a few of the scholarships that are available, and by doing research you should be able to find the right funding opportunities to help finance your postgraduate journey. Plus, Postgrad Solutions has five bursaries worth £2,000 each for any students studying a masters degree or PhD at any recognised university worldwide – find out more.

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