The University of Bath is aware that many international students find the costs of studying in the UK difficult to meet, and that many students would not be able to consider studying here unless they were able to obtain some financial assistance. It is essential that you do not underestimate the amount of money you will need to live and study in the UK. In addition to tuition fees, you will need to find money for living expenses including accommodation, food and drink, travel, materials and entertainment.
It is essential that students thinking about coming to the UK for their education thoroughly explore all the funding options while still in their home country. The first point of contact for information should be be from your own government (Ministry of Education or Education department) and your local British Council office. Other useful resources are the Financial Support for Postgraduate Study pages our Postgraduate Prospectus and the Prospects Web, as part of its section on postgraduate study in the UK for international students
It is important that you remember that it is the responsibility of the individual student to identify and obtain a suitable source of funding.
University of Bath Scholarships
The International Office administers a £200,000 scholarship scheme for Undergraduate and Taught Masters students, details of which appear below.
The University also has a significant Research Degree (MPhil/PhD) scholarship fund and a brief summary also follows. In all cases scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and competition is intense. The purpose of our scholarships programmes is to recognise excellence in our students and to that end all international students receive automatic consideration for whatever funding may be available.
Undergraduate Scholarships
We are delighted to announce the launch of the University of Bath International Scholarships programme for 2006 entrants. 50 scholarships each to the value of £3000 will be awarded to students who pay fees at the overseas rate. These awards are merit based and all international students who apply to the University receive automatic consideration. There is no need to make a separate scholarship application. Candidates are considered on the basis of the information provided in their UCAS application and the scholarships will be allocated in recognition of academic excellence - namely the grades achieved in examinations prior to entering the University of Bath. Students selected for a scholarship will be notified in May 2006.
In some instances the scholarships may be awarded on a conditional basis, in which case final confirmation of the scholarship will depend upon achieving a certain level of performance in high school or other examinations being undertaken prior to enrolling at the University of Bath. The £3000 payment will be credited towards tuition fees. Scholarship recipients will be presented with a certificate at an awards ceremony when they commence their studies at the University.
Some academic departments also offer scholarships for international students and they will advise applicants directly of what provision they have on offer.
Masters Scholarships
The University of Bath International Scholarships programme includes 25 Masters scholarships each to the values of £2000. All students who pay fees at the overseas rate and will study on a full-time basis are eligible for consideration. There is no need to make a separate application. Candidates are considered on the basis of the information provided in their application for postgraduate study and the scholarships will be allocated on the basis of academic excellence - namely the grades achieved in examinations prior to entering the University of Bath. In some instances the scholarships may be awarded on a conditional basis, in which case final confirmation of the scholarship will depend upon achieving a certain level of performance in examinations being undertaken prior to enrolling at the University of Bath.
Students selected for a scholarship will be notified in July 2006. The £2000 payment will be credited towards tuition fees. Scholarship recipients will be presented with a certificate at an awards ceremony when they commence their studies at the University.
A number of external funding bodies exist to support Masters level study in the UK and any applicant seeking support is also strongly advised to explore potential sources of financial aid available in their own country. In many cases the British Council will have a number of awards on offer through the Chevening scheme and further details my be obtained from the British Council in your country (http://www.britishcouncil.org/ecs/contact/countries.htm).
Alternatively, there are international agencies, government departments, charitable organisations and private companies that may be able to provide financial aid for certain programmes of study and all are worth exploring.
Research Scholarships
The University of Bath is a research-led institution and in recognition of this a variety of sources of funding are available to PhD students. The important advice is firstly to apply for the research project that you are interested in (scholarship consideration invariably follows on from receiving a formal offer of admission) and, secondly, apply well in advance of the academic year in which you intend to commence your studies (many scholarships are allocated by April each year). The University has 9 fully funded PhD studentships, most of which combine our financial support with monies from the Overseas Research Student (ORS) scheme. These awards cover both tuition fees and living expenses. A significant number or partial awards and scholarships that come to the University through external sources are also available and in some circumstances scholarships may be combined to increase their value. Certain scholarships may be subject or project specific. To maximise the chances of success we always advise applicants to explore as many potential sources of financial aid as possible, including funding agencies in their own country.
For more details on the ORS scheme at the U
niversity of Bath, please see the Graduate Office website