About
Birkbeck, University of London is a public research university located in Bloomsbury, London. Founded in 1823, Birkbeck specializes in evening education, allowing students to work during the day while pursuing higher education. As a constituent college of the University of London, it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees across a wide range of disciplines including arts, humanities, sciences, business, and law. The institution is known for its focus on part-time and flexible learning, serving mature students and working professionals.
Funding Opportunities
Sophie Warne Fellowship
The Sophie Warne Fellowship offers fees or maintenance award of £1,750 to one outstanding part-time or full-time Home postgraduate taught student studying the MA Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London. As part of this fellowship, a Cove Park residency and an award of £1,750 is also awarded at Exam Board to a high achieving graduating student. The award is based on the quality of the work and financial need. Applicants must have been offered a place or be currently studying on the MA Creative Writing program. The fellowship is specifically for students with Home fee status pursuing postgraduate taught study, and can be used for either tuition fees or maintenance costs.
Peltz Scholarships
The Peltz Scholarships provide partial fee waivers for part-time Home or International students on MA or MSc courses at Birkbeck, University of London. Five scholarships of £3,500 each are awarded to support tuition fees. Three scholarships are designated for students in the School of Historical Studies within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, one for students in the School of Natural Sciences, and one for students in the School of Psychological Sciences within the Faculty of Science. Applicants should be able to demonstrate academic excellence and financial need. The scholarship is available for students applying for 2026/27 entry.
MRes Philosophy Bursary
The School of Historical Studies at Birkbeck, University of London awards a limited number of bursaries to students embarking on the MRes in Philosophy. The Philosophy Master of Research Bursary is available for both full-time students (over one year) and part-time students (over two years). The MRes in Philosophy is designed to provide students with research-based training in philosophy and also to serve as a foundation for starting an individual PhD project. As a partial tuition fee waiver, the value of each bursary is £4,000 for full-time students or £2,000 per annum over two years for part-time students. Selection for these bursaries will be made by the School's Postgraduate Research Standing Committee, based on academic record, two academic references, a research proposal of up to 1000 words and a sample of written work of up to 5000 words.
MFA Theatre Directing award
The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Scholarship supports an emerging director from a disadvantaged socio-economic background or under-represented background to undertake Birkbeck's two-year director training programme, the MFA Theatre Directing. The scholarship covers full course fees over two years and provides £2,500 funds per annum towards the costs of study. This award is specifically designed to increase access and diversity in theatre directing education for individuals who might otherwise face financial barriers to pursuing postgraduate training in this field.
MA History of Art scholarship
The MA History of Art scholarship offers a fee waiver for part-time or full-time Home postgraduate taught students studying the MA History of Art at Birkbeck, University of London. The scholarship is available to students of academic merit in the School of Historical Studies and provides £5,400 towards tuition fees. The award will be available for students applying for 2026/27 entry. Students on the Curating and Collections Management pathways of the MA are not eligible to apply. This scholarship provides financial support to enable talented students to pursue postgraduate studies in History of Art at one of the UK's leading universities for part-time and evening study.
Karen Yu Clarke Bursary
The Karen Yu Clarke bursary is an award of £3,000 to help cover the cost of fees for the MA Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London for a student entering into the second year of study part-time. This award is for a student in financial need who would benefit from the help towards covering the cost of the degree. The bursary was donated in memory of Karen Yu Clarke who studied on the MA at Birkbeck. There is also an additional £3,000 which will be awarded at the Exam Board, at the discretion of tutors and the course director, to a student who shows exceptional promise in their dissertation, to give time and support post-MA to complete a work in progress. The MA Creative Writing offers valuable professional support and feedback and the guidance of published authors.
The Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies Postgraduate Scholarships
The Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies Postgraduate Scholarships are designed to support new students pursuing the MA Archaeology and Heritage course at Birkbeck, University of London. These scholarships provide financial assistance for tuition fees and encourage research aligned with sustainable archaeology themes. The scholarships are awarded competitively based on academic and professional records, a scholarship statement, and letters of reference. Applicants are encouraged to propose dissertation topics that relate to the Institute's priority themes, which include community-centered approaches to archaeology and heritage, critical approaches to archaeological archives and digital engagements, conflict and post-conflict heritage studies, and critical engagement with histories of archaeology to recognize its social and economic role globally. Three scholarships of £5,000 each are available to both home and international students, studying either full-time or part-time.
Breakspear Scholarship
The Breakspear Scholarship, named in honour of Nicholas Breakspear, Pope Adrian IV - the only English Pope - offers a full fee waiver for a full-time, home, postgraduate student in history. The scholarship is funded by a generous donation from alumnus Adrian Waddingham CBE. The scholarship will be awarded to a home student with a strong academic track record who would not have the opportunity to study without scholarship funding. Students studying in the School of Historical Studies at Birkbeck, University of London for one of five eligible master's programmes in history are eligible to apply, including MA European History, MA Public History and Heritage, MA Contemporary History and Politics, MA Global History: Empires, States and Cultures, and MA Historical Research.
Environmental Student Research Project Support Fund
The Birkbeck Environmental Student Research Project Support Fund is intended to support project-related expenses for taught master's students who are exploring environmental issues as part of their dissertation or independent research project, on any programme. This may include fees to access specialist databases, or travel to field sites, archives or labs. The fund will incentivise environmentally sustainable choices, which are often not the most economical choice. For example, in the context of travel, air fares may cost far less than train journeys in Europe. There may also be other scenarios such as the increased expense when sourcing sustainable materials to create a prototype or educational artefact. Awards of up to £750 will be available on a competitive basis to support students in making sustainable choices and to complete impactful research.
Bonnart Trust Master's Studentships
The Bonnart Trust offers two studentships each year to support part-time master's students whose work involves them in the major themes of concern to the Trust: diversity, minorities and social justice. The studentships are only available for those studying relevant master's programmes at Birkbeck, University of London. The purpose of the Bonnart Trust is to establish and maintain scholarships at universities in the United Kingdom for research at the postgraduate level into the nature of racial, religious and cultural intolerance with a view to finding a means to combat it. Bonnart Trust master's students will join a network of Bonnart scholars. The Trust not only supports its scholars financially, but also through networking, sponsoring and mentoring activities and encourages them to engage with a wide range of audiences inside as well as outside academia. Bonnart master's students are expected to play a part in these wider activities.
Women in Sport Scholarship
The Women in Sport Scholarship is part of a wider initiative at Birkbeck to foster women's participation in the sport industry and aims to benefit a female student enrolled on a sport programme (MSc). The Scholarship is generously funded by Birkbeck alumnus Tim Edwards and his partner Elizabeth Edwards, who are passionate about increasing the number of women working in football and sport more generally. Elizabeth is a Director of Ipswich Town plc, a Trustee of the Ipswich Town Foundation, and current Supporter Liaison Officer for Ipswich Town Football Club Women (WSL2), and Tim is an Associate Director of Ipswich Town FC. Together, they are co-founders of the Ipswich Town Heritage Society. The scholarship provides financial support for female students pursuing MSc programmes in sport management at Birkbeck, University of London. Applications are welcome from female Home/international students who have graduated with a 1st class or 2:1 undergraduate degree, have strong potential for achievement at postgraduate level, and demonstrate financial need. The award is valued at £5,000 for full-time students or £2,500 per year for part-time students. The scholarship is linked to specific MSc programmes including Sport Management, Sport Management and Business of Football, and Sport Management and Marketing, all delivered at Birkbeck's Bloomsbury campus in London or online.
Cyril Taylor Scholarships
The Cyril Taylor Scholarships are offered by Birkbeck, University of London for the 2026/27 academic year to postgraduate taught students. The scholarship provides a full tuition fee waiver plus a bursary to a total value of £15,000 per student. Up to five scholarships are available for students studying AI, data science, computing, quantitative finance, and related fields across Birkbeck Business School, School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, School of Historical Studies, and School of Psychological Studies. The scholarship covers nine eligible MSc and MA courses including Applied AI, Quantitative Finance with Data Science, Advanced Computing, Computer Science, Data Science, Data Analytics and AI, Data Science and AI, AI Ethics and Society, and Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence. Applicants must demonstrate academic excellence and financial need, and must have received an offer for one of the eligible courses by the closing date. The scholarship is to be used as a tuition fee waiver, with any leftover amount awarded to the student as a cash bursary.
The Aziz Foundation Postgraduate Scholarships
The Aziz Foundation offers full tuition fee scholarships to support British Muslims to study at master's level. The scholarships are aimed at those who wish to advance in their careers and bring positive change to their communities and beyond. The foundation covers students interested in Media and Journalism, Technology, Sustainability and Environment, Law, Policy (excluding Health Policy), and Creative Content. The Aziz Foundation was set up in 2015 by the Aziz family with the guiding philosophy and key principle to support British Muslims to bring positive change to their communities and beyond. Birkbeck, University of London is pleased to be a University Partner of the Aziz Foundation, making students at Birkbeck eligible to apply for these scholarships.
Access to Digital Learning Fund
The Birkbeck Access to Digital Learning Fund is available to support undergraduate, postgraduate and research Home students who are unable to pay for the cost of essential IT resources such as a laptop and other key items, to ensure that they can successfully engage with online study. The fund provides financial assistance of up to £500 per student to cover essential digital learning equipment including laptops, desktop computers, home broadband connections, and essential accessories such as mouse, keyboard, laptop stand, and headsets. Awards are limited and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. Eligible students must have Home fee status, be fully enrolled studying a minimum of 30 credits for the 2025-26 academic year or be enrolled on a research programme, and have a household income of £25,000 or less. Additionally, applicants must meet specific criteria including receipt of means-tested benefits, having a disability not covered by DSA, holding non-traditional entry qualifications, having refugee or humanitarian protection status, being a single parent, care leaver, carer, approved Compass Project student, or being from Ukraine or Afghanistan under specific schemes. Recipients must purchase equipment within 28 days of approval and provide receipts.
Birkbeck Access to Postgraduate Study Scholarship
The Access to Postgraduate Study Scholarship is intended to provide support for students whose circumstances or background may mean they face barriers accessing education or may face greater challenges while undertaking their degree. This funding is made possible thanks to the generosity of alumni and supporters of Birkbeck who believe in Birkbeck's mission to ensure access to education is possible for anyone with the ability and drive to study. The scholarship is a non-repayable grant of £3,000 paid directly towards tuition fees to support students beginning master's degree programmes at Birkbeck. Recipients must have Home fee status, household income less than £42,875, and meet at least one eligibility criterion including having a declared disability, being a care leaver, single parent, carer, holding refugee status, having Black or Black mixed heritage, or being first generation in their family to participate in Higher Education.
Royal Female School of Art Foundation bursaries
Birkbeck is delighted to receive grant aid from the Royal Female School of Art Foundation to help support students who are suffering short-term financial hardship. Successful applicants will be awarded a sum to assist with costs such as tuition fees, the purchase of books, travel and childcare. Applications will be considered on the basis of need, prioritising cases where a student would be unable to start or forced to leave the programme without this financial support. The bursary is available to current students enrolled on specific Art History programs at Birkbeck, University of London, including the Accelerated 3 year BA Art History, Part-time 4 year BA Art History, and Certificate of Higher Education/Graduate Certificate/Graduate Diploma in Art History. Despite the historical name, these bursaries are open to students of any gender. The sum awarded varies according to the intensity of study, with a maximum of £750 for Certificate and Graduate Certificate students, £1,125 for 4-year BA students, and £1,500 for accelerated 3-year BA students.
Legal & General Sustainable Leaders Bursary
The Legal & General Sustainable Leaders Bursary is offered by Birkbeck, University of London to support undergraduate and postgraduate students from diverse backgrounds who want to study environment and sustainability courses. These bursaries have been made possible through generous support from Legal & General, one of the UK's leading financial services groups and a major global investor. The bursary provides £5,000 in cash support towards living costs for students in their first year of study. Legal & General is keen to support a cohort of future leaders who have the skills and capability to mobilise their local communities to play a role in building a more sustainable future. Applicants that can demonstrate leadership qualities and active citizenship in their local communities, their studies, or in the workplace will be prioritised. Successful candidates will also have the opportunity to take part in additional engagement and networking opportunities with Legal & General. Birkbeck's partnership with Legal & General supports the College to develop a more inclusive environmental and sustainability educational offering. The program aims to develop future leaders from diverse backgrounds with the skills and knowledge to help solve local and global challenges. Eligible courses include undergraduate programs in Environment and Sustainability, Geography, Environmental Geoscience, and Environment, Culture and Communication, as well as postgraduate programs in Environment and Sustainability, Climate Change, Law with Environmental Law, Sustainable Cities, Geography, and Organizational Governance and Sustainability.
Jeanne Houston Scholarship
The Jeanne Houston Scholarship is a bursary established in memory of Jeanne Houston to support female undergraduate students studying language courses at Birkbeck, University of London. The scholarship provides £1,050 to assist students experiencing financial hardship who are enrolled in eligible undergraduate language degree programs including French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, or Spanish. Applications are considered on the basis of need, with priority given to cases where a student would be forced to leave their program without this financial assistance. The scholarship is available for both full-time and part-time students with UK Home fee status who are 21 years of age or older.
Greta Dexter Exhibition Bursary
Instituted under the will of Mrs Greta Dexter in 1996, a former student of the College, this scholarship is open to students studying French or French Studies at Birkbeck, University of London. The bursary is designed to support students aged 21 or older who are in employment or working in the home with financial support from the government and experiencing financial hardship. The award is available for undergraduate, postgraduate, and postgraduate research students studying French as a major component of their degree. Applicants must normally have an income of less than £25,000 per year to qualify. The bursary is awarded according to the circumstances of the successful applicant but does not normally exceed £1,000. Both full-time and part-time students are eligible, as are both home and international students.
Goldman Sachs and Birkbeck Diversity Scholarship
The Goldman Sachs and Birkbeck Diversity Scholarship offers financial support to Black undergraduate students to increase diversity in finance. Ten scholarships of £5,000 per year are available for new full-time students enrolling in the first year of eligible undergraduate programmes at Birkbeck, University of London. The scholarships have been made possible through generous support from Goldman Sachs Gives. Successful scholarship recipients will receive cash bursaries to support living costs throughout their three-year undergraduate programme. In addition to financial support, students will have the opportunity to participate in engagement activities including events, academic and professional development programmes, mentoring with experienced professionals, and networking opportunities. The scholarship is specifically designed to support students from Black backgrounds who demonstrate an interest in finance and careers in the financial services sector. Eligible programmes span a wide range of disciplines including computing, economics, mathematics, accounting, business, law, criminology, and sciences. Applicants must qualify for Home fee status and not already hold a degree or equivalent level qualification. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate their interest in finance through various means such as work experience or internships in financial services, attendance at finance-related events, personal learning and development activities, career goals in the finance sector, or by sharing opinions on finance-related topics. Those who have previously studied finance or will be undertaking finance modules at Birkbeck will receive higher application scores from the academic panel.
Earth and Planetary Sciences Enabling Fund
The Earth and Planetary Sciences Enabling Fund provides financial assistance to students studying earth and planetary sciences at Birkbeck, University of London. Established through generous donations from former students, including Mr Timothy J Newling, the fund supports students with costs related to fieldwork, travel for academic purposes including conferences, and other study-related expenditure. Evidence of financial need is required to support applications. Awards are typically limited to £500 and are available to both undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in relevant degree programs. The fund has three application deadlines per year: 30 November, 28 February, and 31 May.
Earth and Planetary Sciences Field Trip Fund
The Earth and Planetary Sciences Field Trip Fund at Birkbeck, University of London provides financial assistance to undergraduate students studying earth and planetary sciences. Established through generous donations from former students, including Mr Timothy J Newling, the fund supports students with costs associated with undergraduate field classes or fieldwork modules. The fund covers field courses including Introduction to Field Geology, Field Mapping Training, Assessed Field Techniques 3, Project BSc Geology, and Map and Thesis modules. Awards are based on estimated costs provided by the organizing department and may not cover full expenses. Applicants must demonstrate financial need, with household income typically under £40,000 (with adjustments for joint incomes and dependents). Students can only receive funding for each module once and must be current with fee payments.
Emily Paige Short Fund
The Emily Paige Short Fund is a memorial scholarship established in honor of Emily Paige Short, who graduated from Birkbeck with first-class honours in BSc Geology in 2014. Emily was a passionate geologist who participated in field-based volcanology summer schools in Hawaii and Russia, took courses in micro-tectonics and high-grade metamorphism in Germany, and conducted undergraduate research on a Greek island. She was also an avid cyclist who raised funds for survivors of the Haitian earthquake. This fund provides financial support to current Birkbeck students studying Earth and planetary sciences. Awards of up to £1,000 are available to help students pursue pioneering academic activities that go beyond the remit of their programme of study and provide valuable geology and petrological experience in petrology and related fields. The fund is open year-round to both undergraduate students, whether studying full-time or part-time, and is available to both home and international students. The number of awards given is variable, allowing flexibility to support multiple deserving candidates who wish to expand their geological knowledge and experience through additional activities and fieldwork.
Cowrie Foundation Scholarship
Two scholarships will be awarded to support talented Black African and Caribbean Heritage students from socio-economically under-represented backgrounds in September 2026 thanks to a partnership between The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation and Birkbeck, University of London. The scholarship is designed to support students who identify as Black or Black British (Caribbean, African, or Mixed heritage) and who come from households with an annual income of no more than £35,000. Recipients will have their tuition fees paid for throughout their degree and receive an annual maintenance bursary of up to £10,000. Continued receipt of the scholarship year-on-year is dependent on satisfactory academic progression. Applicants must be Black British, resident in the UK, and beginning their first undergraduate degree at Birkbeck in September 2026.
The Compass Project Sanctuary Scholarship
Birkbeck's Sanctuary Scholarships are part of the Compass Project, providing opportunities into higher education for people from a forced migrant background through offering the chance to study a university-level programme at Birkbeck. The scholarship is committed to supporting those who have taken a less traditional route into higher education and is aimed at helping those who may face difficulty in accessing other educational opportunities due to lack of previous academic documentation, or for those who have been out of education for a long period of time. Birkbeck sponsors a limited number of students per year under the Sanctuary Scholarship Programme. Students may apply for funding for either a certificate, undergraduate or postgraduate course at Birkbeck. It is a competitive scholarship with more applications received than available places. Successful applicants receive a full tuition fee waiver for their choice of programme, plus additional financial support to cover costs such as transport, childcare and books. The scholarship does not include accommodation. The programme prioritises applicants who have not previously studied a degree at a UK institution and those who have been out of formal education for more than five years.
Birkbeck-OnCampus Progression Scholarship
The Birkbeck-OnCampus Progression Scholarship offers international students who complete a foundation programme with OnCampus – including UFP, IY1 or Pre-Master – and progress to a full-time degree at Birkbeck, a £2,000 fee reduction against their first-year tuition fee. The scholarship is designed to support international students who have completed a foundation programme with OnCampus in continuing their studies at Birkbeck in London. It reflects the university's commitment to helping talented international students succeed on their academic journey. This scholarship is available for both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and is applied automatically upon enrolment for eligible students.
Birkbeck Global Future Scholarship
The Birkbeck Global Future Scholarship is designed to support access to postgraduate master's study for international students from specific countries as part of Birkbeck's commitment to enhancing its global reach. The scholarship provides a significant fee discount for eligible full-time master's students, reducing the international tuition fee to align with the Home tuition fee amount for the first year of study. Students from all EU member countries, Australia, Brazil, and Canada who are self-funded and classified as international fee payers are eligible. The scholarship is automatically applied upon enrolment without requiring a separate application, making it accessible and straightforward for qualifying students. This funding opportunity specifically targets students ordinarily resident in the designated countries who are enrolling in January 2026, autumn 2026, or January 2027 intakes.
GREAT - Birkbeck Scholarship - Indonesia 2026
In partnership with the British Council and the GREAT Britain Campaign, Birkbeck, University of London is offering one scholarship to students in Indonesia applying for a one-year full-time Master's course starting in autumn 2026. The GREAT Scholarships 2026 programme, launched by the British Council together with over 60 UK universities, supports postgraduate students from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam in accessing world-class UK higher education opportunities. The scholarship provides £10,000 in the form of a fee deduction from the tuition fees for the first year of study, applied at point of enrolment. All Master's programmes are eligible except for eight specific programs including Cognitive Neuroscience, Culinary Innovation Management, Educational Neuroscience, Health and Clinical Psychological Sciences, Hospitality Innovation Management, Psychoanalytic Studies, Psychosexual Therapy, and Text and Performance.
At a Glance
- Total Funding Opportunities
- 33
- Active Now
- 28
- Source Domain
- bbk.ac.uk
Catalog Data
This funder profile was automatically extracted from grant listings. Information may be incomplete.
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