Postgraduate bursaries and scholarships (UK)

The awards listed on this page are the for 2024/25 academic year which runs from September 2024 to August 2025.

Unless otherwise stated, you do not need to apply for these awards, we will automatically check whether you may be eligible. Please be aware that in the processing of these awards we will use data that contains information regarding your qualifications and previous education provider, your postcode prior to commencing your studies, and your disability (as declared to the University upon enrolment). For more information on how Keele University handles your data please check our Privacy Notice.

View international postgraduate bursaries and scholarships.

Please note that these awards are subject to Terms and Conditions and the eligibility criteria attached to each. 

Please note, if your course starts in January 2024 then it falls in the 2023/24 academic year. Please see our 2023/24 bursaries and scholarships archive for the relevant information. For previous years, see our bursaries and scholarships archive

2024 academic year entry UK postgraduate

Scholarships and bursaries summary

Scholarship / bursary (click to find out more) Amount Eligibility criteria Process 
Keele Alumni Discount 20% Discount / 10% online Discount  Alumni Automatic 
The Keele Graduate Scholarship £3,000 one off payment  Academic achievement Automatic
Care Leavers and Estranged Students' Bursary £1,000 per year of study  Personal circumstances Application
The Aziz Foundation Scholarship Full Tuition Fee Scholarship Widening participation  Application
Full time MBA Scholarship £3,000 - £5,000 one off payment Academic achievement Automatic
The Keele Postgraduate Research Alumni Discount  20% Discount Alumni  Automatic
OFS Funded Scholarship for the MSC in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science £10,000 Under-represented groups Application
Keele Staff Discount 30% Discount Staff Automatic
Humanities Masters Scholarship £1,000 one off payment Humanities programmes Application

THE AWARD

This is a 20% discount of the tuition fee charged for Keele Alumni (10% for online programmes).

ELIGIBILITY 

In order to be eligible for the Keele Alumni Discount, you must fulfil the following criteria: 

  • You must have graduated from Keele University (including students who have completed Keele degrees overseas) with either an undergraduate degree, a postgraduate degree award (of at least 120 credits or a full Master's degree) or the Keele Certificate in Counselling. All Keele graduates who meet the aforementioned criteria are eligible to receive the discount, regardless of their original graduation date. 
  • You must be registered on, and attending, a taught postgraduate course that equates to at least one year's full-time study at postgraduate study at postgraduate level and leads to a named award of at least Postgraduate Diploma level at Keele University. Students taking a taught postgraduate course with Keele University to at least 120 credits will be eligible for consideration for the discount. The award will be offered for some lower credit courses providing total credit study within the academic year exceeds 40 credits. 
  • You must not be taking a course that is fully funded by the Teaching Agency, the NHS or any other organisation/employer. If your course is partly funded by an external organisation/employer, discounts will only be applied to the proportion of fees you pay as an individual. The Student Finance Postgraduate Loan does not affect your eligibility for this award. 
  • Students who take the MA in Social Work, and are not in receipt of external funding, or receive partial tuition fee funding from the NHSBA, may be eligible to receive the Alumni Discount on the proportion of the fee they pay as an individual. Social Work students in receipt of a fully funded place are not eligible to receive the Keele Alumni Discount.
  • If you are studying on a modular basis (typically on modular study that does not contribute to a named Keele University award), the discount will be deducted from your modules pro rata only after you have successfully completed study that exceeds 40 credit value in the academic year, and the discount will be applied to subsequent modules. This does not apply for students studying a programme delivered wholly online. In this instance the discount will be applied automatically at the point of payment. 

EXCEPTIONS

Qualifying recipients of the scholarship will receive the award in the form of a tuition fee discount. No cash alternative is available.

The Scholarship is for students who will be based at Keele University and start their studies in September 2024, or January 2025. The award cannot be used for any other year of entry. 

HOW TO APPLY 

Keele University alumni applicants holding offers for a Keele University postgraduate programme will automatically be considered for the Keele Alumni Discount when we assess your application. You will not need to submit a separate application for an award. 

THE AWARD 

An award of £3,000 for UK students taking a taught postgraduate course at Keele University who attained a first class honours in their first degree. 

ELIGIBILITY 

  • You must be liable to pay UK tuition fees for postgraduate study at Keele University.
  • You must have graduated with a first-class honours undergraduate degree (Bachelors) from a UK university. If you have graduated from a university outside the UK, we will require a copy of your degree certificate and may ask that you provide evidence that your classification is equivalent to a first-class honours degree obtained in the UK.
  • You must have been resident in the UK for at least three years prior to embarking on postgraduate study. You must not have been resident purely for the purpose of receiving education.
  • For the purposes of assessing your eligibility for this award, we will only consider the classification obtained in your first degree. Performance in postgraduate and graduate study or second undergraduate degrees will not be considered. Similarly, we will not consider performance in academic study that is considered to be at a lower level than a degree, or equivalent experience.
  • You must be registered on, and attending, a taught postgraduate course that equates to at least one year’s full-time study at postgraduate level and leads to a named award of at least Postgraduate Diploma level at Keele University from September 2024 onwards. This means, for example, that students who attain, or are registered on, a Postgraduate Certificate course, will not receive an award. Students registered for a PhD or an MPhil are not eligible to receive an award.
  • Only one fee discount of up to £3,000 can be made for study towards one postgraduate award. For example, students registered for an MA will receive one scholarship for study leading to the MA, even in the event of there being a gap between study leading to a PG Diploma in that subject and study leading to the award of the MA.
  • You must not be taking a course that is partially or fully funded by the Teaching Agency, the NHS or any other organisation/employer. Should you be awarded funding during your study, the award will be cancelled. The Student Finance Postgraduate Loan does not affect your eligibility for this award.
  • You must not be in receipt of another Keele bursary, scholarship or grant that exceeds the total you may receive from the Keele Postgraduate Bursary Scheme. In the event that you are offered more than one of these by Keele, you will be paid the larger sum only.
  • If you are studying on a modular basis, the scholarship will be deducted from your modules pro rata only after you have successfully completed four modules. The discount will then only be applied to subsequent modules.

EXCEPTIONS

Qualifying recipients of the scholarship will receive the award in the form of a tuition fee discount. No cash alternative is available, and the award cannot be used in place of any required deposit.

Students taking a PGCE course, the MA in Social Work or the Full Time MBA course are not eligible to receive the Keele Graduate Scholarship.

The scholarship is not available for students studying wholly online courses delivered by Keele.

HOW TO APPLY 

Where possible, assessments for eligibility will be completed by the end of your first semester, and students who are eligible to receive the award, will be sent an award confirmation email to their Keele student email account. The relevant tuition fee waiver will be applied against your tuition fee records by the Income Office accordingly.

THE AWARD

This award offers a non-repayable bursary of £1000 per year to undergraduate and postgraduate taught students who have left the care of their local authority or are irreconcilably estranged from their families and meet the relevant eligibility criteria. Upon completing their degrees, recipients are awarded another £500.

Find out more about this award here.

 THE AWARD

We are pleased to be offering this Scholarship in collaboration with The Aziz Foundation. 

The Aziz Foundation is awarding 100% Tuition fee Masters Scholarships (equivalent to one year full time Masters) to three exceptional British Muslims who are lacking the financial means to fund their postgraduate degree, at Keele University for the 2024/25 academic year. 

These Scholarships aim to empower British Muslims to bring positive change to their communities and beyond. 

ELIGIBILITY 

The Aziz Foundation scholarships are awarded to UK individuals who have career aspirations in media and journalism, technology, sustainability and the environment, law, policy, and creative content. 

Applicants should meet the following requirements:

  • Be eligible for Home fee status.
  • Be able to demonstrate active engagement in British Muslim communities. 
  • Be able to demonstrate a long-term commitment to community/societal development. 

Full eligibility can be found on The Aziz Foundation website

EXCEPTIONS

Please note that this award cannot be combined with any other Scholarships. 

The Aziz Foundation do not accept applications from students wanting to study science, health policy, or mathematics courses. 

The Scholarship covers the entirety of the qualifying recipients tuition fee. No cash alternative is available. 

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are to be made directly to The Aziz Foundation, who will shortlist, interview, and make offers according to their set criteria. 

Applications are submitted online, via a portal on The Aziz Foundation website. Applications will open in January 2024

The application for the scholarship is undertaken independently of an application to study at Keele University. Both applications must be successful to receive the full scholarship. 

 

THE AWARD

For full time MBA Scholarship is available for both UK and International Students.

Enrolled UK students who have achieved the following undergraduate awards in their undergraduate study will automatically be awarded the scholarship as a tuition fee discount:

  • £5,000 scholarship offered to students with 2:1 or above qualification and that meet our other entry requirements
  • £3,000 scholarship offered to students with 2:2 equivalent and that meet our other entry requirements  

ELIGIBILITY 

Qualifying recipients of the scholarship will receive the award in the form of a tuition fee discount. No cash alternative is available and the award cannot be used in place of any required deposit.

The Scholarship is for students who will be based at Keele University and start their studies in September 2024. The award cannot be used for any other year of entry.

EXCEPTIONS

  • This scholarship means students would be exempt from the Keele Graduate scholarship. 
  • The scholarship is only available for students enrolling onto the full time MBA at Keele University
  • The scholarship is not available for students studying wholly online courses delivered by Keele.

THE AWARD

This is a 20% discount of the tuition fee for the first year of full time study, or part time equivalent charged for Keele Alumni. Students must be studying a post graduate research programme (MPhil, PhD, or Professional Doctorate) either delivered on Keele Campus or Online. 

Find out more about this award here

THE AWARD

The award offers Scholarships of £10,000 that are available for underrepresented students in aims to address skills gaps and increase diversity in the UK AI and Data Science workforce. 

Find out more about this award here.

THE AWARD

If you are a Keele University employee, you may be eligible for a 30% discount off your postgraduate tuition fees. The discount is equivalent to 30% off the course fee whether your fee status is assessed as Home or Overseas. Staff ID will need to be provided at the application stage for your application to be processed for the discount (subject to eligibility). 

If you receive the staff discount, you will not be eligible for any other tuition fee discount or scholarship for the course you are applying for.
 
ELIGIBILITY

In order to be eligible for the Keele Staff Discount Award, you must fulfil the following criteria:

  • You must be a substantive member of staff holding a current contract of employment with the University or Keele Students’ Union (including fixed-term staff but not including those employed on a casual basis such as Student Ambassadors).
  • You must have successfully passed your probationary period.  
  • You must be in post at the time of enrolment for the applicable year of study.
  • You must not be studying a programme delivered 100% online.
  • You must be registered on, and attending, a postgraduate course that equates to at least one year's full-time study at postgraduate level and leads to a named award of at least Postgraduate Certificate level at Keele University. Students taking a taught postgraduate course with Keele University to at least 60 credits will be eligible for consideration for the discount. 
  • If you are studying on a modular basis (typically on modular study that does not contribute to a named Keele University award), the discount will be deducted from your modules pro rata only after you have successfully completed study that exceeds 60 credit value, and the discount will be applied to subsequent modules.
  • If you are studying a Postgraduate Research course, the discount will be applied for a maximum of 3 years for full time students and a maximum of 6 years for part-time students. 

The Keele Staff Discount is for students that started their studies in September 2023 onwards.

EXCEPTIONS

Students taking a PGCE course or the MA in Social Work are not eligible to receive the Keele Staff Discount. 

You must not be taking a course that is fully funded by the Teaching Agency, the NHS or any other organisation/employer. If your course is partly funded by an external organisation/employer, discounts will only be applied to the proportion of fees you pay as an individual. The Student Finance Postgraduate Loan does not affect your eligibility for this award.  


HOW TO APPLY 

The discount will be applied automatically when you apply for an eligible course. Your staff ID must be entered at the application stage for your application to be processed for the discount (subject to eligibility). 

The Award

To help you with the funding of your master’s, we offer scholarships to students on our courses in Humanities, including: 

In 2024 we aim to award a number of scholarships to students on our master’s courses in Humanities. We aim to award scholarships up to £1,000. All students, Home (UK) and International, are eligible to apply for these scholarships. 

This award can be combined with other postgraduate discounts and scholarships offered by Keele University if you meet the eligibility criteria for them. 

The number and size of individual scholarships awarded depend on the quality of the applications and on the funds we have available. 

Exceptions 

Qualifying recipients of the scholarships will receive the award in the form of a tuition fee discount. No cash alternative is available, and the award cannot be used in place of any required deposit.  

The Scholarship is for students who will be based at Keele University on the courses listed above and start their studies in September 2024. The award cannot be used for any other year of entry. 

How to apply 

If you would like to be considered as an applicant for this scholarship you should supply a statement of not more than 500 words about your intended study by 5pm 1 August 2024. 

Applications are welcome from prospective students of both the MA and MRes programmes for September 2024 start. 

If you already have a defined dissertation topic in mind, you could provide details of your research, but if you have concentrated your thinking so far on your choice of taught modules (for the MA) you might elaborate on your interests and intentions with regards to your topic. 

Applications to the scholarship are not enough on their own to constitute an application for Masters study. If you haven’t already applied for a place on either an MA or MRes programme you should do so via the Keele website. Your statement needs to be submitted in addition to a standard application, not in place of a standard application. 

Successful applications will be announced by 1 September 2024. 

Any questions about the process, and all application statements, should be sent by email to Dr Rebecca Bowler (r.m.bowler@keele.ac.uk). 

Terms & Conditions and the Full Eligibility Criteria

* There are specific eligibility criteria/T&Cs related to each award. Please download the PDF below to check your eligibility.

Please be aware that in order to be eligible for these awards you must be studying at Keele University (i.e. not on a distance learning programme) and all awards are also subject to our general Terms and Conditions.

Other funding opportunities

There are many sources of postgraduate funding, and students exploring their options should not confine themselves to these pages alone. There are charities that every year fund postgraduate study and these can be searched for using The Grants Register. This book is published every year by Palgrave Macmillan and can be consulted at many public and university libraries.

The charities and external organisations that fund PG study are many and varied and a sample of them are listed below.

Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust (trade-specific background)

James Pantyfedwen Foundation (Wales-domiciled)

Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust (mature students aged 24+)

The Wellcome Trust (Health related fields)

The Snowdon Trust (Disabled Students)