UK university offers £10K scholarships to 85 international postgraduate students 

Durham University, in the UK, is offering 85 £10,000 scholarships to international students applying for select postgraduate programmes for the 2025/26 academic year.

The Inspiring Excellence £10K Scholarship seeks to support high-achieving students by reducing tuition fees for eligible Master’s courses.

Durham University has confirmed the availability of 85 scholarships for postgraduate students who meet specific criteria.

The scholarship is open to international, self-funded students who demonstrate strong academic achievements and the potential to make an impact on a global scale after graduation. The £10,000 award will be applied as a reduction in tuition fees.

Eligible programmes for the £10K scholarship 

The scholarship is available for students applying to seven specific one-year Master’s programmes at Durham University. These include:

• MSc Biotechnology
• MSc Advanced Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)
• MSc Law and Finance
• MSc Public Policy
• MSc Advanced Computer Science
• MSc International Business
• MSc Islamic Finance

Applicants must submit their applications for one of these courses to be considered for the scholarship.

Requirements and criteria for the scholarship 

To qualify for the Inspiring Excellence £10K Scholarship, applicants must meet several criteria. You must:

• Have applied to one of the following seven master’s programmes specified above for September 2025
• Meet or exceed the entry requirements for the programme applied for at Durham University
• Be classed as an overseas student for fee-paying purposes
• Self-funded and not supported by an external sponsor or already in receipt of any other scholarship (from the university or externally)
• Complete the Inspiring Excellence 10K postgraduate scholarships application form by April 30th, 2025 (for 1st Selection) and 08th June 2025 (for 2nd Selection)
• Have received an offer for a Master’s programme at Durham University by May 4th, 2025 (for 1st Selection) and 08th June 8th 2025 (for 2nd Selection)

Application process and key dates 

First, applicants must apply to one of the eligible programmes through Durham University’s online portal, and ensure that they have submitted an academic application, with all supporting documents , via the postgraduate online application portal for one of the eligible programmes.

Details inform that applicants will need to have received an offer (conditional or unconditional) for the programme they applied to at Durham by:

• May 4th, 2025 for 1st round scholarship selection
• June 8th, 2025 for 2nd round scholarship selection

Complete & submit the scholarship form by the deadlines 

In addition to submitting the academic application above, complete the Inspiring Excellence 10K Scholarship Online Application by these 2 deadlines:

• 1st Selection: April 30th, 2025
• 2nd Selection: June 8th, 2025

According to the institution,

“If you fail to receive an academic offer before the deadline for the 1st round selection, or you are unsuccessful in the 1st round selection,  you will be automatically considered for the 2nd round selection. You do not need to submit the scholarship application form again.”

The university also warns that Scholars who suspend their Scholarship Commitments or academic studies will have all future scholarship discounts cancelled. It is stated that only those under exceptional circumstances e.g. medical reasons, and at the sole discretion of the Faculty Executive Dean, approval may be given for discounts to recommence after suspended studies continue.