GREAT Scholarships

⚠️ “Fully Funded” Is Wrong — This Is a £10,000 Tuition Contribution

Several scholarship websites describe GREAT Scholarships as “fully funded.” They are not, and believing that will wreck your budget.

Each scholarship will award an amount of £10,000 which will be deducted from your tuition fees and will be tenable for one academic year.

Note: Travel, accommodation, and living expenses are not covered and must be managed by the student.

£10,000 off your tuition. Nothing else. No living costs, no flights, no visa fees, no accommodation.

That said, for students from Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Bangladesh and India, this remains one of the most accessible UK awards available because it is backed by the British Council and spread across dozens of universities rather than concentrated in one hyper-competitive competition.

GREAT Scholarships offer students from 18 countries the opportunity to have £10,000 towards their tuition fees for a wide range of one-year taught postgraduate courses. In the 2026-27 academic year, over 140 scholarships are offered by over 60 universities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

140+ scholarships across 60+ universities and because each university runs its own selection, your odds at any individual institution are far better than at a single centralized scheme like Chevening.

Each scholarship is jointly funded by the UK government’s GREAT Britain Campaign and the British Council with participating UK higher education institutions.

Eligible Countries

Countries: Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Spain, France, Greece, Italy.

*Nigeria: For the 2026-27 academic year, postgraduate scholarships are available to students from Nigeria at the following institutions. The British Council Nigeria page confirms Nigerian eligibility for 2026-27, though Nigeria does not appear on every published country list.

⚠️ The Country List Changes Every Year

Offering 210 scholarships worth a minimum of £10,000 each for ambitious international students from 13 eligible countries

Sources report 18 countries for 2026-27 and 13 countries for 2027. Country participation genuinely shifts between cycles as seen with UCL’s GREAT award, which excluded India for 2026-27 and restricted eligibility to Nigeria and Pakistan.

Verify your country on the British Council’s official GREAT Scholarships page before building any plans. Never rely on a third-party list, including this one.

What You Get

“Minimum” £10,000

Each scholarship provides a minimum of £10,000 toward tuition fees for eligible one-year taught Master’s programmes.

£10,000 is the floor. Some participating universities top it up beyond that amount, check each institution’s own page.

⭐ Three Streams — Most Guides Only Mention One

1. Standard GREAT Scholarships

The main programme: a wide range of one-year taught Master’s subjects across 60+ universities.

2. GREAT Scholarships for Justice and Law

The scholarships offered under this category offer £10,000 toward the tuition fees of students. These scholarships are offered by the British Council collaboratively with the Ministry of Justice. A total of 20 scholarships are available in this category for students from 10 countries.

If you are applying for an LLM or a law-related Master’s, check this stream specifically. Twenty awards across ten countries is a much narrower pool than the main programme.

3. GREAT Scholarships for Climate Change

The GREAT Scholarship is also offered to students undertaking full-time Master’s courses in the UK from universities collaborative with the scheme. There are different options for students to apply in the field of climate change. These options include marine biology, environmental engineering, sustainability and green technology, and climate change. The Climate Change Scholarships carry the same value as the Justice and Law Scholarships which is £10,000 toward the tuition fees.

Check all three streams. Applicants routinely apply only to the standard programme and miss a less competitive, subject-specific route they qualified for.

Eligibility

Have an undergraduate degree, be motivated, and have an interest in the proposed subject area. Meet the English language requirement of the UK HEI. Establish an engagement with the UK as a scholar through personal and academic fulfilment.

International students from eligible countries who: meet university admission requirements, receive an admission offer, satisfy English language requirements, apply directly through participating universities, are citizens of one of the eligible countries.

⚠️ The Ambassador Commitment Is a Real Obligation

Be willing to attend a networking event of all UK based GREAT scholars, to discuss experiences and capture perceptions of studying in the UK. Be willing to maintain contact with the British Council and their HEI and act as an ambassador for the GREAT Scholarships. As an alumnus of the GREAT Scholarships, be willing occasionally to speak to potential candidates about their own experience of studying in the UK.

You are expected to:

• ✅ Attend the welcome event (first semester)
• ✅ Attend the networking event (second semester)
• ✅ Maintain contact with the British Council and your university
• ✅ Act as an ambassador for the programme
• ✅ Speak to future candidates after you graduate

This is not onerous, but it is genuine. Your application should show willingness to represent the programme and for ScholarWing readers, being a GREAT alumnus is a natural fit with community mentoring.

How to Apply

Visit the university page to find out more information and then follow the link through to the university’s website. Apply for individual scholarships following the instructions given on each universities’ scholarship webpages.

⚠️ You Do Not Apply to the British Council

There is no central GREAT application portal. You apply directly to each participating university, following that institution’s own instructions.

Step by Step

Step 1: Find your country page Go to the British Council Study UK GREAT Scholarships site and open your country’s dedicated page.

Each country’s dedicated page lists the universities offering scholarships to students from that nation, the courses covered, and how to apply.

2: Check which universities and courses apply to you Scholarships are course-specific as well as country-specific. A university may offer GREAT awards to Pakistani students on some Master’s programmes but not others.

Step 3: Apply for admission to the course You generally need an offer before or alongside the scholarship application.

Step 4: Apply for the scholarship on the university’s own page Each university sets its own form, criteria and deadline.

5: Apply to multiple universities Because each institution selects independently, applying to several materially improves your odds. This is the single biggest strategic advantage of GREAT over centralized schemes.

Step 6: Await the university’s decision Successful scholars will be informed by individual universities on the result of their applications. Scholarship funding will be issued to successful scholars by individual universities after registration.

Deadlines

The deadline to apply for a GREAT Scholarship varies according to each institution. For details on individual institutions’ deadlines, see the institution page.

Deadlines vary by university, typically between late April and May 2026.

⚠️ There is no single GREAT deadline. Every university sets its own. Check each institution page individually and note that some require your course application by an earlier date than the scholarship application.

Participating Universities

Partner institutions include globally ranked universities such as the University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge, King’s College London, University of Manchester.

Many more universities participate in the GREAT Scholarships program, such as Cardiff University, King’s Business School, UCL, St Andrews, Newcastle University and others.

Named participants across recent cycles include:

Across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so the geographic and cost range is wide. A £10,000 award stretches much further at a Newcastle or Cardiff than at a London institution.

Honest Cost Planning

Master’s Example with a £10,000 GREAT Award

Choose your university city deliberately. The same £10,000 award leaves you far better positioned in Newcastle, Cardiff or Sheffield than in London.

⭐ Can You Combine It With Other Funding?

GREAT is a tuition contribution, not a full scholarship, so it is often compatible with other partial awards, university-specific discounts, home-country loans, employer support, or family funding.

⚠️ But it will not stack usefully with Chevening or Commonwealth, which cover tuition entirely. Check each university’s rules on combining awards.

GREAT vs Chevening vs Commonwealth

Strategy: apply for Chevening or Commonwealth AND GREAT. They are not alternatives. GREAT has no work-experience requirement and much shallower competition per university, it is a realistic backup when the big centralized awards do not come through.

Who This Suits

✅ Good fit if you:

• Are from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria or another eligible country
• Have partial funding and need £10,000 off the tuition bill
• Lack the work experience Chevening requires
• Are willing to apply to several universities
• Are choosing a university outside London

❌ Poor fit if you:

• Need full funding including living costs, target Chevening or Commonwealth
• Want PhD funding, GREAT is Master’s only
• Cannot fund roughly £20,000+ yourself

Quick Reference

FAQ

Is the GREAT Scholarship fully funded?

Each scholarship covers £10,000 deducted from tuition fees only — travel, accommodation, and living expenses are not included.

How much is it worth?

A minimum of £10,000 toward tuition fees. Some universities offer more.

Which countries are eligible?

Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Spain, France, Greece and Italy for 2026-27, plus Nigeria. Lists change annually verify.

Where do I apply?

Visit the university page, then follow the link to the university’s website and apply following the instructions on each university’s scholarship webpage. There is no central application.

What is the deadline?

The deadline varies according to each institution. Typically between late April and May.

Can I apply to more than one university?

Yes, and you should. Each university selects independently.

Is there a work experience requirement?

No. Unlike Chevening, GREAT requires only an undergraduate degree and genuine interest in your subject.

What are the ambassador obligations?

Attending a welcome event and a networking event, maintaining contact with the British Council and your university, acting as an ambassador, and occasionally speaking to potential candidates as an alumnus.

Free Application Tools

• Motivation Letter: Motivation Letter Generator
• SOP / Study Plan: SOP Generator
• CV: Free CV Builder
• Reference Letter: Reference Letter Generator
• MOI Certificate (if needed): MOI Generator
• Research Proposal (PhD): Research Proposal Generator