Fully Funded Scholarships in UK for International Students
A ranked, honest list of UK scholarships for international students — what each award pays, what it does not cover, and the catches Nepali families miss.
The short answer first
No award in this guide is fully funded. The scholarships published by the UK institutions covered here are partial tuition awards and fee discounts — the largest named figure on this page is £7,500 towards one year of an undergraduate degree — and none of them pay your living costs, your visa fee or your health surcharge. If someone in Kathmandu tells you a UK university will pay for everything, ask them to show you the institution's own scholarship page with an amount printed on it.
What these awards do is reduce the tuition line. That is still worth several lakh rupees, and it is worth applying for. But you must budget as if you are paying the full fee, then treat the scholarship as a reduction once it is confirmed in writing on your offer letter.
For the full destination picture — fees, entry requirements, cities — see our UK hub.
Ranked: the largest named awards
Ranked by the published amount. Every figure below is what the institution advertises; the award value is per the scheme's own terms, so read the level column carefully before you assume it applies to you.
| Rank | Institution | Scheme | Amount | Level | Main condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Liverpool International College | Excellence Scholarship — undergraduate route | £7,500 towards one year of an undergraduate degree | Pathway to UG | Foundation Certificate and International Year One students |
| 2 | University of Liverpool International College | Excellence Scholarship — postgraduate route | £7,000 towards one year of a postgraduate degree | Pathway to PG | Pre-Master's students |
| 3 | Ulster University | Global Excellence Scholarship | £5,000 (UG) / £3,000 (PG) | UG + PG | Equivalent of UK A-Level BBB or above; not applicable to a placement year |
| 3 | Manchester Metropolitan University | Postgraduate taught tuition fee scholarship | £5,000 in the first year of study | PG | Most eligible postgraduate taught courses |
| 3 | London Met | International Bright Futures Scholarship | £5,000 tuition fee reduction | UG + PG | See the London Met scholarships pages for the current scheme |
| 6 | University College Birmingham | Early Action Scholarship | £4,500 or £3,500 depending on course | UG + PG | International students who meet all deposit deadlines |
| 7 | Ulster University | Standard Country Scholarship | £4,000 (UG) / £2,000 (PG) | UG + PG | Applicants who have achieved the programme entry requirements |
| 7 | Huddersfield London | Merit-based scholarship — top band | £4,000 per year of the course | UG | AAB UK A-level equivalent |
| 9 | Huddersfield London | Merit-based scholarship — general band | £2,000 | UG | Meeting general entry requirements |
| 9 | UCA | Postgrad Solutions Study Bursary | £2,000 (five bursaries) | PG | 2026 entry; applications via the Postgrad Solutions website, not UCA |
| 11 | Huddersfield London | Merit-based scholarship — postgraduate taught | £1,500 | PG | First (Hons) equivalent |
| 12 | UWL | International Ambassador Scholarship | £1,000 towards first-year tuition | UG + PG | Up to 100 awarded each year, first year of study |
Two percentage-based schemes sit outside the table because they are not fixed sums. Arden advertises a regional fee reduction of 25% off all undergraduate programmes including foundation degrees, under its corporate social responsibility scheme — confirm Nepal is a listed region before you build a budget on it. Arden also offers its own undergraduate alumni up to a 50% tuition discount on a blended postgraduate course, with terms that differ by study centre. UCB offers existing students progressing to a postgraduate course starting 2026/27 a discount of 25% for a first-class Honours degree or 20% for all other progressing students.
The awards that reward payment, not marks
This is the part most families are not told. Several of the discounts on offer are triggered by paying early, not by your academic record. That is a cash-flow decision for your family, not an achievement.
| Institution | Scheme | Amount | What triggers it |
|---|---|---|---|
| UWL | Early Settlement Discount | £500 (and a £700 tier) | Full tuition balance for the academic year paid on or before the stated enrolment date. Not applicable to fees of £250 or less, single modules, or courses under 30 teaching weeks |
| UWL | International Tuition Fee Discount / Bursary | Applied by paying £10,000 toward tuition before the posted deadline | September 2026 intake, international fee-paying students |
| UCA | International early payment discount | £1,000 | All non-EU international students paying full tuition (after scholarships) before or at CAS issuance |
| Plymouth | Early full-payment discount | £500 off the first year's tuition | First-year tuition paid in full by Friday 4 September 2026 |
| Huddersfield London | Early Payment Discount | £500 | Undergraduate students paying the CAS deposit by 31 May 2026 for the September 2026 intake |
| UoLIC | Accommodation discount | £500 | Book Kaplan accommodation within two weeks of securing a place on a degree-preparation course |
The catch: paying a large sum early removes that money from your bank account, and your Student visa application is judged on money you still hold. Sequence matters more than the discount does. Sort the visa maintenance evidence first, then decide about early payment.
Schemes that exist but publish no amount
These institutions advertise international scholarships without a figure on the page we can quote. Do not let an agent fill in a number for you — ask for the institution's own page.
- University of Exeter — scholarships and funding, UG + PG. Exeter is the most selective institution covered here, so competition is strong. exeter.ac.uk
- Keele University — undergraduate bursaries and scholarships for international students. keele.ac.uk
- University of Bradford — scholarships and bursaries, UG + PG.
- University of Gloucestershire — new international fee-paying students starting 2026/27 may benefit from a tuition fee discount; confirm the current amount. glos.ac.uk
- University of Plymouth — undergraduate and postgraduate international scholarships, varying by scheme. plymouth.ac.uk
- City St George's, University of London — published per course and on the finance pages. Note the Nepal Year-1 entry restriction before you spend time on scholarship planning for a school-leaver. citystgeorges.ac.uk
- University College Birmingham — International Scholarship Early Payment Discount, published on the UCB scholarships and waivers page.
What the scholarship does not touch
A scholarship reduces tuition. The Home Office maintenance requirement is separate and is checked separately. Published tuition for a selection of courses:
| Course | Published tuition |
|---|---|
| Master's — Bradford, classroom-based | £15,700 |
| Master's — Keele Band 1 (business/MBA) | £18,200 |
| Master's — Ulster, standard taught masters | £18,310 |
| Master's — Huddersfield MA/MSc and Huddersfield London MSc | £18,700 |
| Master's — Gloucestershire Band A | £20,190 |
| Bachelor's — Bradford, classroom-based (per year) | £16,100 |
| Bachelor's — Ulster (per year) | £17,490 |
| Bachelor's — Huddersfield (per year) | £17,600 |
| Bachelor's — UCA (per year, 2026/27) | £18,000 |
| Bachelor's — Exeter science/engineering (per year) | £31,200 |
| International Foundation Diploma — UCB | £11,000 |
| Foundation Certificate — UoLIC (Business/Law/Social Sci) | £22,640 |
On top of that tuition you must show maintenance: £1,483 per month for a London course or £1,136 per month outside London, for up to 9 months maximum regardless of course length — £13,347 or £10,224 (gov.uk Student visa). The money must be held for 28 consecutive days, with the end of that period within 31 days of the visa application date. That 28-day rule is the single most common refusal point we see.
Then the separate costs: the visa fee of £558, the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year, and the TB test at £65, required for Nepalese applicants on courses longer than 6 months from a UKVI-approved clinic.
Run your own numbers against your chosen course on the free Master Reckoner, which matches courses, costs, entry requirements and English.
Common questions
Are there any fully funded UK scholarships in this list?
No. Every award covered here is a partial tuition award or a fee discount, and the largest named figure is £7,500 towards one year of an undergraduate degree at the University of Liverpool International College. None of them cover living costs, the £558 visa fee, the £1,035 per year health surcharge or the £65 TB test. Budget for the full fee and treat any award as a reduction once it is confirmed in writing.
Does a scholarship reduce the money I must show in the bank?
It reduces the tuition figure, and maintenance is a separate requirement that sits on top of the tuition shown on your CAS. You still need £1,483 per month for a London course or £1,136 per month outside London, for up to 9 months — £13,347 or £10,224. Check whether the specific campus counts as London for Home Office purposes, because that definition is tied to the institution's location, not to how urban the town feels.
Which institutions here give the best-value award for a Nepali student?
Ulster publishes clear, criteria-based awards — £5,000 (UG) or £3,000 (PG) for the equivalent of UK A-Level BBB or above, and £4,000 (UG) or £2,000 (PG) for meeting the programme entry requirements (ulster.ac.uk). For a taught masters, MMU publishes £5,000 in the first year of study on most eligible postgraduate taught courses (mmu.ac.uk). Always confirm with the institution that the scheme is open to applicants from Nepal before you build it into your plan.
Should I pay tuition early to get the discount?
Only after your visa evidence is settled. UCA's £1,000, UWL's £500 (and a £700 tier), Plymouth's £500 by Friday 4 September 2026 and Huddersfield London's £500 by 31 May 2026 all require money to leave your account. If that payment disturbs the 28 consecutive days of maintenance funds, you have traded a discount for a refusal.
Official sources
- University of Exeter — https://www.exeter.ac.uk/
- Ulster University — https://www.ulster.ac.uk/
- Manchester Metropolitan University — https://www.mmu.ac.uk/
- Keele University — https://www.keele.ac.uk/
- City St George's, University of London — https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/
- University of Plymouth — https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/
- University of Huddersfield — https://www.hud.ac.uk/
- University of Huddersfield, London — https://london.hud.ac.uk/
- St Mary's University, Twickenham — https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/
- University of West London — https://www.uwl.ac.uk/
- University for the Creative Arts — https://www.uca.ac.uk/
- University of Gloucestershire — https://www.glos.ac.uk/
More country and funding guides are on our blog.