StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
Cardiff University runs a family of Vice-Chancellor’s scholarships across undergraduate and postgraduate entry. The Vice-Chancellor’s Postgraduate International Scholarship 2027 is the master’s route: a tuition-fee discount of £4,000 to £10,000 for international students entering an eligible taught postgraduate programme in the January 2027 intake. Cardiff’s model is unusually simple — there is no scholarship essay, no second portal, no nomination: if you hold an offer for an eligible programme and meet the published criteria, the university considers you automatically.
Be clear about what it is: a partial tuition discount, not a fully funded scholarship. It trims the first-year tuition bill and leaves living costs, visa finances and the deposit entirely to you. The award tier depends on domicile — where you have ordinarily lived for the past three years — not simply on passport nationality.
Eligibility
- Be classified as an international student for fee-paying purposes.
- Be domiciled in an eligible country: ordinarily resident for three years or longer before the course starts (time spent studying elsewhere does not count). Mainland China and Türkiye are excluded from this scheme.
- Enter an eligible full-time, Cardiff campus-based taught postgraduate programme in the January 2027 intake — the award applies to year 1 only and cannot be deferred.
- Meet the published academic entry requirements of your chosen course exactly as stated at application time, plus the English-language conditions in your offer.
- Be a self-funded student.
- There is no separate scholarship application — eligible offer-holders are considered automatically.
Benefits
- £4,000 tuition-fee discount for most eligible international students.
- £6,000 for students domiciled in Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, the USA or Vietnam.
- £10,000 for students domiciled in Bangladesh or Nigeria.
- Applied against tuition — no cash alternative, and it cannot substitute for the required admission deposit.
Documents to prepare
- Your programme application with academic transcripts and degree certificates.
- Evidence meeting the published entry requirements for your course.
- English-language evidence satisfying your offer conditions.
- Any documents proving domicile where Cardiff asks for them — confirm current requirements on the official terms.
How to apply
- Apply for an eligible taught master’s programme at Cardiff University by the course-application deadline (4 December 2026 for the January 2027 intake).
- Accept your offer and pay the required deposit by the acceptance deadline (11 December 2026 per the published cycle).
- Meet all offer conditions, including English-language requirements.
- There is nothing further to submit — Cardiff assesses scholarship eligibility automatically on enrolment.
FAQs
No. The Vice-Chancellor’s Postgraduate International Scholarship is awarded automatically to eligible offer-holders — there is no scholarship form or essay.
£4,000 is standard. Students domiciled in Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, the USA or Vietnam receive £6,000; those domiciled in Bangladesh or Nigeria receive £10,000. Students domiciled in Mainland China or Türkiye are not eligible for this scheme.
No. It is a partial tuition-fee discount for the first year — no living stipend, no cash alternative, and it cannot be used in place of the admission deposit. You must still satisfy UKVI financial requirements independently.
Where you have been ordinarily resident for a three-year period or longer before the course starts. Time you spent living somewhere else purely for study does not count.
No. The award is for January 2027 entry only and cannot be transferred to a later entry year; deferred entrants must re-apply for whatever scheme covers 2027/28 entry.
Verified 24 Oct 2026: cardiff.ac.uk/documents/2873088-vice-chancellors-international-scholarship-terms-and-conditions-for-january-2026-entry (official January 2027 entry T&C) — £4,000/£6,000/£10,000 tiers by domicile, Mainland China and Türkiye excluded, automatic consideration, tuition-discount only, January 2027 entry only, non-deferrable, self-funded, full-time campus-based, domicile definition, queries by 30 Mar 2027; cardiff.ac.uk/study/international/funding-and-fees/international-scholarships/vice-chancellors-international-scholarship-ug (official) — confirms the separate UG scheme (£3,500/£5,000, apply by 30 Jun 2027); daadscholarship.com/cardiff-university-vice-chancellors-scholarship-2027-for-masters-admissions-process/ — 4 Dec 2026 application and 11 Dec 2026 acceptance/deposit dates, country tiers; ukscholarships.uk/scholarships/cardiff-university-vice-chancellor-scholarship-uk-2027 — eligibility corroboration. Deadline dates 4/11 Dec 2026 come from the secondary source — confirm on the official page before applying.
