The Cardiff University Vice-Chancellor’s Postgraduate International Scholarship is a tuition fee scholarship for eligible international students applying to selected postgraduate taught programmes at Cardiff University in the UK.
For the currently published January 2027 intake, the scholarship offers awards of £4,000, £6,000, or £10,000, depending on the applicant’s country or territory of domicile.
The scholarship is provided as a tuition fee discount, not as a cash payment. Eligible international applicants who receive an offer for a qualifying postgraduate taught programme and meet the applicable conditions are automatically considered, so there is no separate scholarship application.
For January 2027 entry, applicants must submit their Cardiff University application by 4 December 2026, accept their offer and pay any required deposit by 11 December 2026, and meet the conditions of their offer by the specified deadline.
Degree Level
The Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship is available for:
- Postgraduate taught programmes
- Full-time study
- Cardiff University campus-based programmes
- Selected eligible postgraduate courses
Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma programmes are not included in the January 2027 scholarship scheme.
Available Subjects
The scholarship is available for a wide range of selected postgraduate taught programmes.
For January 2027 entry, eligible programmes include selected courses in areas such as:
- Business and Management
- Business Analytics
- Marketing
- Artificial Intelligence
- Data Science
- Healthcare
- Occupational Therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Other selected postgraduate disciplines
The exact list of eligible programmes varies by intake. Applicants should check Cardiff University’s official list of eligible postgraduate courses before applying.
Successful eligible applicants can receive:
- £4,000 tuition fee discount as the standard award
- £6,000 tuition fee discount for eligible students domiciled in selected countries
- £10,000 tuition fee discount for eligible students domiciled in Bangladesh or Nigeria
- Automatic consideration without a separate scholarship application
- Tuition fee reduction applied to the first year of study
The scholarship is not a living-cost stipend and does not provide a cash alternative. It is applied directly as a tuition fee discount.
Is the Cardiff University Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship Fully Funded?
- No. The Cardiff University Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship is not a fully funded scholarship.
- It is a partial tuition fee scholarship worth between £4,000 and £10,000. The award reduces the tuition fee but does not cover all tuition costs, living expenses, accommodation, travel, or other personal expenses.
- Cardiff University also states that students must be able to satisfy the financial requirements for their UK student visa and should not rely solely on this scholarship to meet those requirements.
Scholarship Amount:
- The scholarship amount depends on the student’s domicile.
- The standard award is £4,000.
- Students domiciled in Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, the USA, or Vietnam may receive £6,000.
- Students domiciled in Bangladesh or Nigeria may receive £10,000.
- Cardiff University defines domicile based on where the applicant has ordinarily been resident for three years or longer before the start of the course, subject to the University’s terms and conditions.
Eligible Nationalities
- The scholarship is available to eligible international students from designated countries and territories.
- For the January 2027 intake, students domiciled in the following countries are specifically listed for enhanced awards:
- Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, USA, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nigeria.
- Other eligible international students may qualify for the standard £4,000 award, subject to the University’s eligibility requirements.
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the Cardiff University Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship for January 2027, applicants must generally:
- Be classified as an overseas student for tuition fee purposes.
- Apply for an eligible full-time, Cardiff campus-based postgraduate taught programme.
- Meet the published minimum academic entry requirements for their chosen programme.
- Hold an offer from Cardiff University for an eligible programme.
- Meet all conditions of the offer within the required timeframe.
- Be self-funded.
- Accept the offer and pay any required deposit by the applicable deadline.
- Meet any English language conditions stated in the offer.
- Do not hold another scholarship, bursary, funding, or discount that makes you ineligible under the scholarship terms.
Meeting Cardiff University’s admission requirements does not automatically guarantee scholarship eligibility. The University specifically states that scholarship eligibility is separate from admission eligibility.
Academic Requirements:
- Applicants must meet the published minimum academic entry requirements for their chosen postgraduate programme.
- Cardiff University emphasizes that applicants must meet the original published admissions criteria exactly as stated for the programme.
- If a student is admitted with qualifications below the published minimum requirement, they may be accepted for study but remain ineligible for the Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship.
- Because academic requirements vary between postgraduate programmes, applicants should check the individual course page rather than relying on one general GPA requirement.
Application Procedure.
There is no separate application form for the Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship.
Applicants should:
- Choose an eligible postgraduate taught programme at Cardiff University.
- Check the programme’s academic and English language requirements.
- Submit an application to Cardiff University by the scholarship deadline.
- Receive an offer for an eligible programme.
- Accept the offer within the required timeframe.
- Pay any required deposit by the applicable deadline.
- Meet all academic and English language conditions of the offer.
- Remain eligible under the scholarship terms and conditions.
- Receive the scholarship as a tuition fee discount if all requirements are satisfied.
Eligible applicants are automatically considered for the scholarship.
Application Deadline:
For the January 2027 entry, applicants must submit their Cardiff University application by:
- 4 December 2026.
Applicants must then accept their offer and pay any required deposit by:
- 11 December 2026
Applicants must also meet all offer conditions, including applicable English language conditions, by 11 December 2026. Deposit deadline extensions beyond this date will not be accepted for scholarship purposes.
Important Points:
- The scholarship is for selected postgraduate taught programmes.
- It is not fully funded.
- The award is a tuition fee discount.
- Awards range from £4,000 to £10,000.
- Pakistani students are eligible for the £6,000 award if they meet the domicile and other requirements.
- Bangladesh and Nigeria are listed for the £10,000 award.
- There is no separate scholarship application.
- Students must be self-funded.
- Students receiving certain other scholarships or external funding may be ineligible.
- The scholarship is available for full-time, Cardiff campus-based taught programmes.
- Students must meet the original published academic entry requirements.
- Students must still satisfy UK visa financial requirements independently of this scholarship.
