Are Funding Opportunities Limited for Graduate Studies in the UK?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the availability of funding opportunities for graduate studies in the UK, particularly focusing on experiences and insights related to specific universities like Imperial. Participants share their perspectives on funding sources, challenges faced by international students, and the variability of financial support across institutions.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that it is common for universities in the UK, including Imperial, not to offer funding or stipends for graduate students.
  • Others mention that many UK residents seek funding from external bodies like EPSRC or enter programs with pre-secured funding.
  • A participant highlights that certain universities, such as Cambridge, provide partial or full funding through specific trusts and scholarships.
  • Concerns are raised about the difficulties faced by international students in securing funding, particularly for those who have not resided in the UK for a significant period.
  • One participant suggests that international students may find better funding opportunities in the US compared to the UK.
  • Another viewpoint expresses that while some universities exploit the willingness of foreign students to pay high tuition, others may offer full funding for excellent candidates in science and engineering fields.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that funding opportunities are limited and variable across different universities in the UK. However, there are competing views on the extent of funding availability and the experiences of international students, leaving the discussion unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty regarding the funding landscape, noting that it varies significantly by university and program. There are also assumptions about the financial capabilities of students and the implications of residency status on funding eligibility.

d3nat
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I'm not sure how familiar people on here are with this topic.

I really love the UK (studied in London for a few months) and was considering going there for my graduate studies.

However, the university I was really interested in (Imperial) stated that they do not offer graduate students funding/waive tuition/provide stipends.

Has anyone run into this problem before?

Is this applicable to the UK as an entity?


Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
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It's very, very common not to be funded by your university when doing graduate studies in the UK. Most UK residents seek funding from EPSRC directly or enter a programme for which funding has already been secured from a body external to the university. Some universities, however, are wealthy enough to offer at least partial funding; a case in point is here at Cambridge, where the Cambridge Trust and Cambridge European Trust offer bursaries or scholarships that cover tuition fees either in part or in full. Alternatively, if you're a foreign student you might find more success in checking if your government offers scholarships for studying abroad; Germans, in particular, often go down this route when they study here.

In other words, there's no single correct answer to your question; the funding situation here in the UK is as heterogeneous as it is in any other country and the only way you'll be able to figure out what your options are is by doing some legwork and contacting universities for up-to-date information on their funding situation.
 
d3nat said:
I'm not sure how familiar people on here are with this topic.

I really love the UK (studied in London for a few months) and was considering going there for my graduate studies.

However, the university I was really interested in (Imperial) stated that they do not offer graduate students funding/waive tuition/provide stipends.

Has anyone run into this problem before?

Is this applicable to the UK as an entity?Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.

I'm also studying in London at the moment as part of an exchange program, which I suspect was your case as well. Afaik, EPSRC/NRC does not fund non-UK citizens/EU residents that haven't resided in the UK for less than 3 years (excluding phds, but it's still harder for foreigners to obtain funding). This is why I discarded the UK for graduate study about a year ago. You'd have a far easier time getting into schools with funding in the US I'm afraid.
 
Last edited:
A lot of good universities offer full funding for good/excellent international students for science and engineering subjects

Imperial are exploiting the fact that foreign students will pay a lot of money to get status.
If you go to (almost) any other UK university and get full tuition funding.

So, if you have a lot of money you can go where you want. If you have limited funds you will have to compromise and go somewhere you can afford.
 

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