External funding for Master's programmes (International)
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Advice on sources of funding for MA, MFA, MDes, MEd and MRes students available from external bodies.
In addition the RCA Scholarships offered by the College, a number of external funding options are available from Governments, education and arts and culture organisations. We strongly encourage International students to investigate these options and conduct their own research into funding opportunities.
This page will be updated as new funding options become known. The RCA does not endorse any external scholarship of funding option, this information is provided as a guide only.
Please note that the scholarships and funding bodies mentioned are external entities to the RCA, and we do not hold any agreements or direct connections with them. Additionally, we take no responsibility for the actions, decisions, or outcomes related to these.
We recommend all students to fully research any sources of funding thoroughly.
British Council
It is always a good idea to contact the British Council in your country, as they often have lists of funding opportunities or run scholarship programmes themselves. You can get more information at the British Council website. Funding opportunities for international students are extremely limited and students should plan to cover the cost of study from private means.
External funding organisations & advice
The following are a selection of possible scholarships and funding options as well as advice. This includes general options and country-specific options. We hope you will find this information useful but please note links that open to other websites. The RCA takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of information on these sites.
These options are available to most students regardless of nationality:
MastersCompare postgraduate scholarship - provides an exciting opportunity to help you continue your postgraduate studies and start a Masters course.
FindAMasters scholarship to successful winners who share their passion for postgraduate study. Findamasters.com also has a range of useful guides for finding funding for a Masters degree including charities & trusts, employer sponsorship and crowdfunding.
TopUniversities.com offers a number of postgraduate scholarships and free, downloadable scholarships guide.
MasterStudies.com scholarship are available to students who have a good academic background and are able to demonstrate a motivation to transform the world through their education.
Postgrad Solutions offer bursaries to deserving postgraduate students of all nationalities.
MastersPortal.com scholarship are offered to future international students, who will prove their potential of transforming the world into a better place.
Chevening scholarships enable outstanding emerging leaders from all over the world to pursue one-year master’s degrees in the UK.
Educations.com offers a Study a Master's in Europe Scholarship.
The London Pass® Education Scholarship for anyone currently studying in the UK on a student visa.
Subject-specific scholarships
Design
Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
Industrial Design Studentships for graduates in engineering and science to study for a master's in Industrial Design.
Fashion
British Fashion Council MA Scholarship
Fine Arts
The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant (Painting, Print, Sculpture)
Funding guides
The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding
One of the most useful resources to discover funding opportunities is The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding. This is an external resource that the RCA subscribes to and makes available for our students. You can log in with your RCA email or request the pin number from Student Support ([email protected]).
Charitable funding
It is often worth looking around for other funding opportunities. There are many hundreds of charitable organisations and educational trusts that can offer financial assistance to students. This form of funding requires hard work and some luck, but many of our current students benefit from assistance from external organisations.
Country-specific funding options
Many countries have their own national scholarship and funding schemes. We've collected some of these below, though this is not exhaustive.