RCA scholarships
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The RCA is committed to celebrating diversity, eliminating discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity to all.
Our scholarship programme is growing, with over 400 financial awards made available for the 2024/25 academic year. These awards support students with financial needs and those from under-represented groups, including students with disabilities and students with refugee and asylum seeker status.
How can I get a scholarship to study at the RCA?
There are two routes to obtaining a scholarship to study at the RCA -
- Academic merit
- Financial need or being part of an under-represented group in higher education
Scholarship applications for Round 1 and 2 offer holders for MA, MFA, MDes, MRes, MArch, MEd and MPhil programmes have now closed, and we are unable to accept late applications.
For Round 3 offer holders, a limited number of academic merit scholarships are still available. If you meet the eligibility criteria you will be considered for these as part of your Round 3 application -
Coats Foundation Trust Awards of £3,000 for Textiles – Home fee status
Intelligent Mobility
Ameea Scholarships of £20,000 - Home/Overseas (EU-only) fee status
Scholarship applications for Graduate Diploma offer holders have now closed and results will be shared by 16 August.
If you are a PhD applicant, queries about Doctoral Training Grants should be directed to [email protected] and further information about PGR funding and doctoral loans can be found here.
What sorts of scholarships are available for study at the RCA?
Different types of scholarships include:
- Full fee payment plus living costs
- Full fee payment
- Partial fee payment
- Contributions to living costs
Most scholarships are for UK (Home) students, though international scholarships are also available.
How can I prepare for my scholarship application?
Round 1 and 2 offer holders for MA, MFA, MDes, MRes, MArch, MEd and MPhil programmes were invited in April to answer the following scholarship application questions:
Section 1: Priority eligibility
- Have you received means-tested student funding or scholarship support in another higher education institution? Evidence could include your Student Finance or scholarship confirmation.
- Have you received any means-tested government benefits in the last five years? Evidence could include confirmation of benefits payments, a letter from the Department of Work and Pensions, or a similar government document.
- Have you experienced unavoidable financial hardship? Evidence could include bankruptcy paperwork, bank or credit card statements or credit/loan agreements (Note: there is also flexibility here for applicants from outside the UK to provide evidence related to their home country's economic and political climate).ote
- Do you have a disability or chronic health condition that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to do daily activities? Evidence could include a medical or diagnostic report or another official document that explains the nature of your disability or health condition.
- Do you currently have or have you ever had refugee or asylum status? Evidence could include a copy of your Application Registration Card (ARC) or permission to stay documentation.
- Do you consider yourself care experienced? Evidence could include social care or local authority documentation.
- Do you have primary caring responsibilities for a dependent or another family member? Evidence could include a Child Benefit Letter, Tax Credits, or another official document that evidences your situation.
- Do you consider this a career change, or are you returning to work after a career break / parental leave? Evidence could include a CV, resignation letter, reference or another document that evidences your situation.
Please note that if you select 'no' for all of the Eligibility Check criteria, you can still submit a short supporting statement (150 words) outlining why you should be considered for scholarship opportunities despite failing to meet the above criteria.
Section 2: Personal statement questions
- Outline a summary of your background and financial need (150 words)
- Outline what steps you are taking to plan and prepare financially for study at RCA (150 words)
- Outline how you would benefit from a scholarship at RCA in the context of your current circumstances (150 words)
- Outline your future career goals and what you see as the positive outcome of receiving a scholarship beyond your studies at RCA (150 words).
The RCA's definition of disadvantage may help you to compose your answer to the first personal statement question:
- experience of discrimination or disadvantage based on ethnicity or other protected characteristics
- refugee or asylum status
- type of school and education opportunities experienced
- growing up in social housing
- caring responsibilities
- having experience of being in care
- social class
- parental or carer occupational background and educational attainment
- receipt of state benefits or experience of unemployment (either yourself, or parent, or carer)
- lack of access to professional and supportive networks
- receipt of means-tested, state-assisted undergraduate funding.
Other funding opportunities
Scholarships are extremely competitive and limited in number, and meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee that you will receive one. We recommend that you look into external funding options and apply for any other sources of funding available to you.
In the UK, there are hundreds of charitable organisations and educational trusts that can offer financial assistance to students. Being successful in receiving this form of funding requires a combination of luck and attention to detail in the content of your application. Many of our current students have benefited from assistance from external organisations.
Turn 2 Us is one of the many useful places to look for relevant charities.
The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding is another good place to start. This is an external resource that the RCA subscribes to and the pin number for access is 1201.
See our Funding your studies page for more information.
Scholarship general terms and conditions
- Scholarships are awarded for a specific programme and entry year and cannot be deferred without consent from the academic programme and scholarships panel.
- Scholarship amounts and restrictions will vary across individual awards.
- No correspondence will be entered into regarding scholarship outcomes, and no appeal is allowed.
- The RCA may terminate the scholarship if:
a) your performance assessment fails to meet the standards as outlined in the RCA Regulations
b) you fail to comply with any of the terms as set out in the RCA Terms & Conditions and the RCA reasonably considers that you have committed an act that may prejudice or damage the reputation of the RCA.
