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Postgraduate funding

College of Arts and Law Graduate School

Join a vibrant community of students and academics in the College of Arts and Law.

We reward excellence and we want to make you're financially supported as a postgraduate student. Alongside University funding schemes, we offer our own College-specific funding initiatives for current and prospective students. 

Open awards

MA Shakespeare Scholarships

We’re offering a number of £5,000 scholarships to students commencing their studies on our MA Shakespeare or MA Shakespeare and Creativity programme in September 2025.

This will be offered as a fee discount.  

Recipients of the Shakespeare awards are offered a tailored package to support professional and personal development including benefitting from our partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).   

The first round of applications close  Friday 30 May 2025 at 16:00 British Summer Time.  Apply now

The Fran D'Alcorn Memorial Award (School of History and Cultures)

The Fran D'Alcorn Scholarship is funded from a bequest by the late Fran D'Alcorn and offers a prestigious £5,000 scholarship to a student commencing a full-time campus Masters programme in the School of History and Cultures in September 2025. 

The award is open to UK and international students who have applied for the full-time MA International Heritage Management programme.

We will also consider students who have applied for an alternative full-time campus-based Masters programme in our School of History and Cultures.

The deadline for applications is Monday 30 June 2025 at 4pm BST.  Apply now

Postgraduate loans

These government-backed student loans provide up to £11,836 for taught and research Masters courses and up to £27,892 for postgraduate doctoral courses in all subject areas, including programmes delivered on campus or by distance learning. Criteria, eligibility, repayment and application information can be found on the UK government website. 

Financial aid for American students

The University of Birmingham is approved by the US Department of Education to offer the William D Ford Federal Direct Loan Programme, enabling eligible American students to access financial support. Find out about the loans available, whether you are eligible and how to apply.

  • Syed Islam Scholarship

    Syed: MA Islamic Studies

    The Islam Scholarship recipient

    "The wide range of funding and scholarships by the University of Birmingham helped me decide to study in the UK."

    Find out more about Syed
  • Carolin, MA History student

    Carolin: MA History

    Edna Pearson Scholarship recipient

    "I chose the University of Birmingham because I was drawn to the vibrant campus atmosphere, the welcoming community, and the diverse range of societies and events that make it an exciting place to be year-round."

    Find out more about Carolin
  • A group of students socialising together

    University-wide funding opportunities

    Discover more postgraduate scholarship opportunities available to International and UK students.

    Explore more funding options
  • Students reading at Westmere on the University of Birmingham campus

    Funding for current students

    Discover how the Postgraduate Research Support Fund and PGR Community Development Fund can help you excel as a postgraduate researcher in the College of Arts and Law

Postgraduate Research Support Fund

All postgraduate students in the College of Arts and Law are eligible to apply for funding to help with conference expenses or research expenses as part of the Postgraduate Research Support Fund.

The funding can cover anything from travel and accommodation to photocopying and books, and has proved to be a real help to our past and current doctoral researchers.

How to apply

To apply, current students are asked to complete the application form [DOCX, 19KB].

Please note that students wishing to travel for research purposes are required to complete and submit a risk assessment [DOCX, 26KB] along with the application. Read our step-by-step guide [DOCX, 22KB]. Please note that although some sections of the paperwork refer only to ‘staff’, the process applies to all CAL researchers, including PGRs. Many research trips will be low risk and so can be signed off by you and your supervisor. If you are in any doubt about how to complete the form, please contact [email protected] for advice.

Further information can be found in the guidance notes [DOCX, 31KB].

There will be two rounds of funding during the year 2024-25:

  • Monday 21 October – 12 noon (GMT) on Monday 11 November 2024
  • Monday 10 March – 12 noon (GMT) on Friday 4 April 2025

Further assistance

If you have any queries, please email [email protected]

PGR Community Development Fund

All College of Arts and Law postgraduate researchers (PGRs) are eligible to apply for funding to help with community building activities as part of the PGR Community Development Fund.

The aim of this fund is to encourage PGRs to collaborate with their peers to organise activities that support professional and career development. This might include holding exhibitions, publishing journals, organising conferences, or providing catering for events.

How to apply

To apply, current students are asked to complete the application form [DOCX, 22KB].

Further information can be found in the guidance notes [DOCX, 23KB].

There will be three rounds of funding during the year 2024-25:

  • Monday 23 September – 12 noon Friday 11 October 2024
  • Monday 11 November – 12 noon Friday 6 December 2024
  • Monday 27 January – 12 noon Friday 28 February 2025

Further assistance

If you have any queries, please email [email protected]

Register your interest in our postgraduate courses

Closed awards

Applications to the scholarships below are now closed. These pages are provided for guidance only, prior to the next round of funding being announced, if available:

Closed award information

 

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