Master's funding opportunities

Explore our funding opportunities to help with your postgraduate studies at the Global Development Institute.

Global Development Institute Master’s Bursary

We have ten awards of £10,000 each available, issued as a reduction in your tuition fees. 

All self-sponsored international applicants who hold an offer of a place to study on one of our Global Development Institute master’s courses AND are a national of or permanently domiciled in one of the following countries are eligible:

Countries

Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Egpyt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Zimbabwe

There is no bursary application process; if you are eligible, you will be automatically considered. 

Decisions are made on your potential to contribute and enrich all aspects of the master's programme and the diverse academic and cultural profile of the master's class. 

Successful candidates will be contacted by the end of June 2023. We will only contact you if you have been successfully selected for the bursary. 

Global Development Institute Merit Awards

The Global Development Institute Merit Awards provide three full scholarships for academically excellent resident citizens of Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia or Uganda who have not previously studied outside Africa and are studying a GDI campus-based master’s course commencing in September 2023. The scholarship covers tuition fees, living expenses, flights to the UK, and visa costs.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants are required to: 

  • be a resident citizen of Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia or Uganda (applicants have not normally studied outside Africa, but applications coming from those who have may be considered); 
  • hold a bachelor’s degree with an Upper Second Class Honours (2:1) classification or its international equivalent from a high-ranking university; 
  • have at least 2 years of relevant post-graduation work experience (this does not include unpaid internships or voluntary work); 
  • have a clear idea of how studying in Manchester will benefit both their career and the wider community. 

Applicants are also required to hold one of the following English tests: 

  • An overall minimum score of 7.0 in IELTS, with 6.5 in writing and no other subsections below 6.5; 
  • TOEFL iBT with 100 overall and no other element below 25; 
  • PTE Pearson Academic UKVI with 76 overall and no element below 70; 
  • West African Education Council (WAEC) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) with a B3 or above; 
  • Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), at grade B in English; 
  • Ugandan Certificate of Education, at grade B; 
  • Nigerian National Examinations Council (NECO) certificate at grade 4. 

Please note, your IELTS, TOEFL or PTE must be taken on or after 18th September 2021. Other language qualifications must be less than seven years old at the start date of the programme, so they must be valid from 2016. 

Please note that applications for the Global Development Institute Merit Awards for entry 2023 have now closed. Decisions will be announced on 31st March 2023. For further information on this scholarship, please visit our dedicated Merit Awards webpage. 

Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship

We have 10 scholarships available for distance learning students from developing Commonwealth countries, covering all tuition fee costs for the MSc in Management and Information Systems (Distance Learning) commencing in January 2023, funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.

Eligibility criteria

Countries

Bangladesh, Belize, Cameroon, Eswatini, Ghana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, The Gambia, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia 

Please note that applications for the Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship have now closed. 

GREAT scholarships 

The University of Manchester, in partnership with the British Council and the GREAT Britain Campaign, is offering eight scholarships to students in Bangladesh, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand and Turkey who're applying for one-year master’s programmes and will enrol in the 2023/24 academic year. 

The programme offers a minimum of £10,000 to students pursuing a one-year postgraduate programme in the UK. A scholarship application form will be emailed to all relevant offer-holders by the International Office from mid-January 2023. Applications will close on 1 June 2023.  

For more information on the GREAT Scholarships 2023, visit Study UK. 

Other awards

Manchester Humanities International Excellence Scholarship

As a GDI applicant, you are also eligible to apply for the Manchester Humanities International Excellence Scholarship.  

Applicants from Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Germany, Portugal, France, India, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, USA, Canada and Nigeria who meet the academic criteria for the programmes will be granted a 20% scholarship in the form of a tuition fee discount.  

Please visit our dedicated Manchester Humanities International Excellence Scholarship webpage for further information, including a list of all eligible courses. 

The University of Manchester Humanitarian Scholarships

Our Humanitarian Scholarship programme is intended to support individuals at immediate risk who have been forced to flee their homes as a direct result of armed conflict. The awards cover full tuition fees, living expenses and visas and up to five master’s scholarships are on offer across the University for 2023 entry. 

Applicants for master’s programmes must hold an unconditional offer at the time of the scholarship application, conditional offer holders will not be considered. Applications open on Wednesday, 1 March 2023 and close on Friday, 14 April 2023 and can be made via a separate form. 

For more information on the Manchester Humanitarian Scholarship, please visit our dedicated webpage. 

Global Futures Scholarship

This scholarship is open to both undergraduate and master's students holding an offer from The University of Manchester for a course that will commence in September 2023. Evaluation will be based on academic merit and the quality of your scholarship application. To be eligible for a Global Futures Scholarship, you must be living in one of the eligible countries and be self-funded.  

All relevant offer holders will be emailed the required online application form from February 2023 onwards. For further information, including a list of all eligible countries, please visit our dedicated Global Futures Scholarship webpage. 

Equity and Merit Scholarships

Equity and Merit Scholarships are for academically excellent students who have the potential to make a significant contribution to sustainable development in their home countries and are intended for those who cannot afford to study in Manchester without a scholarship. 

The scholarships cover full tuition fees, and for students who will be studying in Manchester, the award includes return international airfares, living expenses and visas. There are 39 scholarships available, 29 for full-time study and ten for online study, available for a range of courses across the GDI.  

Please note that applications for the Equity and Merit scholarships are now closed for entry 2023 and will re-open on 1 August 2023 for September 2024 entry. We will be in touch will all applicants for 2023 entry as soon as we have completed shortlisting. 

For further information on eligibility criteria, please visit our dedicated Equity and Merit scholarships webpage.