Equity and Merit Scholarships for international master’s students

The SDGs are our world’s call to action and our Equity and Merit Scholarships aim to empower young professionals in the Global South to address these global goals.

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. The awards are intended for those who couldn’t afford to study in Manchester without a scholarship. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and all applications are considered on their merit. We particularly encourage women to apply.

We offer two types of scholarship:

Full-time, on-campus master’s (one-year duration)
Part-time, distance learning master’s (three to five years’ duration)

There are 30 scholarships (20 for full-time study and 10 for online study) available each year for a wide range of courses in engineering, environment, health sciences, development, education, textiles and law. The scheme is open to applicants from Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

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.

Eligibility

Our master’s scholarships are aimed at talented applicants, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds. To apply for a scholarship, you must:

be a resident citizen of Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda or Zimbabwe, and have not previously studied outside Africa (training of six months or less does not count);
have at least two years’ professional experience related to your chosen field of study (this does not include unpaid internships or voluntary work);
a bachelor’s degree (you must have graduated before September 2020) with an overall excellent grade. The awards are for academically outstanding students and typically this means that you are in the top 10% of your class;
be committed to returning home and able to demonstrate the potential to make a positive impact on the future of your home country;
have a clear idea of how studying with Manchester will benefit both your career and the wider community.

Full list of courses for which scholarships are available

Here is the list of courses that are available under this scholarship:

Chemical Engineering

Civil and Mechanical Engineering

Computer Science

Advanced Computer Science MSc

Development

Education

Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Environment

Humanitarian and Conflict Response

Human Resource Management

Law

Medical and Health Sciences

Materials and Textiles

Online programmes

English language requirements

All applicants will need to demonstrate competency in the English language. You will need one of the following to be eligible for the scholarship:

English grade of 4 in Uganda Certificate of Education
English grade of C in Tanzanian Certificate of Secondary Education
English grade of C in Zimbabwe General Certificate of Education
English grade of 6 in Malawi School Certificate of Education
IELTS Academic
TOEFL iBT

Each master’s programme on the scholarship list has its own requirements in terms of English test scores. Please refer to the course profiles for more details. In most cases you will need a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 (with no sub-test less than 5.5) or TOEFL 90 (with no sub-test less than 22) to be awarded a scholarship.

We don’t grant any exemptions to these language requirements to applicants who have studied in English and we don’t accept a certificate of English language proficiency from your university.

How to apply

Applications are currently closed. We will open for applications in August 2021 for entry in September 2022. The link to apply for the scholarships will be posted here. Please do not use the form on the master’s admissions page of our website.

To apply you will need:

degree certificates and transcripts showing subjects taken and grades achieved;
evidence of your English language ability as stated above;
two up-to-date signed references. It is mandatory to have at least one academic reference to help us determine your ability to complete a master’s at The University of Manchester. References must be on letter headed paper and addressed to ‘Equity and Merit Scholarships at The University of Manchester’. They do not need to be sent confidentially and there is no fixed format.

Timeline for applications for 2021/22 scholarships

1–31 August 2021	Open for applications
November 2021–May 2022	Review period
June 2022	Results announced
September 2022	Start of academic year

Zimbabweans Eligible For Fully Funded Manchester University Scholarships

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