The UAL International Postgraduate Scholarship is a £10,000 tuition fee waiver from University of the Arts London (UAL) for international students starting a taught Master’s degree at one of its Colleges or Institutes. Up to 288 awards are available for 2027/28. You need a course offer and Overseas fee status, plus at least a 2:1 or equivalent. Many listing sites call it the UAL/ISH International Postgraduate Scholarship, after an older partnership with International Students House (ISH) in London. UAL’s current page names the award the UAL International Postgraduate £10,000 Scholarship and makes no mention of ISH or of free accommodation.
For 2027 entry, the Round 1 deadline is Tuesday 23 March 2027 and the Round 2 deadline is Tuesday 18 May 2027. Scholarship forms appear in your UAL applicant portal from December 2026, once you hold an offer. The 2026/27 rounds closed on 27 March and 26 June 2026. I checked every fact below on arts.ac.uk on 25 October 2026; UAL last updated its scholarship page on 16 October 2026.
UAL International Postgraduate Scholarship at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Official name | UAL International Postgraduate £10,000 Scholarships |
| Also listed as | UAL/ISH International Postgraduate Scholarships |
| University | University of the Arts London (any of its Colleges and Institutes) |
| Value | £10,000 tuition fee waiver |
| Number of awards | Up to 288 for 2027/28 |
| Courses | Full-time or part-time taught Master’s: Grad Dip, M ARCH, MA, MFA, MBA, MRes, MSc |
| Fee status | Overseas |
| Academic level | Upper second-class honours (2:1) or above, or a recognised equivalent |
| Application | Scholarship form in the “my funding” section of the UAL applicant portal, after you get an offer |
| Deadline | 23 March 2027 (Round 1); 18 May 2027 (Round 2) |
| Results | 21 May 2027 (Round 1); 1 July 2027 (Round 2) |
What happened to the UAL/ISH scholarship
Older versions of this award were run with International Students House, a charity that runs a residence for international students near Regent’s Park. That is why Scholars4Dev and others still use the UAL/ISH name. Older listings also limited the award to students resident in low income economy countries. UAL’s current page has neither the ISH link nor a country restriction. Any student with Overseas fee status who meets the other rules can apply.
ISH still works with UAL on a separate, much smaller award. Its scholarships page lists one new Tara Nirula scholar at UAL for 2026/27, with a place at ISH. ISH does not take direct applications; you go through UAL. Treat that as a bonus to check on the UAL scholarships search, not as part of the £10,000 award.
What the £10,000 covers, and what it does not
The award reduces your tuition fee. UAL credits it to your fees account in Year 1. If you are on a part-time or extended full-time course and the waiver is bigger than your first-year fee, the rest goes towards Year 2. No cash is paid to you.
UAL’s own fee page for Canadian students quotes a standard full-time postgraduate rate of £29,990, labelled as the 2025/26 rate. Fees vary by course, so take the real figure from your course page. On that standard fee, you would still owe around £19,990 in tuition after the waiver, plus:
- Rent, food and transport in London for the whole course
- The UK Student visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge
- The living-cost funds UK Visas and Immigration wants to see in your account for 28 days
- Materials, equipment and printing, which can be heavy on art, design and fashion courses
- Flights, English tests and portfolio preparation
Many UK universities quote the Student visa fee at £524 and the health surcharge at £776 per year for 2026. GOV.UK sets both, so check them there when you budget.
UAL International Postgraduate Scholarship eligibility
- Offer: you hold an offer for an eligible taught Master’s at UAL starting in 2027/28. UAL Online courses do not qualify.
- Fee status: you are classed as Overseas for fees.
- Grades: you have, or are predicted, a 2:1 honours degree or above, or a recognised equivalent. UAL asks for transcripts, and predicted grades must be confirmed when results come out.
- No earlier UK Master’s: you do not already hold a UK postgraduate taught qualification, or an equivalent from study in the UK.
Edge cases worth checking
- Final-year students: you can apply on predicted grades, but the award depends on your final result meeting the 2:1 standard.
- Grade equivalents: UAL publishes an overseas equivalency guide. For many African systems a second class upper maps to a 2:1, but check your country in the guide.
- Part-time students: part-time taught Master’s courses are eligible, and leftover waiver rolls into Year 2.
- Master’s from outside the UK: the bar only names UK postgraduate taught qualifications or equivalents earned in the UK, so a Master’s from your home country does not appear to rule you out. Ask UAL to confirm before you apply.
- Several UAL awards: you can hold only one UAL award at a time. If you win more than one, you choose.
UAL scholarship deadline and rounds for 2027
| Round | Course start | Deadline | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | September to November 2027 | Tuesday 23 March 2027 | Friday 21 May 2027 |
| Round 2 | September to November 2027 | Tuesday 18 May 2027 | Thursday 1 July 2027 |
| Round 3 | January 2028 | To be confirmed by UAL | To be confirmed by UAL |
Three rules decide which round you are in. You must apply in the same round as your course offer. If you are not successful in Round 1, you cannot try again in Round 2. And for Round 2, UAL wants your course application in before 17 February 2027. I would apply for the course by December 2026 so your offer and scholarship form both land in Round 1. You get your answer on 21 May 2027, which leaves plenty of time for the deposit, CAS and visa.
Late forms are refused
UAL does not accept late or incomplete scholarship applications. Submit before 23 March 2027 for Round 1, and check that all three statement answers are saved before you press submit.
How to apply for the UAL International Postgraduate Scholarship
- Choose your course: pick a taught Master’s at a UAL College or Institute. Avoid UAL Online courses.
- Apply for the course: submit your course application with your portfolio, transcripts, personal statement and English evidence. Many creative courses also interview.
- Get your offer: wait for a conditional or unconditional offer in your applicant portal.
- Open “my funding”: from December 2026, the scholarship form appears on the “my funding” page of the UAL applicant portal.
- Answer the three questions: write up to 350 words for each one, in your own words.
- Add transcripts: upload your transcripts or predicted grades.
- Submit before your round closes: 23 March 2027 for Round 1, 18 May 2027 for Round 2.
- Accept the award: if you win, you receive an award letter by email and accept it through the UAL portal.
How to answer the three personal statement questions
| Question (up to 350 words each) | What to put in it |
|---|---|
| How your achievements and experience, inside and outside education, show you are suited to the award | Two or three achievements with evidence: exhibitions, commissions, competitions, jobs, community projects |
| How you will use the qualification to support your future plans | A specific career goal, the skills the course gives you, and where you will work afterwards |
| What you will contribute to university life, and how the UAL community will help your career | Collaborations, societies, mentoring or events you would run, and the UAL networks you need |
UAL says it values authenticity over AI-generated content, so write in your own voice. A UAL selection panel reads these answers, and creative staff notice generic text quickly. An example opening for the first question: “In 2025 I designed costumes for a 12-show theatre run in my city on a budget of £600, using fabric sourced from local markets. That job taught me to design under constraint, and it is why I applied for a Master’s in costume design.” It names a real project, a number and the course in two sentences.
Common mistakes
- Applying for the course too late to get an offer before 23 March 2027.
- Choosing a UAL Online course, which is excluded.
- Going over 350 words or answering the questions in a different order.
- Pasting the course personal statement into the scholarship answers.
- Expecting free ISH housing because a listing used the old UAL/ISH name.
- Budgeting as if £10,000 were full funding.
What happens after you apply
A UAL selection panel reviews your answers and grades. Round 1 decisions come on 21 May 2027 and Round 2 decisions on 1 July 2027. If you win, you get an award letter by email and accept it in the portal. The waiver is tied to the course offer you accept, so if you switch courses, ask UAL whether the award moves with you. Then pay any deposit due on the reduced fee and request your CAS for the visa.
Who should apply, and who should not
Apply if you have a UAL offer or a strong portfolio, a 2:1 or better, and a realistic plan for the remaining tuition and London living costs. With up to 288 awards, this is one of the larger UK fee waivers in the creative arts.
Skip it if you need full funding, already hold a UK Master’s, or want to study online. Fully funded options for applicants from low and middle income countries are listed in our scholarships for African students guide.
How it compares with similar scholarships
| Scholarship | Value | Grades | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAL International Postgraduate Scholarship | £10,000 fee waiver | 2:1 or above | 23 March 2027 (Round 1) |
| Glasgow International Leadership Scholarship | £10,000 fee discount | First class equivalent | Late August 2027 (rolling) |
| Rotary Global Grant Scholarship | Budget of at least US$30,000 | Set by the sponsoring Rotary district | Set by your Rotary club or district |
| Commonwealth Shared Scholarships | Full tuition, flights and a monthly stipend | 2:1, or a 2:2 plus a relevant postgraduate qualification | 8 December 2026 |
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are only for citizens and residents of eligible Commonwealth countries, and the course list is limited. For another UK fee discount with different rules, see our guide to the Cardiff University International Excellence Scholarship.
FAQs on the UAL International Postgraduate Scholarship
Does the UAL/ISH scholarship include free accommodation?
No. The current UAL International Postgraduate Scholarship is a £10,000 tuition fee waiver only. ISH housing comes with a separate, single-place Tara Nirula award.
What is the UAL scholarship deadline for 2027?
The deadline is 23 March 2027 for Round 1 and 18 May 2027 for Round 2. You must hold a course offer before you can apply.
Can I apply for the UAL scholarship with a second class upper?
Yes, if your second class upper is recognised as equivalent to a UK 2:1. UAL’s overseas equivalency guide shows how your country’s grades compare.
How many UAL International Postgraduate Scholarships are there?
UAL offers up to 288 awards for 2027/28, the same number it offered for 2026/27.
Sources and updates
The value, award numbers, eligibility rules, statement questions, round dates, decision dates and conditions come from UAL’s International Postgraduate £10,000 Scholarships page, last updated by UAL on 16 October 2026. The standard fee figure comes from UAL’s fees page for students from Canada. The Tara Nirula place comes from the International Students House scholarships page. The 2026/27 deadlines and award count come from the Scholars4Dev listing and match UAL’s past figures. Visa costs are figures UK universities quote for 2026; confirm them on GOV.UK. Checked on 25 October 2026. I will update this page when UAL confirms Round 3.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
