Cardiff University Scholarships for International Students 2027

Most major Cardiff University scholarships are aimed at students studying on-campus (full-time or part-time), and some schemes explicitly exclude distance learning/online programmes.

Cardiff offers scholarships across a very wide range of subjects, including STEM, engineering, business, and humanities/social sciences, with some awards open to “most international” students on eligible programmes and other awards targeted to specific areas.

• STEM & Engineering: There are scholarship routes that support STEM fields and engineering-related opportunities; in recipient stories, Shivendra Reddy studied built-environment/engineering-linked design, and notes his Chevening support “covered full tuition fees, travel, and living expenses.”
• Business: Cardiff lists business-focused awards such as MBA scholarships (where eligible), alongside broader international awards that can apply across many subject areas.
• Humanities & Social Sciences: Scholarships can apply to humanities and social science programmes; for example, Peter pursued Social Science Research Methods at Cardiff and describes choosing it for research training toward a future PhD.
• Medicine: Cardiff does admit international students to Medicine (MBBCh) (international qualifications are considered), but scholarship availability can be more limited for clinical/health programmes and some schemes exclude medicine/healthcare, so always verify eligibility for your specific course.

Cardiff has scholarships that are open to most international students (broad eligibility) as well as awards restricted to particular countries/regions, so nationality eligibility depends on the specific scholarship.

• Open to most international students: Cardiff lists major international scholarships (undergraduate and postgraduate taught) that are open to most international applicants, subject to programme eligibility.
• Country-specific examples: Cardiff also lists targeted awards such as GREAT Scholarships for specific countries (for example, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, and Spain, depending on the year’s scheme).
• Story examples: Global Scholarships’ Cardiff recipients show geographic variety: e.g., Peter (China), Shivendra Reddy (Fiji), and Sikandar Hemmat (Afghanistan).

Often yes. If English (or Welsh) isn’t your first language and you don’t meet Cardiff’s exemption rules, you’ll typically need to prove proficiency via IELTS/TOEFL (or an accepted equivalent), and some courses require higher scores than the general minimum.

For many postgraduate courses, Cardiff’s common benchmark is IELTS (Academic) 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each skill (or an accepted equivalent), but exemptions can apply if you hold a qualifying degree taught fully in English in certain circumstances; Cardiff also notes that distance-learning/self-taught degrees are not acceptable as English-language evidence.

Recipients’ stories reflect this reality: Sikandar Hemmat writes, “English proficiency is a requirement for acceptance at Cardiff University,” and describes preparing for the TOEFL iBT.

There isn’t one single universal “minimum grade” for all applicants; entry requirements are programme-specific, and Cardiff states that applications are considered on individual merits (including alternative qualifications and relevant experience) depending on the course.

That said, many programmes do set clear academic thresholds; for example, Medicine (MBBCh) lists very high entry requirements (e.g., AAA at A-level, plus specific subject and GCSE requirements), and for graduate applicants to Medicine, Cardiff indicates a 2:1 honours degree requirement alongside other criteria.

In scholarship recipient examples, strong academics were part of the profile: Peter says, “I graduated with a GPA of 3.7,” while Shivendra Reddy reports finishing his engineering degree “with an overall distinction grade.”

Minimum eligibility usually starts with: (1) applying for an eligible programme, (2) receiving an offer (or being in offer-holder status where required), and (3) meeting the scholarship’s academic and other criteria (which can include nationality, programme, and achievement/impact evidence).

A “good background” commonly means strong grades plus a convincing academic/professional fit: Peter pairs a high GPA (“I graduated with a GPA of 3.7”) with research preparation and awards, while Shivendra Reddy combines “overall distinction grade” results with work experience in the built environment and describes Chevening funding that “covered full tuition fees, travel, and living expenses.”

For competitive external awards (e.g., Chevening), leadership potential and a clear plan also matter; Sikandar Hemmat frames his MSc choice around long-term impact in planning/urban development and strategic programme fit.

Required documents vary by course and your circumstances, but Cardiff confirms you’ll upload supporting documents during the application process and that documents should be in English or accompanied by certified translations.

From a Cardiff recipient example, Sikandar Hemmat shares a typical UK-style set: “I first gathered the necessary documents, including my CV, personal statement, diploma, and transcript.”

• Academic transcripts and certificates (plus certified translations if not in English).
• Personal statement (and/or course-specific written responses).
• CV/resume (commonly requested for postgraduate courses).
• References (academic and/or professional, depending on the programme).
• Proof of English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL or accepted alternatives) if required.
• Passport/ID and immigration-related documents if applicable.

Postgraduate: Cardiff University states it does not charge an application fee for any of its postgraduate programmes.

Undergraduate: Most undergraduate applications go through UCAS, and UCAS charges an application fee