Newcastle University Scholarships for International Students 2026

Many major Newcastle scholarship schemes are explicitly written around full-time, campus-based study. If you’re considering an online/distance-learning route, treat scholarships as course-specific and double-check the funding rules for your exact programme before applying.

Newcastle University funding can apply across a wide range of subjects, and recipients’ stories show that scholarships have supported everything from engineering/STEM to business, humanities, and social sciences. For example, Aritraa Dhar pursued an LLM in International Commercial Law (law/humanities), Rohith Tirupapuli studied supply chain (business/management), Alfred Navokhi Apaji completed Environmental Engineering (STEM/engineering), and Sonya Murray pursued International Development and Education (humanities/social sciences).

• Engineering / STEM: Environmental Engineering (example: Alfred Navokhi Apaji).
• Business: Operations, Logistics, and Supply Chain Management (example: Rohith Tirupapuli).
• Humanities / Social Sciences: International Development and Education (example: Sonya Murray).
• Law: International Commercial Law (example: Aritraa Dhar).
• Medicine: Newcastle does offer medicine programmes, but some large scholarship schemes can exclude specific professional degrees (for instance, some Vice-Chancellor scholarship regulations exclude MB BS/BDS routes), so international applicants for medicine should expect fewer university-wide options and may need to rely more on programme-specific or external awards.

In practice, Newcastle University scholarships fall into a few common patterns: (1) scholarships open broadly to “international” (and sometimes “EU”) applicants, (2) scholarships restricted by domicile/region lists, and (3) major external/government scholarships tied to nationality eligibility (e.g., Chevening; Commonwealth routes). The recipient stories show a mix of nationalities succeeding at Newcastle, including India, Nigeria, and Jamaica.

• Examples from recipients: Aritraa Dhar (India), Rohith Tirupapuli (India), Alfred Navokhi Apaji (Nigeria), Sonya Murray (Jamaica).

It depends on your background, nationality, and programme. Some Newcastle recipients needed IELTS, while others used exemptions or alternatives. Aritraa Dhar said, “To meet language requirements, I took the IELTS.” Similarly, Rohith Tirupapuli shared that he “took the IELTS exam and scored a 7.5.”

But it’s not universal: Alfred Navokhi Apaji explained, “I did not take the IELTS… I got a letter of English proficiency… and it did the trick,” while Sonya Murray noted, “Fortunately, I didn’t need to take any standardised tests like the IELTS or GRE.”

Minimum grade expectations vary by course and level, but the scholarship recipients’ profiles show that strong academics are common, especially for competitive funding. For example, Rohith Tirupapuli described graduating “with a 2:1 Merit,” and Alfred Navokhi Apaji highlighted, “My high CGPA (4.65/5.00) played an important role in my being selected for the scholarships.”

That said, “minimum grade” is not one universal number across Newcastle: different programmes (and scholarship schemes) can have different thresholds, and selection can also weigh your experience and fit.

A strong academic record helps, but recipients repeatedly show that scholarships are often awarded based on the whole package: grades, leadership, clarity of goals, and persuasive writing. Sonya Murray shared that for Chevening, “they don’t require a First Class Honours degree — what mattered most was passion, leadership,” while Rohith Tirupapuli emphasized crafting a strong “Statement of Purpose (SOP).”

• Strong academics: High CGPA / strong classification (examples: Alfred and Rohith).
• Clear goals + strong writing: Rohith focused on a strong SOP; Aritraa described submitting a “motivational letter” for a selection process.
• Leadership and impact: Sonya leaned into leadership; Alfred highlighted leadership and volunteering alongside grades.

Documents vary by programme, but recipients’ stories align closely with the standard UK postgraduate checklist: transcripts, passport, English proof (if required), and strong written materials. Alfred Navokhi Apaji put it plainly: “You need to have all required documents, including: passport, academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, statements of purpose, Academic CV.”

• Academic records: degree transcripts (and degree certificate if completed).
• Identity: passport copy (explicitly mentioned by Alfred).
• English proof: IELTS/TOEFL/PTE, or an English proficiency letter (example: Alfred used a letter; Rohith and Aritraa used IELTS).
• Written materials: Statement of Purpose / personal statement (example: Rohith), plus scholarship-specific essays or motivational letters (example: Aritraa submitted a motivational letter for a selection process).
• References: letters of recommendation (explicitly mentioned by Alfred)

It depends on what you apply for and how. Undergraduate applicants typically apply through UCAS, and UCAS charges an application fee (set by UCAS and subject to change each cycle). For postgraduate applications, Newcastle’s guidance indicates that some courses may require a fee (because it can ask you to provide “a receipt of your application fee, if your course requires one”), so you should check the specific course’s “How to Apply” details before submitting.