University of Aberdeen Scholarships for International Students 2026

Aberdeen offers scholarships across a wide range of subjects, but eligibility can vary by award.

Medicine note (international eligibility): International applicants can apply to study Medicine at Aberdeen, but places for overseas candidates are limited (“currently 16”). Scholarships for Medicine can be more restricted, and some broad awards explicitly exclude Medicine so Medicine applicants should plan to rely on medicine-specific funding or external sponsors where possible.

Recipient pathways also show variety across subjects: Kevhvan Graham pursued Microbiology and described choosing “the microbial sciences, particularly the issue of antimicrobial resistance,” while Yutthaphum Sangthong pursued an MSc in Geographical Information Systems; both were funded via Chevening rather than a single-department award.

It varies by scholarship type. Some scholarships are broadly open to international-fee students from many countries, while others are nationality-targeted. There are also external schemes (like Chevening) that fund students from eligible countries worldwide who study at UK universities, including Aberdeen.

You can see how this plays out in real recipients: Yutthaphum Sangthong (Thailand) and Kevhvan Graham (Jamaica) both studied at Aberdeen with Chevening funding, illustrating that nationality-based external awards can be a strong pathway even when a university’s own awards are limited.

Meeting Aberdeen’s English-language requirement (commonly via IELTS/TOEFL or approved alternatives, unless you qualify for an exemption) is important. In practice, scholarships usually assume you’ll meet the university’s admission requirements first, so English proof is often “necessary for admission,” and indirectly necessary for scholarships that require an offer.

From recipient experiences: Yutthaphum Sangthong listed “IELTS – 7.0” and explained he reviewed requirements including “English language test results,” while Kevhvan Graham noted “TOEFL/IELTS was also exempted” for him, showing that tests can be essential for many applicants, but not all.

Yes—minimum academic requirements exist, but they vary by programme (and by country/qualification). Undergraduate entry requirements differ across degree types (arts, sciences, engineering), and postgraduate taught programmes commonly expect a strong honours-level degree (often around a UK 2:1 or international equivalent, depending on the course). Competitive programmes (like Medicine) can be significantly more selective than general-entry programmes.

From a real recipient profile, Yutthaphum Sangthong reported “graduating with 2nd Class Honors and a GPA of 3.628/4.00,” which is a good example of the kind of academic profile that can support both admission and scholarship competitiveness.

A strong academic record helps, but many major scholarships also look for fit, leadership, and a clear plan. Yutthaphum Sangthong put it plainly: “what truly matters is not only academic performance, but also clarity of purpose and a genuine passion,” and he tied his studies directly to professional impact in his home country.

Similarly, Kevhvan Graham highlighted a focused academic direction (“the microbial sciences… antimicrobial resistance”) and described how his preparation built confidence for tackling advanced study. In other words: pair strong grades with a coherent story. Why this subject, why Aberdeen, and what you’ll do with the degree.

Postgraduate (direct to Aberdeen): Aberdeen commonly requires an official transcript and a personal statement, and some programmes may also request a CV/resume and references (academic or professional). If your transcript is not in English, you typically need an official translation.

In recipient terms, Yutthaphum Sangthong said he reviewed requirements “including the statement of purpose, CV, recommendation letters, and English language test results,” and he followed those steps through to an unconditional offer; this is a realistic checklist for many competitive applications.

Undergraduate (via UCAS): You apply through UCAS, and your application includes academic history plus a personal statement component (UCAS uses a structured question format rather than a single free-form essay). Some courses may require additional documentation depending on the subject.

Aberdeen offers a very wide range of degrees across humanities, social sciences, business, engineering, computing, natural sciences, law, and health-related fields, with hundreds of undergraduate options and a large postgraduate portfolio. On top of on-campus degrees, Aberdeen also runs online degrees and short courses, letting students study flexibly from many countries.

If you want examples tied to real recipients, Yutthaphum Sangthong studied an MSc in Geographical Information Systems, and Kevhvan Graham studied Microbiology, which are two very different academic routes within Aberdeen’s broader STEM and applied-science offering.

Postgraduate taught/research (direct to Aberdeen): Aberdeen states there is no application fee for postgraduate taught or research applications submitted via its applicant portal.

Undergraduate (UCAS): Full-time undergraduate applications are made through UCAS, and UCAS charges an application fee (the fee amount depends on the UCAS cycle and number of choices).