University of Leicester Scholarships for International Students 2026

Yes. The University of Leicester lists funding options specifically for distance/online learners, including things like the Distance Learning Merit Scholarship (fee discount) plus other distance-learning funding options (for example, a full-fee instalment incentive and a distance learning sanctuary award). While these are separate from on-campus awards, they’re designed for students studying remotely and are tied to your distance-learning course and start year.

Scholarships at Leicester can apply broadly across many subjects (STEM, humanities, social sciences, business, and more), with a mix of “any subject” awards and subject- or region-specific awards. For example, Leicester lists broad international scholarships (like merit- and chancellor-related tuition discounts) alongside more targeted options.

Many Leicester scholarships are open to international-fee-paying students in general, but some are restricted by nationality or domicile. In scholarship stories, Fareha Siddiqui (Pakistan) received a fully funded Commonwealth Shared Scholarship, which is offered to a select number of countries, at Leicester and explained it covered “full tuition fee, round-trip airfare, a monthly stipend… and a research allowance.”

Often yes for international applicants, unless you already meet Leicester’s English-language rules through accepted prior study/qualifications. Leicester explains you need strong enough English to understand and benefit from your degree, and that each degree page specifies an IELTS minimum (with equivalents listed for other tests). Requirements can be higher for certain courses: for Medicine (international requirements), Leicester lists IELTS 7.5 overall with no component below 7.0 (or TOEFL iBT 110 with minimum component scores). In real applicant experience, Fareha Siddiqui said, “Since UK universities only require a language proficiency test, I took the IELTS and scored 7.0.”

There isn’t one single minimum grade for all applicants and all programmes; requirements vary by level (undergraduate/postgraduate), course, and your home qualification. For taught postgraduate programmes, Leicester’s regulations state applicants should hold a degree with a first or second class honours (or equivalent). Some scholarships set their own higher bars: for example, Leicester’s Distance Learning Merit Scholarship requires a UK first-class honours degree (or equivalent). For highly competitive courses like Medicine, Leicester publishes detailed international academic and English requirements (including specific test-score thresholds). From scholarship recipient context, Fareha Siddiqui reported a CGPA of “3.26” (Bachelor’s) and “3.54” (Master’s) before starting her Leicester MSc scholarship journey, showing that “minimum grade” questions are best answered by matching your profile to the exact course and the scholarship criteria.

“Good” looks like (1) meeting the entry requirements for your course and (2) meeting any scholarship’s academic/eligibility rules (which can be automatic consideration or a separate competition). Leicester lists international scholarships that automatically consider eligible international-fee-paying applicants for undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, and it also lists scholarships with extra conditions or exclusions (such as exclusions for Medicine on certain awards, or country-specific awards like Pakistan/Thailand-focused options). For distance-learning scholarships, Leicester’s merit scholarship example expects a first-class-equivalent degree.

Leicester’s postgraduate application guidance highlights typical supporting documents such as your qualification details (and proof), a personal statement (or research proposal for some programmes), references, and proof of English language ability. For certain routes (including Medicine international considerations), Leicester notes that if you don’t have standard GCSE-style evidence, you may need to provide school transcripts at the time of application. Scholarship applications can add their own materials: in her Commonwealth Shared Scholarship journey, Fareha Siddiqui emphasized the importance of the written pieces, “the motivation letter matters a lot,” and focusing your answers on a clear fit and goals.

For undergraduate study, Leicester applications are made through UCAS, and Leicester explicitly includes a step to “Pay your application fee” as part of the UCAS process (the fee is set by UCAS). For postgraduate applications made directly to Leicester via the online “Apply Now” route, Leicester’s official “apply directly” guidance doesn’t state any application fees.