Global Futures Master's Scholarship at the University of Manchester for Residents of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, September 2027 Entry

About this scholarship

A GBP 12,000 discount on the first-year tuition fee of a full-time master's at the University of Manchester starting in September 2027. It is for self-funded students of any nationality who have lived mainly in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates for the last three years and pay overseas fees.

Funding type

Covers: GBP 12,000 off the published overseas tuition fee for the first year of the master's. The award is a discount on tuition only, and the terms say no money is paid to the student. For courses longer than one year, the discount applies to the first year's fee only. Fees differ by course, and each course page shows its fee. For the visa you must show that you can pay the rest of the fee and your living costs. Manchester offers more than 250 Global Futures master's scholarships for 2027 across all eligible countries. The page does not say how many go to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It cannot be held together with other internal full tuition awards, such as the Equity and Merit programme or Women in STEM.

Tuition fees

Partially covered

Living costs

Not covered

Travel

Not covered

Insurance

Not covered

Eligibility requirements

Nationalities

All nationalities

Residence condition

Must live in listed countries — Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

Any nationality. You must have lived mainly in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates during the last three years, and time spent there only for full-time study does not count. Palestine and other nationalities are not named, and none is excluded Overseas (international) fee status Self-funded, not sponsored by a government or a commercial funder An offer for a full-time, on-campus master's at Manchester starting in September 2027. The scholarship page says in one place that the offer must be unconditional by 6 June 2027 and in another that a conditional or unconditional offer is enough. The terms and conditions only ask for an offer Not eligible: MBA, MPhil, MEnt, MArch, MA Architecture and Urbanism, MA Architecture and Digital Design, Master of Landscape Architecture, PGCE, clinical medicine and dentistry degrees, several MSc by Research courses, and part-time, blended or distance learning courses Selection is mainly on academic merit: your bachelor's results and your answers in the scholarship form. Postgraduate qualifications are not counted. The University may also consider the mix of courses, domicile, gender and qualification background among award holders

Minimum grade

Not stated

Work experience asked for

Not stated

Return condition

Return condition not stated

How to apply

Straight to the provider

Language requirements and exemptions

Language test required IELTS TOEFL iBT PTE Academic Cambridge English Other test Waiver possible

The scholarship sets no separate test. You need the English level your master's course asks for, shown on its course page. Scores vary by course. Manchester's table of typical entry scores runs from IELTS 5.5 to 7.5 or more overall and from TOEFL iBT 72 to 120, or 4 to 5.5 on the TOEFL 1 to 6 scale, and sub-scores may also apply. Accepted tests include IELTS Academic or IELTS UKVI taken in person at a test centre, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, LanguageCert Academic taken at a test centre, Trinity ISE, and Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency. IELTS Online, IELTS Home, PTE Online or Home and the TOEFL iBT Home Edition are not accepted. Test results are valid for two years and must still be valid on the first day of Welcome Week. Nationals of a UKVI list of majority English-speaking countries, or holders of a degree from one of them, may not need a test, and no Arab country is on that list. A letter saying your university taught in English is not accepted as proof.

University admission details

Required before applying?

First apply online for a full-time master's course. Applications for 2027/28 master's programmes opened on 10 October 2026. Many courses have no official closing date, but some do, so check the course page. After you receive an offer, the scholarship form is emailed to all eligible offer-holders. Submit it by Sunday 6 June 2027. The time of day is not stated. Send only one scholarship application even if you apply to several courses, because only the first is considered. Manchester will tell all successful applicants by Friday 2 July 2027. The award cannot be deferred to a later intake or transferred. Award holders are expected to help the International Recruitment team as Global Futures Scholars, for example at events for future students or in written or filmed testimonials, usually for no more than 8 hours a semester. A separate Global Futures award of GBP 12,000 a year for three years exists for undergraduates living in Saudi Arabia or the UAE who take A-levels, the French Baccalaureate, the IB Diploma or Indian Standard XII. This listing covers the master's award.

Required documents

Certificates or transcripts of your qualifications Official English translations of any certificate or transcript not in English, made by an official translator or translation service Proof of English, if English is not your first language A personal statement or other material if your course asks for it Two references if your course asks for them, sent by your referees through the University's referee portal The online scholarship form, with every section completed

Application steps

Check that you have lived mainly in Saudi Arabia or the UAE for the last three years, will pay overseas fees and are not sponsored. Choose a full-time, on-campus master's starting in September 2027 that is not on the excluded list, and check its entry and English requirements. Apply through the University's online master's application form. When the scholarship form reaches you by email after your offer, complete every section and submit it by 6 June 2027. Try to hold an unconditional offer by then, because one line of the page asks for it. Send questions to the International Office at [email protected].

Requirement checklist

Scholarship contacts

The University of Manchester International Office, named on the Global Futures page: [email protected]Copy

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