India Merit Scholarship

The University of Edinburgh has a strong history of global partnership, community, and exchange. University uphold a tradition of celebrating diversity and embracing international students, who enrich the student body and the extraordinary educational experience university offer. 

The University is offering an international scholarship for the most academically gifted Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Masters students applying from India. These awards, which cover £5,000 towards tuition fees for PGT Masters students studying on campus during the 2025/26 academic year, will be tenable for the first year of study only.

The India Merit Scholarship will be awarded to any successful applicant who:  

• Firmly accepts an unconditional offer to join any of the University’s full-time, on-campus PGT Masters programmes. If you are required to pay a programme deposit for your Masters programme, and you do not accept and pay the required deposit within the given time frame, then you will forfeit your scholarship offer as well as your programme offer.
• Is domiciled in India at the time of application.
• Has international fee status.

• Firmly accepts an unconditional offer to join any of the University’s full-time, on-campus PGT Masters programmes. If you are required to pay a programme deposit for your Masters programme, and you do not accept and pay the required deposit within the given time frame, then you will forfeit your scholarship offer as well as your programme offer.
• Is domiciled in India at the time of application.

Each programme has its own application deadline. 

University strongly recommend that you apply as early as possible so that they have enough time to process your application. As a general guide, university encourages you to apply at least one month prior to entry, or one month prior to the application deadline should your chosen programme have one.

These scholarships are awarded to any student who has accepted an unconditional offer on a PGT Masters programme and meets the eligibility criteria outlined above. For entry into the 2025/26 academic year, the Scholarship will be awarded to every eligible unconditional offer holder who achieves the listed grades in Tables 1 and 2. No separate application is necessary, and the Scholarship will be automatically applied to your student tuition fee balance.

You do not need to apply for the India Merit Scholarship – you will be considered and assessed for eligibility by admissions teams, as your application for the programme is reviewed.  University will inform successful scholarship applicants after they have received an unconditional offer for an on-campus, full-time Postgraduate Taught programme, and once the necessary administration has been completed. Notification times may vary, and take longer during busy periods.

Transcripts

• You will be asked to provide copies of your degree certificates and transcripts of your academic record to support your application.
• Copies of your degree certificates, if you have already completed your qualification, along with academic transcripts that confirm your final marks
• An academic transcript states your name, the institution you studied at, and a list of all courses taken, all grades received and degrees conferred. It should provide full details of the degree class and grades you received in each unit or module.
• An interim transcript provides similar information for degrees you are yet to complete (it may also show the expected grade or level of award if you are near the end of the programme of study).
• If your original degree certificate, academic transcript or other relevant documents are not in English you must provide an officially certified translation.

Reference

• References, if these are required for the application to your chosen programme.

Personal Statement

• You will need to submit a personal statement of around 500 words, outlining your academic history and relevant experience.
• Your personal statement is an important part of your application: it will help selectors to decide whether you are a good match for the programme you have applied for and, just as importantly, whether the programme is right for you.
• Your personal statement gives you the opportunity to outline your academic history and relevant experience in order to demonstrate that you are a suitable candidate for the programme you have applied for. 
• You should also use your personal statement to outline your motivation for your chosen area of study. Try to answer questions such as:
  • Why are you interested in studying at Edinburgh?
  • Why have you chosen this particular programme?
  • If you are studying for career development, what are your career plans and how will your studies support these?
• Length and writing style
  • Your personal statement should be no more than 3,500 characters (approximately 500 words) in length and should be written in formal English, using appropriate grammar and punctuation.
  • It is a good idea to ask a friend to proofread your statement for you before you submit your application.

Documents Required

• Online Application
• Academic Transcripts
• Degree Certificate 
• Personal Statement
• One or Two References
• English Language Proficiency