The University of London Scholars Programme

The University of London (UoL) Scholars Programme has been established for the 2026/27 academic year in support of UoL’s strategy to help young people across London flourish. The award is designed to help support students with the greatest financial need.

There are three scholarships available beginning in 2026/27 of £10,000 each. The award will be allocated evenly across the length of the course, subject to satisfactory progression. (i.e., approximately £3,333 per year for a 3-year degree, or £2,500 per year for a 4-year foundation degree).

This year there will be two additional awards of £3,333 each that will be open to undergraduate students in their final year of study. These awards will be paid across the 2026/27 academic year.

No funding is provided in language years abroad or in any repeat years.

Eligible programmes

• Any full-time undergraduate degree programme beginning in September 2026.

Candidate criteria

• This scholarship is open to Home fee status applicants only.
• Applicants must be a new undergraduate student and may not already hold a degree or higher qualification, or have studied at undergraduate level previously.
• Applicants must be in receipt of a full tuition loan from Student Finance England.
• Applicants must have a direct link with London – for example, being born and brought up in London or being resident in London for a substantial period of time prior to taking up their programme of study.
• This scholarship cannot be held alongside any other scholarship award (excluding SOAS Bursary).
• Students coming to SOAS via any partnership arrangement with discounted fees (e.g., dual degree, joint degree, or progression with discounted fees) are not eligible for this scholarship. 

Candidate assessment

Candidates will be selected using a points-based assessment with following criteria considered.

• Ethnicity*
• Household income assessment from Student Finance
• Students with experience of care and estranged students
• Students who are first in their family to go to university**
• Students from low participation neighbourhoods***

Please note that the listed criteria alone will not guarantee this award. Additional information may be collected from UCAS and Student Finance applications or requested from students in support of the selection process.

Notes

* Applications accepted from all ethnicities.

** 'First’ means an applicant’s parents, step-parents or guardians did not attend university. This is self-declared data which applicants include in their UCAS application form. If you are the first generation in your family to attend a higher education institution you must declare this in your UCAS application to be considered for this award.

*** Low participation neighbourhoods are areas identified using data of the participation rate of young people in higher education by ward or region. This information is included with an applicant’s UCAS application form.

Scholarship application procedure

To apply for this scholarship, applicants should follow the following steps:

Step 1: Enrol on your programme

• You will need to have be fully enrolled for the full-time undergraduate degree programme that you applied for.

Step 2: Apply for the scholarship 

• You must apply for this scholarship by 11:59am UK local time on 18 December 2026 via the online application form.

Notification of results

The scholarship shortlisting and awarding period is expected to be completed by February 2027 at the earliest. Successful candidates will be contacted first, and once all awards have been allocated, unsuccessful candidates will be notified.

Enquiries

For enquiries regarding your scholarship application procedure, please email scholarships@soas.ac.uk