Masters students

Funding opportunities for masters candidates in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures.

Masters candidates are applicants to our taught MSc and MSc by Research programmes.

Some scholarship schemes are open to candidates on masters programmes in any subject in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC). Others are only open to candidates in specific subjects. See individual scholarship listings for details.

Application processes and deadlines vary from scholarship to scholarship and you should carefully check the Terms and Conditions of any funding sources. Where the University of Edinburgh is the funding body, the University reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to amend or withdraw any of the advertised scholarships, without notice.

Where a deadline has passed, we have indicated this in our listings and tried to give you an idea of when the next application window will open. We have also indicated where a link to further information takes you to an external website, or to a different part of the University's website.

This award of £5,000 per annum is for applicants to a masters degree programme in any Romance literature, language or dialect. Preference may be given to those working in language studies: we can typically supervise research in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian. Applicants to our MSc in Translation Studies who wish to specialise in French or Spanish are also eligible. Regardless of programme, all candidates for this award must be a student or graduate of the University of Edinburgh. 

For 2026 entry, all eligible candidates who apply for their programme of study by Sunday 31 May 2026 will be considered. 


This award will be given to an eligible masters student on one of the following three programmes:

  • MSc by Research in French
  • MSc by Research in Spanish (Hispanic Studies)
  • MSc in Translation Studies - specialising in French or Spanish

The award covers tuition fees for a maximum of one year (at the Home/EU rate) and you'll need to have been domiciled in Scotland for a minimum of four years prior to starting your degree.

For 2026 entry, all eligible candidates who apply for their programme of study by Sunday 31 May 2026 will be considered. 


We are able to offer a small number of prizes for the following two masters programmes:

  • MSc in East Asian Studies (Korean Studies pathway)
  • MSc by Research in Korean Studies

Each prize is likely to be of £3,000.

The prizes have been made possible by the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS).

For 2026 entry, all eligible candidates who apply for their programme of study by Sunday 31 May 2026 will be considered.


We are likely to have two Masters scholarships available, each covering one year of UK tuition fees for the MSc in East Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

These scholarships are only available to students on our MSc in East Asian Studies who take a Chinese Studies pathway through the programme.

For 2026 entry, it is likely that all eligible candidates who apply for their programme of study by Sunday 31 May 2026 will be considered.


These awards contribute £5,000 towards tuition fees and are available to postgraduate students accepted onto our full-time MSc in Creative Writing.

For 2026 entry, all eligible candidates who apply for their programme of study by Sunday 31 May 2026 will be considered.


Designed to support the development of Japanese Studies in the UK, this scheme annually provides a limited number of postgraduate awards. Applicants to our MScR programme in Japanese are usually automatically considered for this award provided they apply by a certain date; applicants to our taught masters (MSc) in East Asian Studies who take the Japanese pathway through the programme can request to be considered, again if they apply by a certain date (usually early March).

The application window for 2025 entry has now closed and applicants contacted about the outcome. 


What other sources of funding are available?

The University publishes details of other funding sources. These range from awards sponsored by external organisations, to UK Government loans. Typically, you are eligible for these opportunities based on factors such as your nationality. 

Many schemes enable you to study on a programme of your choosing at the University of Edinburgh, including lots of programmes in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. So it is worth having a look at what else is available beyond opportunities unique to our School.

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