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.

Designed to support the development of Japanese Studies in the UK, this scheme annually provides a limited number of postgraduate awards, each worth £15,000.

Masters by Research (MScR) in Japanese

Applicants to our MScR programme in Japanese will automatically be considered for this award provided they apply to the programme by Friday 7 March 2025. 

Find out more and apply for the MScR in Japanese

MSc in East Asian Studies

Applicants to our taught masters (MSc) in East Asian Studies, who take the Japanese pathway through the programme, will also be considered for this award. Once you have applied to study on the MSc, you are required to email the LLC Postgraduate Scholarships Team stating:

  • your full name
  • the programme you have applied for 
  • the Student Number allocated to you

Email the LLC Postgraduate Scholarships Team

The application deadline for 2025 entry is Friday 7 March 2025.

Conditions and benefits 

The University’s Doctoral Stipend Policy does not apply to these awards. Award-holders are not entitled to receive top-up funding from the University, and any funds left over after fees have been paid will be provided as a lump sum payment. 

The award does not include parental or sick leave pay.

Find out more about The University of Edinburgh - Research Degree Fees 

Find out more about The University of Edinburgh - Taught Degree Fees

The recipient(s) of the award will be invited to be part of the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Studentship Alumni network and receive the newsletter and invitation to gatherings, as well as to the Nippon Foundation scholar’s association.


This award of £2,300 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. 

You do not need to apply for this award. For 2025 entry, all eligible candidates who apply for their programme of study by Monday 5 May 2025 will be considered. If you are offered an award, we aim to advise you by the end of July 2025. 


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.

You do not need to apply for this award. For 2025 entry, all eligible candidates who apply for their programme of study by Monday 5 May 2025 will be considered. If you are offered an award, we aim to advise you by the end of July 2025. 


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.

You do not need to apply for this scholarship. For 2025 entry, all eligible candidates who apply to take the Chinese Studies pathway through the East Asian Studies MSc by Monday 5 May 2025 will be considered. If you are offered a scholarship, we aim to advise you by the end of July 2025. 


We hope 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).

You do not need to apply for these prizes. For 2025 entry, all eligible candidates who apply for their programme of study by Monday 5 May 2025 will be considered. If you are offered a prize, we aim to advise you by the end of July 2025. 


These awards contribute £2,400 towards tuition fees and are available to postgraduate students accepted onto our full-time MSc in Creative Writing.

You do not need to apply for this award. For 2025 entry, all eligible candidates who apply for the Creative Writing MSc programme by Monday 5 May 2025 will be considered. If you are offered an award, we aim to advise you by the end of July 2025. 


Five student scholarships of £5000 each are available to exceptional students starting the MSc in the Globalised Muslim World programme. The scholarships are available to both UK and international students and are awarded on a competitive basis.

The application window for 2025 entry is now open. It closes at the end of July 2025. To be considered, you must apply for your MSc in the Globalised Muslin World before applying for the scholarship.


What else is out there?

The University publishes details of other funding sources that may be of interest, including UK Government Loans and studentships sponsored by external organisations.

Find out about UK Government loans and other funding sources on the University's webpages

Related links

This article was published on