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How to apply for a College of Arts and Law Masters scholarship

For an application for funding to be considered, we must have received the following by the relevant deadline:

  1. Application to study
  2. Completed online funding application form
  3. Two valid references

1. Apply to study

Before applying to a College of Arts and Law Masters scholarship, you must have completed an application to study a relevant course at Birmingham. To make an application to study, please visit your chosen course's webpage and click the 'Apply now' button in the centre of the page.

2. Complete funding application

Once you have made an application to study, you will need to complete the relevant online scholarship application form below and submit it by 16:00 on 5 April 2024 for Masters scholarships. When clicking 'Submit', you will receive an on screen 'Thanks for the submission' message, which confirms that a submission has been made. If you have applied for Economic and Social Research Council funding, you will also need to make a separate application to the College of Arts and Law scholarships.

  • Applications are closed for this round of funding

Once you have submitted the above form, your application will automatically be considered for any other relevant scholarships in the list below that you may be eligible for, without you having to make additional applications.

There are several other funding schemes available, which may have alternative application processes and deadlines. If you would like to be considered for these awards, you will need to make a separate application. Please find further details on our funding page.

3. Submit references

Your application must also be supported by two references. It is your responsibility to forward the link to both of your nominated referees and tell them that their references must be submitted via the online form by the application deadline. We would advise you to contact your referees ahead of the deadline to ensure that references have been completed and submitted.

Only references completed on the relevant online reference form will be accepted. Late references will not be considered.

  • Applications are closed for this round of funding

For further information, please review our frequently asked questions for our Masters scholarships below, which may help to answer many of the questions you have about the awards.

4. Selection process

In order for your application to be considered we will need to have received a complete application, i.e. study application, online funding application and two online references received by the deadline. Your application will then be processed as follows:

College of Arts and Law Masters scholarships

  • Graded and ranked by School Panels
  • Each School will recommend their top applicants for an award
  • A College Panel consisting of: CAL Graduate School Deputy Director (Chair) and School Heads of Postgraduate Taught (or representative) will meet to consider the School recommendations and to award any additional scholarships (depending on funding available) through a ranking process.

5. Outcome of application

You will be notified at various stages of the process.

If you are shortlisted, your application will be considered for any relevant College of Arts and Law scholarships. We will let you know as soon as possible the outcome of your application - usually within the period from early May to the end of June.

If you have any further queries, please email calpg-research@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

6. Doctoral scholarships

The College of Arts and Law are only accepting Doctoral Scholarship applications via the AHRC or ESRC application process.

If you have any queries on scholarships please contact: calpg-research@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Masters scholarships frequently asked questions

As a Distance Learning applicant, am I eligible to apply for the College Masters Scholarships?

The College of Arts and Law Masters Scholarships are for campus based students only and you would not therefore be eligible. However, there may be other funding opportunities for which you are eligible as a Distance Learning applicant. Please check each scholarship's eligibility criteria.

As a part-time applicant am I able to apply for the College Masters Scholarship?

If you are applying for part-time study to start your programme from the beginning of the academic session 2024-25 you would be able to apply for the College Masters scholarships.

These scholarships are awarded at the start of a programme only and therefore as a current first year part-time student you would not be able to apply for the second year of your study.

Can I apply for a College Masters Scholarship if I have not yet received an offer for a place to study at University of Birmingham?

Yes, you can apply in advance of receiving an offer on your application for a place to study. However, by 16:00 on 5 April 2024 you must have submitted an application to study to the University of Birmingham.

What do I need to include for the questions 'What academic qualifications and/or professional expertise do you have that make you a good candidate for this programme?'

Please explain what you hope to achieve through this programme. You are encouraged to refer to specific modules you might take, research you might pursue for your dissertation, and/or the way the course relates to your long-term goals

Your answers should be no more than 4,000 characters per question.

Two references are needed for the College Masters Scholarship funding application and the University of Birmingham programme of study application. Can I use the same references?

In order for your funding application to be considered we will need to receive two funding references on the online College of Arts and Law Masters funding reference form by 16:00 on 5 April 2024. No other format of reference will be considered for funding. These funding references can also be used for Admissions purposes but not the other way round.

What happens if my referees do not submit their reference on the correct form or if references are not received by the deadline?

It is your responsibility to contact your referees with the link to the online College of Arts and Law Funding reference form and explain to them the importance of this reference being completed on this online form only and submitted by the deadline. We would recommend that you are in touch with your referee ahead of the deadline to ensure that references have been completed.

There is no leeway with references, they must be received by the deadline. If references are received late they will not be considered. If references are received but are not on the correct online funding reference form they will not be considered. In any of these circumstances your application will be deemed incomplete and will be withdrawn from the competition.

If I am a current undergraduate student do I need to submit funding references for my funding application?

Yes, you are still required to obtain two references. Both of your referees must complete the online College of Arts and Law Funding reference form and submit by 16:00 on 5 April 2024. It is important that the references are up-to-date and comment on your most recent achievements since you started your programme.

If I go over the character count in my funding application what will happen to my application?

It is important that you adhere to the character count. If you go over the character count your application will be withdrawn from the competition.

When will I hear if my College of Arts and Law Masters Scholarship funding application has been successful?

You will be notified at various stages of the process. If you are shortlisted, your application will be considered for all the relevant College scholarships. We will let you know as soon as possible the outcome of your application - usually within the period from early May to the end of June. 

If I have been awarded a scholarship and changed my mode of study i.e. from Campus based to Distance Learning will I be able to retain my scholarship?

The College of Arts and Law Masters scholarships are awarded for campus based study only. As you would have been awarded the scholarship with this eligibility criteria unfortunately a change to distance learning would mean that the scholarship would end at the point of transfer.