Terms and conditions

The University of Birmingham is offering AI and Data Science Masters Scholarships in 2024-2025 for nine Masters programmes to upskill students from under-represented backgrounds to progress into the AI and Data Science workforce.

All AI and Data Science Scholarship offers are bound by the below terms and conditions. You should familiarise yourself with all of the below terms and conditions before applying to the AI and Data Science Scholarship.

The individual awards, that are cash payments worth £10,000 each, are part of £8.1 million funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Office for Artificial Intelligence to encourage more women, Black students, disabled students, and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to study artificial intelligence (“AI”) and data science postgraduate programmes.

If your application is successful, all offers are based upon the terms and conditions of the scholarship and further eligibility checks will be undertaken. All offers are made upon the assumption that any and all information you submit is truthful and accurate; the scholarship can and will be revoked if you are found to be in violation of the scholarship's terms and conditions at any point.

1. Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for the AI and Data Science Masters Scholarship, you must meet all of the following criteria:

Applicants must have submitted an application to study one of the below eligible courses commencing in the 2024-2025 academic year.
1. Eligible courses include the full- or part-time studying of:
  - MSc Bioinformatics
  - Online MSc Bioinformatics
  - MSc Computer Science
  - MSc Data Science
  - MSc Financial Technology
  - MSc Health Data Science
  - MSc Cognitive Neuroimaging & Data Science
  - MSc AI and Government
  - MSc AI and Sustainable Development
Applicants must have UK nationality or residency status and be classified as ‘Home fee status’ for tuition fee payment prior to the commencement of the applicant’s course start date that is outlined in their offer letter.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they are from at least one of the nine under-represented groups as identified by the Office for Students.
1. The nine under-represented groups identified are:
  - Black students (as defined by HESA codes: 21; 22; 29; 41; 42)
  - Female students
  - Disabled students
  - Students from low participation neighbourhood (POLAR Q1 and Q2)
  - Care experienced students
  - Estranged students
  - Gypsy, Roma, Traveller students
  - Refugees
  - Children from military families, veterans and partners of military personnel.
2. Of all the under-represented groups listed, priority will be given to applicants identified as Black, Female, or Disabled.
3. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they are classified as one of the above under-represented groups, as per the criteria identified by the Office for Students, outlined in the below table under 'Eligibility Definitions'. All scholarship offers are conditional until sufficient evidence has been provided after the scholarship is offered to the applicant; no payment will be made until evidence has been provided and failure to produce evidence, within a timeframe stated in the scholarship offer email, may result in the withdrawal of the scholarship offer.
Applicants must be self-funding or applying for a Postgraduate UK Government Loan to pay your fees and not in receipt of any other financial support, including but not limited to scholarships, awards, bursaries, sponsorship or any other funding.

You should familiarise yourself with the Eligibility Definition tab below to ensure that you are eligible for the scholarship and can provide the necessary evidence when required.

Eligibility Definitions

	Under-represented Group	Eligibility Specification	Demonstrable Evidence
1	Black	In line with the HESA student ethnicity codes 2018/19: 21 - Black or Black British - Caribbean 22 - Black or Black British - African 29 - Other Black background 41 - Mixed - White and Black Caribbean 42 - Mixed - White and Black African	To evidence, ethnicity data will be collected on the scholarship application form and verified against the personal data recorded at course application.
2	Female	Applicants who are ‘female or identify as female’ gender.	To evidence, data will be collected on the scholarship application form and verified against the personal data recorded at course application.
3	Disabled	You are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. ‘Substantial’ is more than minor or trivial, e.g. it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed. ‘Long-term’ means 12 months or more, e.g. a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection. There are special rules about recurring or fluctuating conditions, e.g. arthritis.	To evidence, data will be collected on the scholarship application form and verified by Student Disability Services.
4	Student from postcode areas Q1 & Q2	Postcodes classified as ‘POLAR 4, Quintile 1 and 2’ by the Office for Students as ‘those wards with the lowest participation for entering Higher Education’. Check to see if your area is in quintile 1 or 2 (Q1 or Q2)	To evidence, ‘Low Participation Neighbourhoods (POLAR 4, QUINTILE 1 and 2)’ residential postcode data will be collected on the scholarship application form and verified by the University.
5	Care experienced	A care experienced person is someone who has spent time in care during their childhood.	Proof of care leaver status in the form of written documentation from the student’s local authority (corporate parent) will be required.
6	Estranged	An irreconcilably estranged person is someone who has not had any verbal or written contact with their parents for a significant period of time, and this is unlikely to change. This can include your biological or adoptive parents, or your only living parent. A significant period of time is usually considered to be twelve months or longer, but this can also depend on your circumstances.	Proof of estranged status through a professional in the community i.e. doctor, teacher, will be required before any payment can be made. Applicants over the age of 21 will be required to provide evidence of prior estrangement.
7	Gypsy, Roma, Traveller	The term Gypsy, Roma and Traveller encompasses a wide range of individuals who may be defined in relation to their ethnicity, heritage, way of life and how they self-identify. This may include: English or Welsh Romany Gypsies European Roma Irish Travellers Scottish Gypsy Travellers show people such as people linked with fairground or circus professions people living on barges or other boats people living in settled (bricks and mortar) accommodation New Age Travellers	To evidence Gypsy Traveller, data will be collected on the scholarship application form and verified against the personal data recorded at course application.
8	Refugee	The definition of a Refugee as defined on the UKCISA website is: (a) you must be ordinarily resident in England on the first day of the first academic year of your course; and (b) you must: have been recognised as a refugee by the UK Government and have remained ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands since then; Or be the spouse/ civil partner of such a refugee and have been in that relationship on the date on which he/she made his/her application for asylum; Or be the child of such a refugee, or the child of such a refugee's spouse / civil partner, and be able to show that on the date that refugee made his/her application for asylum, you were: under 18 years of age; and the refugee was your parent, or your parent's spouse / civil partner	Applicants must be able to verify their immigration status and are required to provide evidence in the form of a: Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) Home office letter confirming immigration status Passport with vignettes Application registration card (asylum)
9	Child from UK Military family, veterans or partner of UK Military personnel	From a military family, where immediate family member (partner, child, sibling) is or was part of the UK military/ military personnel/a veteran.	To evidence UK Military family, data will be collected on the scholarship application form and additional written documentation from the appropriate UK military body may be required.

All applications must be submitted before the final application deadline(s) as advertised on the scholarship webpage.
Applicants who do not meet all of the above criteria, outlined in the 'Eligibility Criteria' section, will not be considered for a scholarship.

2. Judging Criteria

Only applications that meet all of the Eligibility Criteria will be considered.
Applications submitted after the deadlines as listed on the AI and Data Science Scholarship webpage will not be considered. Due to the high volume of applications, the University reserves the right to close the scholarship scheme early, meaning that any successive round(s) after the first round of applications may not be executed, despite any initial plans of operating multiple rounds, if all scholarships are allocated to successful applicants.
The awards will be allocated on the basis of merit – simply meeting the eligibility criteria will not guarantee that an application is successful. We will adopt a gathered field approach where decisions on the final allocation of all awards will be considered by a scholarship selection panel.
Selection will be determined by a University scholarship panel based on the following criteria:
- Under-represented group score - All applications will be assessed using a points-based system and priority scoring will be given to criteria.
- Academic achievement, aptitude and skills - Scholarships will consider performance in previous studies. Learners will be ranked by the Scholarship Panel based on performance.
- Student motivation - Based upon the personal statement submitted, the panel will consider the student’s interest in the subject, ability to demonstrate that their background has sufficiently prepared them for the programme, relevant academic, professional, and extra-curricular activities, alongside any relevant experience and how the course will fit into their future plans.
In the case of oversubscription, scoring will prioritise:
- Students who are identified within two or more under-represented groups as outlined in the Eligibility Criteria.
- Black students based on the rationale that they are just 5% of new Postgraduate taught entrants in within University of Birmingham and are under-represented in highly-skilled employment: 426 new entrants in academic year 2022/2023; the largest distinction attainment gap of all ethnicities of 23.4% in 2020/2021; and lower non-completion rate than White or Mixed individuals.
- Female students based on the rationale that they are under-represented in the technology sector although females are still the majority of new Postgraduate Taught entrants within the student body at University of Birmingham.
- Disabled students based on the rationale that they are the second most under-represented group within University of Birmingham with 501 new entrants in academic year 2022/2023 and are under-represented in highly-skilled employment.

3. Payment of the Scholarship

As outlined above under the Eligibility Criteria, payment will only be made once sufficient evidence has been provided to verify applicant’s status as a part of their under-represented group. Once all evidence has been verified, the scholarship will be paid in two instalments:

50% will be paid towards the start of semester one once the student has completed online registration;
The remaining 50% will be paid towards the start of semester two.

All payments are subject to the termination conditions outlined below.

4. Termination

In any of the circumstances set out below the AI and Data Science Scholarship will be withdrawn and you will receive no (or no further) payments from the University:

If you permanently leave the University due to illness (whether or not following a Leave of Absence under the University’s Code of Practice on Leave of Absence procedures);
If you leave the University voluntarily for reasons other than illness;
If you are required to withdraw from the University due to disciplinary or fitness to practise proceedings;
If you fail to complete satisfactorily the requirements of your programme.

The University reserves the right to demand the repayment of any instalment or instalments (or part thereof) of the AI and Data Science Scholarship paid to you in conditions 2 or 3 set out above.

5. Leave of Absence

In the event that you take, or are required to take, a Leave of Absence during the academic year any AI and Data Science Scholarship payments still due will be suspended until you return from your Leave of Absence and re-register as a normally registered student with the University.

Upon re-registering you will be paid the balance of any instalments due from the academic year when the Leave of Absence was taken.

If you fail to return to the University after a Leave of Absence then the AI and Data Science Scholarship will be terminated and you will receive no (or no further) payments from the University, as outlined above.

Apply for your AI and Data Science Scholarship

You can find out more about this innovative scholarship and submit an application by using the below button.

find out more

FAQs

Who can apply?

The award is part of £8.1 million funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Office for Artificial Intelligence to encourage more women, Black students, disabled students, and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to study artificial intelligence (AI) and data science postgraduate programmes (see Eligibility Criteria above for full details).

Students must have a UK nationality or residence status.
Students must have already submitted a study application for a place on one of the above eligible courses at the University of Birmingham before applying for this scholarship. If you apply to the scholarship without submitting a study application for one of the above eligible courses, your scholarship application will be void.

Please note: the application for the AI and Data Science Scholarship is separate to the study application for your intended course above; you will need to submit a study application via the course's online application portal. It is recommended that you submit your study application before applying to the scholarship; if you do not submit a study application to your intended MSc course, your scholarship application will not be considered.

Eligibility and selection criteria

The AI and Data Science Masters Scholarships will be awarded to more than 110 candidates beginning Masters study in 2024.

Eligibility

In addition to having applied for a place for a University of Birmingham Data Science or AI related Masters course, applicants will need to demonstrate that they are categorised under at least one of the 9 underrepresented groups as identified by the OfS.

Applications for scholarships will initially be reviewed using a points-based system. Priority for these awards will be given to applicants in the following categories:

Black students (as defined by HESA codes: 21; 22; 29; 41; 42)
Female students
Disabled students
Students from low socioeconomic background (Index of Multiple Disadvantage quintiles 1 and 2, low household income)

They may also be available to:

Care experienced students
Estranged students
Gypsy, Roma, Traveller students
Refugees
Children from military families, veterans and partners of military personnel.

Applicants who do not meet any of the criteria above will not be considered for a scholarship.

Students must be self-funding or applying for a Postgraduate Government Loan to pay your fees and not in receipt of any other financial support including but not limited to scholarships, awards, bursaries, sponsorship or any other funding.

Judging criteria:

The awards will be allocated on the basis of merit – simply meeting the eligibility criteria will not guarantee that an application is successful. We will adopt a gathered field approach where decisions on the allocation of all 100 awards will be considered by a single scholarship selection panel.

Selection will be determined by a University scholarship panel based on the following criteria:

Underrepresented group score - All applications will be assessed using a points-based system and priority scoring will be given to criteria
Aptitude and skills - Scholarships will consider performance in an aptitude test. Learners will be ranked by the Scholarship Panel based on performance in our on-line aptitude test.
Student motivation - The panel will consider the student’s interest in the subject, ability to demonstrate that their background has sufficiently prepared them for the programme, relevant experience and how the course will fit into their future plans.

Prioritising criteria in case of oversubscription

All applications will be assessed and priority scoring will be given to criteria 1-3.

Scoring will prioritise:

Students identified as within two or more under-represented groups.
Black students based on the rationale that they are just 5% of new Postgraduate taught entrants in 21/22 within University of Birmingham and underrepresented in highly skilled employment. 426 new entrants in 22/23. Largest distinction attainment gap of all ethnicities of 23.4% in 20/21. Lower non-completion rate than White or Mixed individuals .
Female students based on the rationale that they are underrepresented in the tech sector although females are still the majority of new PGT entrants within the student body at University of Birmingham.
Disabled students based on the rationale that they are the 2nd most underrepresented group within University of Birmingham with 501 new entrants in 22/23 and underrepresented in highly skilled employment.

Please view our website for the full terms and conditions of the scholarship.

Detailed Eligibility criteria

1	21 - Black or Black British - Caribbean 22 - Black or Black British - African 29 - Other Black background 41 - Mixed - White and Black Caribbean 42 - Mixed - White and Black African	In line with the HESA student ethnicity codes 2018/19
2	Female	Applicants who are ‘female or identify as female’ gender.
3	Disabled	You are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. ‘Substantial’ is more than minor or trivial, e.g. it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed. ‘Long-term’ means 12 months or more, e.g. a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection. There are special rules about recurring or fluctuating conditions, e.g. arthritis.
4a	Student from postcode areas Q1 & Q2	Postcodes classified as ‘POLAR 4, Quintile 1 and 2’ by Office for Students (OfS)- ‘those wards with the lowest participation for entering Higher Education’. Check to see if your area is in quintile 1 or 2 (Q1 or Q2)
4b	Parental occupation	Respondents self-code to the three-class version of NS-SEC. As follows:
		NS-SEC three-class version	SMC classification of SEB
		Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations	Professional background or higher socio-economic background
		Intermediate occupations	Intermediate background
		Routine and manual occupations	Working class background or lower socio-economic background
4c	Type of school attended	Type of secondary school the individual attended. Someone who attends a ‘state-run or state-funded school’ or ‘independent or fee-paying school’ who receive a bursary covering 90% or more of their tuition.
4d	Free school meal eligiblity	Free school meal eligibility
4e	Highest parental qualification	The highest qualification of their parent/ guardian/ carer
5	Care experienced	A care experienced person is someone who has spent time in care during their childhood.
6	Estranged	An irreconcilably estranged person is someone who has not had any verbal or written contact with their parents for a significant period of time, and this is unlikely to change. This can include your biological or adoptive parents, or your only living parent. A significant period of time is usually considered to be twelve months or longer, but this can also depend on your circumstances.
7	Gypsy, Roma, Traveller	The term Gypsy, Roma and Traveller encompasses a wide range of individuals who may be defined in relation to their ethnicity, heritage, way of life and how they self-identify. This may include: English or Welsh Romany Gypsies European Roma Irish Travellers Scottish Gypsy Travellers show people such as people linked with fairground or circus professions people living on barges or other boats people living in settled (bricks and mortar) accommodation New Age Travellers
8	Refugee	The definition of a Refugee as defined on the UKCISA website is: (a) you must be ordinarily resident in England on the first day of the first academic year of your course; and (b) you must: have been recognised as a refugee by the UK Government and have remained ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands since then; Or be the spouse/ civil partner of such a refugee and have been in that relationship on the date on which he/she made his/her application for asylum; Or be the child of such a refugee, or the child of such a refugee's spouse / civil partner, and be able to show that on the date that refugee made his/her application for asylum, you were: under 18 years of age; and the refugee was your parent, or your parent's spouse / civil partner
9	Child from UK Military family, veterans or partner of UK Military personnel	From a military family, where immediate family member (partner, child, sibling) is or was part of the UK military/ military personnel/a veteran.

How do I apply for the AI and Data Science Scholarship?

To be considered for an award, applicants must, by the deadline, have done both of the following:

Made an application to their intended Masters programme. Please apply through the relevant programme page on the Course finder section of the University of Birmingham website. This must include all of the relevant supporting documentation: references, transcripts if available, and English language certification if applicable.
Completed the AI and Data Science Masters Scholarships application form

You should enter the application ID number that you were given during the application to your Masters programme.

If you are unsuccessful in one round, your application will automatically be carried over to the next round: you do not need to re-apply.

When are the deadlines for the scholarship?

The deadline(s) can be found on the AI and Data Science Scholarship webpage.

If you are unsuccessful in one round, your application will automatically be carried over to the next round: you do not need to re-apply.

Due to the high volume of applications, the University reserves the right to close the scholarship scheme early, meaning that any successive round(s) after the first round of applications may not be executed, despite any initial plans of operating multiple rounds, if all scholarships are allocated to successful applicants.

What is the Mathematics for Data Science Pre-Sessional Bootcamp?

To accompany the support offered to the under-represented groups that this scholarship will benefit, the University of Birmingham is proud to be offering a Mathematics Pre-sessional Bootcamp to all Home and International students that wish to study on one of the nine above courses. This pre-sessional will enhance the accessibility of our courses by providing students with confidence in their mathematical ability that is essential for Masters study.

The bootcamp will take place online between Monday 26 August until Thursday 19 September 2024. The course has designed to be flexible in study, meaning that travel to Birmingham is optional. The course will be structured self-guided learning with tutorial sessions with academic supervisors being offered both online and in-person.

How do I apply for the Mathematics Pre-sessional Bootcamp?

The application for the Mathematics Pre-sessional Bootcamp is separate from the application form for the AI and Data Science Scholarship. You can fill in our short application form for the Maths Pre-sessional Bootcamp using the above button that will redirect you to our dedicated webpage. The Bootcamp will be taking place online between Monday 26 August until Thursday 19 September 2024.

Unlike the AI and Data Science Scholarship, that is only open to students classified as Home for tuition fee payments, the Maths Pre-sessional Bootcamp is open to both Home and International students.

You will receive a confirmation email upon completing the Bootcamp application form and further details will be sent closer to the course's start date, Monday 26 August 2024.

Do I need to submit a study application for my course?

Yes, students must submit an application to study one of the above eligible courses before applying to the scholarship. If you only apply to the scholarship and don't submit a course application, the University will not be able to award you the scholarship; scholarship offers are entirely contingent upon you having an offer to study on one of the above eligible courses.

I am an international student. Am I eligible for scholarship funding?

No. Funding for this scholarship aims to address the skills gap and increase diversity in the UK AI and data science workforce. Therefore, to be eligible for this scholarship's funding students must meet the nationality or residency status criteria to qualify for the postgraduate masters’ loan.

However, international students are able to apply for the online mathematics pre-sessional bootcamp to enhance their confidence in their mathematical skills in preparation for their Masters study.

What does the scholarship cover?

Students who successfully apply for a scholarship will receive a £10,000 cash payment (in two instalments) which can be used to alleviate barriers to entry; for example: the cost of course fees; course materials; cost of living; and associated costs like childcare or transport. It will be awardees' responsibility to ensure that the scholarship is spent appropriately to alleviate such barriers.

I have received an email offering me the scholarship. How do I accept and receive payment?

If you have been successfully offered the scholarship, you will need to complete the acceptance form in your awarding email. Only once you have responded and accepted the scholarship will you receive the award; if you decline or do not respond by the deadline specified in your offer email, your scholarship will be reallocated.

After accepting the scholarship, you will receive an email to input your bank details via unique URL. This will be the nominated bank account that the scholarship will be paid into. Payment will only be processed once you have fully completed online registration; delays in completing online registration will result in the delaying of the scholarship payment.

The scholarship is paid in two £5,000 instalments towards the start of semester one and two, depending upon each course's start date.

Is the scholarship paid to the University or to me?

The scholarship, paid in two instalments towards the start of semester one and two, will be paid directly into the awardee's bank account. Upon being awarded the scholarship, successful awardees will be asked to input their nominated bank account via a unique URL. Once received, the payment of the scholarship typically takes between 5-10 working days, depending upon bank processing times.

The reason the scholarship is paid into awardee's bank account is because the scholarship can be used towards alleviating various barriers to entry and, although this includes tuition fee costs, awardees can decide whether they use the scholarship towards tuition fee payments or not.

It is the awardee's responsibility to monitor bank payment as notification of payment processing may not be possible.

How do I use the scholarship to pay towards my tuition fees?

Successful awardees are able to spend the £10,000 scholarship to alleviate various barriers to entry that would hinder pursuing further study; this includes tuition fee payments.

Students who accept an offer to study at the University of Birmingham will receive an invoice outlining the tuition fees that they will be liable to pay. Regardless of being awarded the scholarship or not, all students are therefore responsible for ensuring payment of these fees; payment is typically via a single payment or via direct debit (monthly or termly). Tuition fee payments will only be applicable once a student has completed online registration and enrolment.

Detailed information and guidance on how to pay your tuition fees can be found on our Funding pages.

When will I hear the outcome of my application?

Applications will be reviewed and marked after their respective deadlines. Successful applicants will be contacted typically within 3-4 weeks after the respective scholarship application deadline has passed. A scholarship offer email will be sent to awardees to accept or decline the scholarship offer; a deadline to respond will be included in this email. Students who are made a reserve will be contacted in due course as soon as any reallocated scholarships become available.

Due to the volume of applications for the scholarship, we are unable to offer individual responses to each application. Although we endeavour to keep you informed of scholarship updates, if you have not been contacted by the timeframes outlined in the above paragraph or by your course's start date, it may be the unfortunate case that your application has unsuccessful.

If I defer my course entry to the next year, can I still receive the scholarship?

No. The scholarship cannot be deferred and it is only tenable for one year. If you choose to defer your studies, you will need to re-apply for the scholarship in the next cycle if available.

Can I hold other scholarships alongside the AI and Data Science Scholarship?

No. As per the above terms and conditions of the award, the AI and Data Science Scholarship cannot be held in conjunction with any internal or external funding, such as bursaries, scholarships, fee waivers and more. For example, if you are successfully awarded the AI and Data Science Scholarship, you would not be able to hold the Birmingham Masters Scholarship nor the Postgraduate Progression Award.

However, students can apply for and receive a UK governmental loan as well as the AI and Data Science Scholarship.

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AI and Data Science Masters Scholarships terms and conditions