Scholarships, bursaries and discounts for international students

As part of our commitment to our international student family, we are delighted to offer a range of prestigious tuition scholarships on courses starting in September 2025.

The University of Derby is a TEF Gold institution, and it is important to us that we attract the brightest, most ambitious, and capable students. We want scholars who enhance our community of excellence and who will build their future here in the UK or will be a proud alumni representative of the University around the world.

Subject to conditions outlined below, we can confirm that students will be eligible for the award of a Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship of £2,000, which will be deducted from their first-year tuition fee. This £2,000 scholarship is in addition to our existing Full Payment Discount whereby students who pay their annual tuition fee in full ahead of enrolment benefit from a £1,000 discount.*

Who can apply?

To be eligible students must be:

• An overseas fee payer
• Self-financing their tuition fees
• Entering a UK campus-based full-time taught postgraduate course or a full-time taught undergraduate course
• Starting in September 2025
• Studying at the University of Derby for the first time

Students who qualify for the Vice-Chancellor’s scholarship will not be eligible for the International Alumni Discount or any other University financial awards (apart from the Full Payment Discount).

How students will receive their scholarship 

The Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship award will be automatically applied. It will be deducted from the fee amount outstanding, which should be paid in line with university guidance.  

Students who receive an award will still need to:

• Meet any academic conditions in their offer
• Have paid their deposit of £8,000
• Have successfully completed their pre-CAS interview (if appropriate)
• Have been issued a CAS (if appropriate)
• Have completed enrolment

Students who pay the full international fee upfront, prior to enrolling, will receive an additional £1,000 fee discount. 

For students wanting to confirm their place and ensure they can satisfy immigration requirements (including their pre-CAS interview) in time to arrive in the country by the start of the course, we strongly recommend that the above steps are completed ASAP.

Need help?

For questions about Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship, please contact our Admissions office on askadmissions@derby.ac.uk.

*For further details on the £2,000 Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship and £1,000 Full Payment Discount visit our Scholarships, Bursaries and Discounts webpage and note that Terms and Conditions apply. 

In partnership with the British Council and the GREAT British Campaign, this scholarship programme offers financial support of £10,000 to eligible students from India pursuing one year of postgraduate study at the University of Derby, as part of our September 2025 intake.

A separate application is required through an online form once you have received your offer. Applicants must be on one of the following courses:

• Big Data Analytics MSc
• Cyber Security MSc
• Information Technology MSc

GREAT Scholarships full details

Full tuition fee and stipend for talented and motivated postgraduate students to study MSc Intelligence, Security, and Disaster Management from September 2025. Applications open to students from the following Commonwealth countries:

• Bangladesh

• Belize

• Botswana

• Cameroon

• Dominica

• Eswatini

• Fiji

• Gabon

• Ghana

• Grenada

• Guyana

• India

• Jamaica

• Kenya

• Kiribati

• Lesotho

• Malawi

• Malaysia

• Maldives

• Mauritius

• Montserrat

• Mozambique

• Namibia

• Nauru

• Nigeria

• Pakistan

• Papua New Guinea

• Rwanda

• Saint Helena

• Saint Lucia

• Saint Vincent and The Grenadines

• Samoa

• Sierra Leone

• Solomon Islands

• South Africa

• Sri Lanka

• Tanzania

• The Gambia

• Togo

• Tonga

• Tuvalu

• Uganda

• Vanuatu

• Zambia

The deadline for this scholarship has now passed.

More information can be found on the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship website.

The Chevening scholarship is a fully-funded scholarship for postgraduate students. This includes tuition fees, accommodation and flights. 

Eligible students will have passion, ideas, and influence to provide the solutions and leadership needed to create a better future. 

Please see the full list of eligible countries on the Chevening website.

A separate application is required through the Chevening website. Please refer to the Chevening website for the application timeline.

Please note that the Chevening Scholarship has closed applications for 2025.

Apply on the Chevening website

If you pay your annual tuition fee in full ahead of enrolment, you will benefit from a £1,000 discount. If full payment is received prior to issuing your CAS, we will adjust the remaining fees that you need to show your financial requirements accordingly. Terms and Conditions apply.

25% alumni discount

The 25% alumni discount is available if you graduated in the academic years 2023/24 or 2024/25 and are fully enrolled on a postgraduate programme by July 2026. 

This offer applies to full-time and part-time campus-based masters programmes and is applicable for students who have graduated from a full-time or part-time undergraduate degree course at the University of Derby. This offer also applies to any graduate wishing to progress onto an online postgraduate programme.*

*Exclusions apply:

• Postgraduate research courses
• PGCE courses
• Corporate learning programmes
• LBR programmes (learning beyond registration)
• CPD courses
• Integrated masters
• MSc Pre-registration courses
  • MSc Nursing (Adult) Pre-registration
  • MSc Nursing (Mental Health) Pre-registration
  • MSc Diagnostic Radiography Pre-registration
  • MSc Occupational Therapy Pre-registration

10% alumni discount

All other alumni will receive a 10% discount. This is applicable if you graduated before 2023/24 and is not in addition to the 25% discount. 

This offer applies to full-time and part-time campus-based masters programmes and is applicable for students who have graduated from a full-time or part-time undergraduate degree course at the University of Derby.* This offer also applies to any graduate wishing to progress onto an online postgraduate taught programme. 

If you enrol on a PhD or DProf, you will also be eligible for a 10% discount. The discount is fixed, regardless of when you graduated. You can find further information on our postgraduate research fees and funding page.

*Exclusions apply:

• PGCE courses
• Corporate learning programmes
• LBR programmes (learning beyond registration)
• CPD courses
• Integrated masters
• MSc Pre-registration courses
  • MSc Nursing (Adult) Pre-registration
  • MSc Nursing (Mental Health) Pre-registration
  • MSc Diagnostic Radiography Pre-registration
  • MSc Occupational Therapy Pre-registration

How it works

Discounts must be requested at the time of enrolment and will not be automatically applied. You will need to provide your degree certificate when enrolling as evidence that you have studied with us before.

To check whether the discount applies to the course you intend to study, call the Student Records and Awards team on +44 (0)1332 593110 or email studentrecordsandawards@derby.ac.uk.