Eligibility

To be eligible for the scholarship you must:

• be classed as an international student for fee-paying purposes
• be self-financed and not in receipt of non-repayable funding from alternative sources
• be holding an offer for an eligible undergraduate degree commencing in September 2026 at the point of submitting your scholarship application
• submit your scholarship application by 23:59 Friday 3 April 2026 (UK time)

You must meet the original, published admissions criteria for your programme. Applicants who do not meet the original, admissions criteria will not be eligible for the Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship, even if they are accepted into the University.

The Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship is available to eligible students studying on selected undergraduate degree programmes.

All undergraduate programmes in the schools of Dentistry, Medicine and Healthcare are not included in the Undergraduate International Excellence Scholarship scheme. These include:

• Dental Hygiene (DipHE)
• Dental Surgery (BDS)
• Dental Therapy and Dental Hygiene (BSc)
• Medicine (MBBCh)
• Medicine: Graduate Entry (MBBCh)
• Bachelor of Nursing (Adult) (BN)
• Bachelor of Nursing (Child) (BN)
• Bachelor of Nursing (Mental Health) (BN)
• Diagnostic Radiography and Imaging (BSc)
• Midwifery (BMid)
• Occupational Therapy (BSc)
• Physiotherapy (BSc)
• Radiotherapy and Oncology (BSc)

Conditional offer holders

• you must confirm Cardiff University as your firm choice by the UCAS deadline, and meet all offer conditions, including any English language conditions, by 31 August 2026
• applicants who do not meet the original, published admissions criteria for their programme will not be eligible for the Undergraduate Excellence Scholarship, even if they are accepted to the university.

Unconditional offer holders

• you must confirm Cardiff University as your firm choice by your UCAS deadline
• you must have met the original, published admissions criteria for your programme. Applicants who do not meet the original, published admissions criteria for their programme will not be eligible for the Undergraduate Excellence Scholarship, even if they are accepted to the university.

Terms and Conditions

1. The Cardiff University Undergraduate International Excellence Scholarship ('the scholarship') is £10,000 scholarship applied to the first year of study only.

1.1. This will be awarded in the form of a tuition fee discount only and cannot be used in place of any required deposit. No cash alternative is available.

2. Applications will be assessed on the quality of the scholarship application and academic application, along with predicted and final grades.

2.1 Successful applicants need to meet the original, published admissions criteria for their programme. Applicants who are awarded a scholarship but do not meet the original, published admissions criteria will have the scholarship rescinded.

2.2 Successful applicants will be required to confirm acceptance of the scholarship within 14 days of it being awarded. Failure to accept within this period may result in the award being reallocated.

3. The scholarship is for entry into Cardiff University in the autumn semester of the academic year 2026/27 only and cannot be used in any other year of entry. It is for year one entry only.

3.1. If you are a deferred offer holder, you must have met the original, published admissions criteria for your programme for 2026/27 entry to be considered for the scholarship.

3.2. If you are awarded a scholarship and wish to defer your entry to the university your scholarship will not be transferred. However, you will be eligible to apply for scholarships applicable for 2027/28 entry.

4. Future requests for further funding will not be considered under this scheme. The scholarship cannot be used to fund repeat years.

5. Applicants who are in receipt of any other scholarship, bursary, funding or discount will not be eligible for the scholarship.

6. The scholarship is available for full-time and Cardiff campus-based taught programmes only.

7. You must be confirmed as an overseas student for fee-paying purposes (this information is contained in your offer letter*).

8. The scholarship is only available to self-funded students.

8.1. If you are in receipt of funding (consisting of either tuition fees or tuition fees and living costs) from an external body which will be invoiced by the university for fees (such as government, charity or a private organisation) you are not eligible for the scholarship. Students in receipt of educational loans are eligible for the award.

9. The scholarship is not available for students who are coming to study at Cardiff University for a semester or full year as part of a degree at another institution.

10. The scholarship is not available to students who are initially awarded the scholarship but, following enrolment at the university, subsequently transfer to an academic programme which is not eligible for the award of the scholarship.

11. You must be able to satisfy all financial requirements as part of your visa application for study in the UK. You should not be solely relying on receiving the scholarship to meet the UKVI financial requirements. Further information on UKVI financial requirements for visa applications can be found online on the Visas and immigration page.

12. Please ensure that you leave sufficient time for your application and supporting documents to be reviewed and processed before the acceptance deadline noted above. This can take up to 10 working days. Please contact the Admissions Office should you have any problems submitting your application or documents. Tel: +44 (0) 2920 879999 – office hours are 09:00 – 17:00 GMT, Monday – Friday.

If you are not sure about your eligibility for these scholarships or have any queries, please contact the International Office for advice at internationalscholarships@cardiff.ac.uk

Late applications will not be accepted under any circumstances. Apply ahead of the deadline to allow for any technical issues.