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Undergraduate International Excellence Scholarships

Our nine Undergraduate International Excellence scholarships for 2026 offer £10,000 awards to undergraduate international students who can demonstrate their academic potential.

How to apply

The scholarships are open to new undergraduate international students starting an eligible programme in autumn 2026.

Students who hold an offer to study at Cardiff University on an eligible programme will be invited by email to complete an application form.

The application form will include the following question, which must be answered within a 300-word limit:

  • What specific achievements, actions, or evidence demonstrate that you should receive this scholarship?

Any text above the 300-word limit will not be considered as part of the application.

Key dates

Scholarship application deadline: 23:59 on 3 April 2026

  • scholarship acceptance deadline: 2 weeks after award allocation*
  • meeting of offer conditions: 31 August 2026

*scholarships which are not accepted within this timeframe may be reallocated to other students.

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 autumn 2026 at the point of submitting your scholarship application
  • submit your scholarship application by 23:59 Friday, 3 April 2026 (UK time)
  • 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 most 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.

Recipients of the scholarship will receive the award in the form of a tuition fee waiver/discount. No cash alternative is available and the award cannot be used in place of any required deposit.

The scholarship is for full-time students who will be based on the Cardiff campus and will start their studies in autumn 2026. The award cannot be used for any other year of entry.

Only self-funding international students are eligible, and you must be confirmed as an overseas student for fee-paying purposes. The scholarship is not open to students who are in receipt of funding from external bodies such as local government, charities or private organisations.

Further terms and conditions apply, please see our terms and conditions document for full details.

Invitations to apply for this scholarship are regularly sent to students on eligible programmes. If you have not received an email but feel that you are eligible, please contact the International Scholarships team.