Fees and funding
Apply for bursaries, loans, scholarships and funding to support your studies.
Undergraduate funding
As well as student loans to cover fees and maintenance, UK/EU students may also be entitled to a University bursary or scholarship.
Read more about student finance options.
International students may be eligible for The Global Futures Scholarship. This is open to both undergraduate and master's students holding an offer from the University for full-time study on campus in Manchester for September 2026.
Taught master's funding
As well as the postgraduate loan scheme offered by the UK government to eligible UK/EU students, we offer a range of awards for both home/EU and international students at taught master's level.
Applicants to HCRI who apply for School master's-level funding will automatically be considered for HCRI bursaries.
Explore funding opportunities for master's study.
This scholarship is open to applicants who hold an offer from Manchester for taught master's courses.
More information is available on the Global Futures Scholarship page.
The University of Manchester's Equity and Merit Scholarships are for international students from Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe, who have the potential to make a significant contribution to sustainable development in their home countries.
The awards are intended for those who couldn't afford to study in Manchester without a scholarship. We offer two types of scholarship:
- full-time, on-campus master’s (one-year duration);
- part-time distance learning master’s (three to five years' duration).
To apply for a scholarship, you will need:
- to be a resident citizen of Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda or Zimbabwe, and have not previously studied outside of Africa (training of six months or less does not count);
- at least two years of professional experience related to your chosen field of study (this does not include unpaid internships or voluntary work);
- a bachelor’s degree (you must have graduated before September 2024) with an overall excellent grade. The awards are for academically outstanding students and typically this means that you are in the top 10% of your class;
- to be committed to returning home and able to demonstrate the potential to make a positive impact on the future of your home country;
- a clear idea of how studying at Manchester will benefit both your career and the wider community.
The scholarships cover full tuition fees, and for students who will be studying in Manchester, the award includes return international airfares, living expenses and visas. The courses that are applicable are:
- Global Health MSc (Distance Learning);
- Humanitarianism and Conflict Response MA;
- International Disaster Management MSc.
Find out more about how to apply.
Postgraduate research funding
While you can apply for a PhD place at any time, if you wish to apply for funding for the upcoming academic year, you must have submitted your PhD and funding applications by early February.
Explore funding opportunities for postgraduate study.
Funding is available from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for students to pursue postgraduate study through a master's (one year) leading into a PhD (three years).
This is referred to as a 1+3 programme.
It requires a project proposal as part of the application.
Information is available on the North-West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership.
Applicants to HCRI are considered under the ‘Development and Humanitarianism in an Unequal World’ pathway of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Applying for an ESRC studentship requires you to complete a separate application to your main University application.
Ideally, you should have or be expecting a Distinction at master's level.
Find out more at Development and Humanitarianism pathway.
If you are an international applicant, it is worth seeing what your own home country research councils offer or investigating Commonwealth Scholarship awards.
HCRI offers fully funded PhD studentships supporting research in humanitarianism, conflict response, global health, disaster management, and peacebuilding.
These studentships cover full tuition fees for three years (or six years part-time), an annual maintenance stipend, and a research training support grant. Applicants should hold a 2:1 or higher undergraduate degree and a Master’s degree with strong academic performance.
Applications open for the 2026 intake, with a deadline of 12 January 2026. Interested candidates must apply for both the HCRI PhD programme and the ESRC North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP) studentship.
For full details and application information, visit HCRI Studentships.
Other funding
For current students, we also have bursaries available to cover some of the costs of our undergraduate and postgraduate research field trips up to £500 per student.
These trips are to locations such as Uganda, Northern Ireland and India.