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Quick answer
The essentials at a glance
Yes, you can get UK scholarships for international students from Nepal. Most of them come from the university as money off your fee. Awards differ by level, course and university, and most are for a master's. Usually you get £2,000 to £6,000 off, often with your offer letter. Chevening is the main fully funded award you can apply for, but Commonwealth awards are not open to Nepal.
Key takeaways
Main points from this page
- Most UK awards for Nepali students take £2,000 to £6,000 off the university fee.
- Chevening is fully funded for a 1-year master's and needs at least 2 years (2,800 hours) of work after your degree.
- Nepal is not on the Commonwealth list, and it is not one of the 18 GREAT countries this round.
- Swansea University gives a £6,000 Nepal Bursary, and the University of South Wales gives £2,500 a year.
- An award on your CAS lowers the fee you show for the visa, but from 30 November 2026 you still show £1,203 a month outside London.
Can Nepali Students Get Scholarships in the UK?
Yes, Nepali students can get scholarships in the UK, and most of them come from the university as money off the fee.
Many students first hear about awards that pay for everything. Those are real, but there are few of them and many people apply. What most students from Nepal get is a few thousand pounds off the fee. It often comes with your offer letter, with no extra form. Some universities even keep awards just for students from Nepal, which is good news for you. New to all this? Our guide to study in UK from Nepal takes you from choosing a course to landing in the UK.
A scholarship lowers your fee, but it rarely pays for everything. So it helps to know your full budget first. Our page on the total cost to study in the UK from Nepal shows fees by level, so you can see how much an award really saves. Keep in mind that awards are easier to get for a master’s than for a bachelor’s. Most big awards are for study after your first degree.
What Types of UK Scholarships Can Nepali Students Get?
You can get money from the UK government, from the university as a scholarship or bursary, from a grant, or as a fee discount.
Each type works a little differently, and not every university uses the words the same way. So always read what the award really gives you. A scholarship is most often for good marks or a strong form. A bursary is often for students from one country, such as Nepal. A discount is just money off your fee if you pay early or pay the whole year at once.
Only government awards usually pay your fees, your living costs and your flight together. Most of them are for a master’s. Nearly every other award cuts the fee only, so you still need money for rent and food. Here is what each type means:
- Government award: paid by the UK, such as Chevening. It pays fees, living costs and travel for a 1-year master’s.
- University scholarship: money off your fee for good marks or a strong form, from about £1,000 up to the full fee.
- Country bursary: a set sum off the fee for students from some countries. A few universities name Nepal.
- Grant or hardship fund: help with living costs after you start, if you run short of money. It does not pay fees.
- Early-payment discount: money off if you pay your deposit or full fee by the date the university sets.
Which UK Scholarships Are Open to Nepali Students?
You can apply for Chevening, Oxford and Cambridge awards and Nepal awards, but not for Commonwealth or GREAT awards.
Many websites in Nepal still list every big UK award as if you can apply. But each award has its own list of countries, and the lists change. So check the official page before you spend weeks on a form. These are the awards students from Nepal ask about most:
Chevening Scholarships
Chevening is the UK government’s own award, and Chevening runs in Nepal. It pays for a one-year master’s in full. You need 2 years of work after your bachelor’s. You must also agree to come back to Nepal for 2 years. The form usually opens in August and closes in October.
Commonwealth Scholarships
These awards are only for people from Commonwealth countries. Nepal is not one of them. The Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships country list has India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but not Nepal. So you cannot apply, even though many websites say you can.
GREAT Scholarships
GREAT awards give £10,000 off the fee for a one-year master’s. This round, the GREAT Scholarships country list has 18 countries, and Nepal is not one of them. Nepal was on the list in some past years. So check it again each year before you plan for it.
Oxford: Clarendon and Rhodes
Apply for a master’s or DPhil at Oxford by the December or January date. Then you are put forward for a Clarendon scholarship with no extra form. It pays the full fee and at least £20,780 a year to live on. Rhodes is different. Nepal has no Rhodes place, and the Rhodes Global route you would use is on hold.
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Gates Cambridge is open to people from any country outside the UK, so you can apply. It pays the full cost of a PhD, an MLitt or a one-year master’s at Cambridge. It does not pay for an MBA or a bachelor’s. You apply on the same form as your course. Read the rules on the Gates Cambridge eligibility page.
Nepal-Only University Awards
Some UK universities keep awards just for students from Nepal. These are the easiest to get. Most are given when you get your offer, as long as you pay your own fees, so there is often no extra form. The next section lists them with their amounts. Our list of UK universities for Nepali students helps you find more.
Which UK Scholarships Are Fully Funded?
Chevening, Clarendon and Gates Cambridge are fully funded and open to you, and all three are for study after a first degree.
A fully funded award pays your fee and gives you money to live on in the UK. That is why so many people apply and so few win. For a bachelor’s, there is almost no such award for students from Nepal. So plan on a part award plus family savings or an education loan. This table puts the main awards side by side, so you can see where to spend your time.
| Scholarship | Level | What it pays | Open to Nepal? | When to apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevening | 1-year master’s | Fees, money to live on each month, flights | Yes | Usually August to October |
| Clarendon (Oxford) | Master’s and DPhil | Full fee and at least £20,780 a year | Yes, no extra form | Oxford’s December or January date |
| Gates Cambridge | PhD, MLitt, 1-year master’s | Full cost of study | Yes | With your Cambridge form |
| Commonwealth Master’s | Master’s | Fees, £1,712 a month, flights | No, Nepal is not in the Commonwealth | Not open to Nepal |
| GREAT Scholarships | 1-year master’s | £10,000 off the fee | Not this round | Check the list each year |
| Rhodes (Oxford) | After a first degree | Full fees and money to live on | No Nepal route for now | Not open to Nepal |
The amounts above come from each award’s own page. If you are aiming for Oxford or Cambridge, read our profiles of the University of Oxford and Cambridge University too.
How Much Scholarship Can You Get from a UK University?
Most UK university awards for Nepali students take £2,000 to £6,000 off the fee, which is about Rs 4 to 12 lakh.
That is a real saving. But a UK master’s fee is often £17,000 or more, so you still pay most of it. Swansea University gives a Nepal Bursary of £6,000 off the fee, about Rs 12 lakh, to master’s students from Nepal who pay their own fees. The Swansea undergraduate Nepal Bursary takes £6,000 off the first year and £2,000 off each year after that.
The University of South Wales gives students from Nepal £2,500 a year, about Rs 5 lakh, for a bachelor’s or a master’s. The University of Sussex takes £4,000 off a master’s fee for Nepali students, about Rs 8 lakh. It adds this to your CAS on its own. Rupee amounts on this page are rounded, so check today’s value with our GBP to Rs forex converter. Awards usually fall into these bands:
- Discount for paying early or in full: about £500 to £1,000, or about Rs 1 to 2 lakh.
- Nepal bursary or award that comes with your offer: about £2,000 to £6,000, or about Rs 4 to 12 lakh.
- Award you apply for with good marks: about £5,000 to £10,000, or about Rs 10 to 20 lakh.
- Full fee or fully funded award: the whole fee, and at times living costs, for very few students.
Who Is Eligible for a UK Scholarship?
You can usually get an award if you meet the course’s grades, pay your own fees and apply on time, and big awards also want work experience.
For awards that come with your offer, the rule is simple. Get an offer, be an international student and pay the fee yourself or with family money. If a company or a government pays your fees, most of these awards are taken away. For awards based on marks, good grades matter most. So check your +2 grades with our NEB GPA calculator before you pick your list.
Chevening has the strictest rules. Its eligibility criteria say you must finish your bachelor’s at least 2 years before the last date. You also need 2 years (2,800 hours) of work after it. You apply to 3 UK courses and promise to go back to Nepal for 2 years. Your university sets the English score, so see the minimum IELTS and PTE for UK study. Most awards look for these things:
- An offer letter for a full-time course. It can be with or without conditions.
- Good marks in +2 or your bachelor’s. Awards based on marks often want a first or a high second class.
- An IELTS or PTE score that meets the course’s English rule.
- You pay your own fees. Most university awards stop if a sponsor pays for you.
- For Chevening, 2 years of work after your degree. An experience letter from each job helps.
How Do You Apply for a UK Scholarship from Nepal?
Start about 12 months before your course, apply to the university first, and then fill in any extra award form on time.
For most university awards, your course form is also your award form. So a good form sent early does two jobs. Chevening and some other awards need their own form and essays. They often close months before the course does. Our guide on how to apply to UK universities from Nepal covers the course side. These are the 6 steps most students from Nepal follow:
Step 1: Shortlist Courses and Awards
Pick 4 to 6 courses. Note each award the university gives to students from Nepal. Plan back from your start date with our UK intakes guide. Most awards are set up for the September intake.
Step 2: Check Eligibility and Deadlines
Read the rules of each award: the level, the subject, the grades, who pays your fees and the last date. Chevening usually closes in October. Oxford’s last dates for funding fall in December or January. If your letters carry Nepali dates, change them with our Nepali date converter.
Step 3: Prepare Your Documents
Most awards ask for the same set of documents. Get your transcripts from your board or university and two recommendation letters. Add a CV, your passport and an English test score.
Step 4: Write and Submit Your Application
Write a statement that shows your goals and why the course fits them. Our SOP for UK guide shows the format. Send it through the university’s site or the award’s own site, and keep the email you get back.
Step 5: Attend an Interview If Asked
Chevening talks to people from March to April at the British Embassy. Some universities also hold a talk for big awards. Be ready to speak about your work, your plans in Nepal and why you chose your course.
Step 6: Accept the Award and Check Your CAS
Accept the award by its date and read the terms. Your award should show on your CAS letter. Check the fee on it before you apply for your visa.
How Can You Improve Your Chances of a UK Scholarship?
Apply early, apply to a few universities that give Nepal awards, and write a clear, honest statement about your plans.
Many university awards close once the money runs out. So if you apply in the first few months, you have a better chance. Do not count on one big award. Students who do well apply to 4 to 6 universities and pick the best offer. That is how many students from Nepal save Rs 5 to 12 lakh. A master’s is a good time to aim for an award. Our guide to master’s in the UK shows the courses Nepali students choose most.
For Chevening, your essays matter more than your marks. So show real work you have done in Nepal and what you will do when you come back. Keep these points in mind:
- Apply in the first months the course opens, and at least 2 months before any award’s last date
- Choose universities that name Nepal on their award or country page
- Write each statement for that award; do not send the same text everywhere
- Ask your referees early, and give them your CV and a short note on the course
- Look at lower-fee options too; see our list of the cheapest universities in the UK
Does a Scholarship Change the Money You Show for the Visa?
Yes, if your award is on your CAS, you only show the fee still to pay and the living money the award does not cover.
The UK visa office counts an award as official financial sponsorship. Under the GOV.UK financial evidence rules, your CAS shows it. If it does not, add a letter from the sponsor with the date, the amount and how long it lasts. Say you get a £4,000 award. The fee on your CAS drops by about Rs 8 lakh, so your family shows less in the bank.
An award that pays the fee only does not change the living money. For visas applied for from 30 November 2026, you show £1,203 a month outside London, or £1,570 in London, for up to 9 months. For applications before that, the old rates of £1,171 and £1,529 apply. Our UK student visa requirements page explains this. A fully funded award that pays living costs can cover this part too. Many families fill the gap with savings or an education loan in Nepal. This is what an award usually covers, and what you still pay:
What a Scholarship Usually Covers
- Part of the fee, or the whole fee for a few top awards
- Living costs and flights only with fully funded awards such as Chevening
- At times a smaller award in the later years of a bachelor’s
What You Usually Still Pay
- The rest of your fee and the deposit for your CAS
- Rent, food and transport; see our cost of living in the UK guide
- The visa fee, health surcharge, TB test and flight for most part awards
After your course, an award does not change your right to stay and work. Our UK Graduate Route visa guide explains the rules after study. While you study, part-time work can help with living costs, within the UK student work hours rules. Our guide to part-time jobs in the UK shows the jobs Nepali students often do. If you want help to find the right award, you can get advice wherever you live in Nepal, even in a town like Dhangadhi. Our counselors work from branches in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Itahari and Pokhara, so get in touch with Goreto to plan your forms.
FAQs on UK Scholarships for International Students
Yes, but there are only a few. Chevening, Oxford’s Clarendon awards and Gates Cambridge pay for everything, and you can apply for them. Most students from Nepal get part of the fee off.
No. These awards are only for people from Commonwealth countries, and Nepal is not one of them. Chevening is the UK government award you can apply for.
Not right now. Nepal has no Rhodes place of its own, and the Global route you would use is on hold. Oxford’s Clarendon award is open to you and needs no extra form.
Chevening asks for an offer from a UK university with no conditions left. The university sets the English rule. So in most cases you need an IELTS or PTE score that your course takes.
Yes. Swansea University and the University of South Wales, for example, take a set sum off each year of a bachelor’s for students from Nepal. Full awards for a bachelor’s are very rare.
Yes, some business schools give MBA awards. Most pay part of the fee and ask for work experience. Gates Cambridge does not pay for an MBA, so check each school’s own page.
Often not. Many Nepal awards, such as the Swansea Nepal Bursary and the Sussex Nepal Scholarship, come with your offer. Chevening and awards based on marks need their own form.
It depends on the university. Some let you use an award and a discount for paying early or in full. Others let you use only one. Ask the university before you pay.
Yes, but it is rare. Chevening picks only a few students from Nepal each year, and Oxford and Cambridge awards are hard to win. Apply for them, but apply for university awards too.
Sources
Reference links
Disclaimer
Important guidance note
This page provides general guidance about studying abroad. Requirements, fees and policies can change. For advice about your situation, speak with a Goreto counselor before applying.
