How to fund your studies without a full scholarship

Plenty of students who never win a single award covering everything still get through their degree, usually by putting together support from several smaller sources and keeping their costs down. This page goes through the usual places that money comes from, then shows how to add it up.

It helps to picture the result as a stack. Each source covers part of the cost, cheaper living lowers the height you have to reach, and whatever is left at the top is the gap you still need to close.

Smaller scholarships

Several small awards can add up to a workable amount, and they tend to attract fewer applicants than the well-known schemes, so your odds on each are better. Look past the famous names to awards linked to your field, your background, your home region or a particular university. Two or three partial awards together can cover a surprising share of the bill.

Before counting on two awards at once, check the terms of each. Some funders do not allow you to hold another scholarship, and others reduce their award if you do. Our guide to what fully funded and partial scholarships cover explains how to read an award offer.

Funding from the university itself

Universities keep money aside to attract and hold on to students. Depending on the institution, that can mean:

• merit awards or fee reductions offered when you are admitted
• departmental bursaries for students on a specific programme
• hardship or access funds for students who run short once enrolled

Some of this is barely advertised, so write to the admissions and funding offices and ask what exists for someone in your position. A short, specific email works better than a general request for “any funding”.

Ask whether you are automatically considered for merit awards when you apply, or whether there is a separate form. Ask whether there are funds for international students in your programme, and when hardship funds open. Keep the replies; they are useful if you need to follow up later.

Assistantships and campus work

Postgraduate students can often work inside the university as teaching or research assistants. These posts usually reduce fees, pay a wage, or both, and the experience goes on your CV. Many countries also let international students work a limited number of hours during term, which can cover part of your living costs.

The limits on hours, and what counts as permitted work, depend on the country and your visa. Check the rules on the immigration authority’s website before you build earnings into your plan; our guide to working while you study covers the main points. Be realistic too about the time a demanding course leaves you. If you will not have the time to earn it, it does not belong in the budget.

Loans

A student loan is a serious commitment, though for some people it is a sensible part of the plan. Before signing, find out the interest rate, the repayment terms and the total you would end up owing. Borrow only what you need to close a specific gap; a loan that is meant to pay for everything is a much bigger risk.

Lowering the cost

The other half of the sum is what you spend. A cheaper city can save you more than a small scholarship would bring in, and living costs vary far more between places than tuition fees do, so compare the total cost of each option and look beyond the fee. Shorter or part-time routes are worth a look too, where they suit your goals, because they leave room to work alongside your studies.

Day-to-day choices add up over a year as well: shared accommodation, cooking rather than eating out, buying second-hand books, and using student discounts on transport. None of these is dramatic, but over the length of a degree they change the height of the stack.

Putting it into a budget

Write down the total cost of the degree, then list every source of support you can realistically expect, and look at the gap that remains. A small gap means you have a workable plan. A large one at least tells you exactly how much more you need to find, which is a better position than hoping it will somehow work out.

A simple worksheet is enough. Fill in your own figures from the university’s fee page, its published living cost estimate and your award letters:

Costs per year	Amount	Support per year	Amount	Confirmed?
Tuition fees		Scholarship or award		Yes / pending
Accommodation		University bursary or fee reduction		Yes / pending
Food and daily living		Assistantship or part-time work		Estimate
Visa, health cover, travel		Savings or family support		Yes / pending
Books, equipment, fieldwork		Loan		Yes / pending
Total cost		Total support

Mark which lines are confirmed and which are hopes. If the plan only works when every pending item comes through, it does not work yet. If you are applying for a student visa, you may also need to show some of these funds in a particular form; see proving funds for a student visa.