British Council Women in STEM Scholarships

Are you a woman with a degree or PhD in a STEM subject and passionate about your study? You could receive a scholarship to study a master's degree, or an early academic fellowship, in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics programme at a leading UK university.

Now in its third year, the British Council Women in STEM Scholarships programme is working in partnership with 19 UK universities with the aim of benefiting women from the Americas, South Asia, East Asia, Western Balkans, Central Asia, Brazil, Egypt, Mexico, and Turkey.

We are looking for women with a background in STEM, who can demonstrate their need for financial support and who wish to inspire future generations of women to pursue careers in STEM.

Why a scholarship programme?

This scholarship programme aims to increase opportunities in STEM for girls and women, and according to data from the UN Scientific Education and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in 2019 fewer than 30 percent of researchers worldwide are women and only 30 percent of female students select STEM-related fields in higher education, but this number has slowly been gaining momentum with it currently siting at 35% (Anon, 2022).

A subject breakdown between 2017-18 showed that females studying STEM subjects was particularly low.  Computer Sciences, Engineering & Technology, with 19% opposed to 81% with males.  Physical sciences and mathematics and statistics are stronger at 39% and 37% respectively (with their counterparts at 61 and 63% respectively).

Eligibility criteria

Applicants can apply from the following countries:

We are looking for women who:

• Can take up a course of study in the UK for the academic year from September/October 2023 – 2024.
• Can demonstrate a need for financial support.
• Have an undergraduate degree that will enable them to gain access onto one of the pre-selected postgraduate courses at a UK university (for Masters level) or completed all components of PhD in the last three years (for Early Academic Fellowships).
• Can attain the level of English required for postgraduate study/research at a UK university.
• Are active in the field with work experience or a proven interest in their subject area.
• Are passionate about their course of study and are willing to engage as committed British Council scholarship alumni.

Full eligibility criteria are available below in the documents section - please note that the eligibility for a Master’s Scholarship and Early Academic Fellowships are different. 

For more information, please visit https://www.britishcouncil.org/study-work-abroad/in-uk/scholarship-women-stem