Durham University International Scholarships is a family of awards, not one scholarship. Some are fee discounts that Durham pays for itself, some come from external partners, and some are funded by alumni and friends of the university. That matters, because the right award for you depends heavily on your level of study, your subject and your fee status. You can see the full scholarship details on our listing, but this guide focuses on how a Pakistani student should actually think about the options.
The short version: most of what Durham offers international undergraduates and taught postgraduates is partial funding. The fully funded routes at Durham are mostly external schemes (Chevening, Commonwealth, Said Foundation) and research studentships. If you need every cost covered, plan around those and treat the Durham discounts as a useful extra.
The Durham scholarship portfolio in one table
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Funding type | Full or partial, depending on the award |
| Study levels | Undergraduate, postgraduate taught, postgraduate research |
| Deadline | Varies by programme, with some closing in March, April, June and October 2026 or 2027 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Provider | Durham University |
| Official site | Durham University scholarships portal |
Where the money actually comes from
It helps to sort the awards by size, because the gap between them is large.
Durham Inspiring Excellence: 5,000 or 10,000 British pounds a year
This is the main award aimed at international applicants. It is a discount of either 5,000 British pounds or 10,000 British pounds per year off tuition fees for eligible programmes. It is competitive, so not everyone with an offer gets it. It is also a tuition discount, not cash, so it does nothing for rent, food or your visa costs. You still need to show you can fund the remaining fees and living expenses yourself.
Global Sports Award: up to 5,000 British pounds a year
This one is for high performance sports applicants with international fee status. It pays up to 5,000 British pounds per academic year against tuition fees. If you compete seriously in a sport, it is worth a look. If you play casually, skip it.
Salters Fellowship and the Global Grand Challenges Studentships
The Salters Fellowship gives 10,000 British pounds towards tuition fees for a Chemistry Master's. The Global Grand Challenges Studentships are the most generous Durham-run option in the source: full tuition fees, a UKRI matched stipend of 21,805 British pounds for 2026 entry, and a 5,000 British pounds Research Training Support Grant. These are research awards, so they suit students heading for a PhD rather than a taught Master's.
External schemes hosted at Durham
Chevening Scholarships, Commonwealth Master's and PhD Scholarships, the Fulbright Durham Scholarship and the Said Foundation Scholarship are all available for study at Durham. These generally cover full tuition fees, living allowances and travel costs. They are run by their own awarding bodies, with their own portals, rules and deadlines. Each has its own nationality criteria, so check that you are eligible as a Pakistani citizen on the relevant scheme's site before you spend time on an application.
Alumni Fee Scholarship: 10 percent off
Durham graduates returning for postgraduate study or a PGCE get an automatic 10 percent tuition fee discount, across all faculties. It applies to self-funding graduates starting in the 2026-27, 2027-28 or 2028-29 academic years. You need a Bachelor's or higher degree from Durham and no outstanding debt to the university. For most readers this will not apply yet, but keep it in mind if you study at Durham and want to stay on.
Is a Pakistani student eligible?
International students can apply for specific awards, including Durham Inspiring Excellence, the Global Sports Award and the external partner schemes. For the international tuition discounts, the key condition is holding international fee status, which is what a student from Pakistan would normally be assessed as. Every award then adds its own academic, residency and citizenship criteria, so confirm the rules for the exact scheme you want.
The common conditions across the portfolio are:
- You must hold an academic offer from Durham, or have submitted an academic application, for the relevant intake.
- You must meet the academic, residency and citizenship criteria of the specific scholarship.
- For international tuition discounts, you must hold international fee status.
- Some undergraduate and regional scholarships require a household income below 42,875 British pounds.
That last point catches people out. The income threshold applies only to some awards, but if you are looking at a scheme with one, read it carefully before applying.
Fields named in the source include Computer Science, Law, Music, Chemistry, Arts and Humanities, and Sport, with all faculties covered for the Alumni Fee Scholarship. Several awards are tied to particular subjects, so search by your department rather than assuming a general award exists for your course.
The course application comes first
This is the single most common mistake with Durham funding. You cannot apply for most of these awards on their own. You need an active course application or an offer first, and that application must go in before the scholarship deadline. Students who leave the course application until late often find the scholarship window has already closed.
- Search the Durham scholarships database for awards that match your level, subject and fee status.
- Submit your undergraduate or postgraduate course application to Durham by the required deadline.
- Check whether the award needs a separate scholarship form or whether you are considered automatically.
- Submit any supplementary scholarship documents before the published closing date.
- Wait for a decision from the Scholarships and Student Funding Office or the external awarding body.
For Chevening, Commonwealth or Fulbright, the scholarship application goes through that scheme's own portal, separately from your Durham course application. Track the two processes in parallel.
The paperwork is light, but do not leave it late
The source lists three core items:
- Your academic application to Durham University
- Proof of academic qualifications
- Supporting statements or essays where a specific award asks for them
Pakistani students should have degree certificates and transcripts verified well in advance. Our IBCC and MOFA attestation guide covers how that works. Where an award asks for a statement, write it for that award. A generic personal statement pasted into a sports award or a Chemistry fellowship reads badly.
Deadlines spread across the year
There is no single Durham scholarship deadline. Scholarship windows run on various dates between October 2025 and October 2026, and the source also mentions some schemes closing in March, April, June and October of 2026 or 2027. Treat these as a rough guide and confirm the exact closing date for your chosen award on the official portal. Each scheme has its own date, and the course application must be in before it.
A practical approach: make a list of every award you qualify for, write each deadline next to it, and work backwards from the earliest one to set your course application date.
What applicants get wrong
Beyond applying late, a few patterns come up again and again.
Counting a discount as full funding. A 10,000 British pounds discount is significant, but it is not a full scholarship. For your UK visa you still need to show funds for the rest. Read our guide on bank statements and proof of funds before you budget.
Assuming awards stack. Some discounts may combine and others may not. Check whether your award can be held alongside others, such as the Alumni Fee Scholarship, before you plan your finances around two of them.
Missing the external portal. If you want Chevening or Commonwealth at Durham, applying to Durham alone does nothing. Those schemes have their own applications.
Not asking. If your eligibility is unclear, or you have a question about the finance section of online enrolment, email scholarships.advice@durham.ac.uk early, not the week of the deadline.
If you are comparing Durham with other UK universities, see all United Kingdom scholarships in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate application for Durham scholarships?
It depends on the award. You always need an academic application to Durham first. Some awards then need a separate form, while others, such as the Alumni Fee Scholarship and certain fee discounts, are applied automatically if you meet the criteria.
Can Pakistani students get the Durham Inspiring Excellence award?
It is open to international applicants with international fee status on eligible programmes. It is competitive, and you should confirm the programme and citizenship criteria for the current cycle on the official portal.
Is any Durham scholarship fully funded?
Yes, but mostly through external schemes such as Chevening, Commonwealth and the Said Foundation, which generally cover tuition, living allowances and travel. The Global Grand Challenges Studentships also cover full tuition with a stipend for research students. The Durham-funded discounts are partial.
Does the Inspiring Excellence discount help with living costs?
No. It is a tuition fee discount of 5,000 or 10,000 British pounds per year. Living costs have to be covered separately.
Who do I contact about eligibility?
The Durham University Scholarships and Student Funding Office, at scholarships.advice@durham.ac.uk.
Check the current list of awards and closing dates on the Durham University scholarships portal, and keep the full Durham scholarship page handy while you plan.