King's College London International Scholarships are not one scholarship. The name covers a group of awards that King's offers to international students on postgraduate taught (master's) programmes, and every award has its own rules, its own amount and its own deadline. That single fact shapes everything about how you should approach it. You are not filling in one form. You are searching a database, finding the awards that match your course and your country, and applying to each one on its own terms.
This guide explains how the system works, what the awards can pay for, and where Pakistani applicants usually trip up. For the condensed version, see the full scholarship details on our site.
A funding database, not a single award
King's keeps a centralised funding database on its official study website. Prospective students search it for awards they might qualify for. Eligibility criteria, funding amounts and deadlines vary a lot from award to award, and some depend on the applicant's country of origin. Funding also changes from one academic cycle to the next, so an award you saw listed last year may not run again, and new ones get added during the year.
Who does this suit? Students who already want a taught master's at King's and are organised enough to track several small applications at once. Who should think twice? Anyone hoping for a guaranteed, fully funded package. Some awards cover full tuition on select programmes, but many are partial. If you cannot pay the gap yourself, plan for that possibility from the start rather than discovering it after you accept an offer.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | King's College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Study level | Master's (postgraduate taught) |
| Funding | Full or partial, depending on the award |
| Fields | Varies by scholarship programme |
| Deadline | Varies by scholarship programme |
| Opening date | Varies |
| Official site | kcl.ac.uk/study |
What the money can cover, award by award
Because each award is different, the list below is a menu of what King's funding can include, not what every winner receives:
- Partial tuition fee waivers
- Full tuition fee coverage for select programmes
- Stipends for living expenses, for specific awards
- Research grants for eligible postgraduate projects
- Travel grants for international students
In practice, the most common outcome to plan around is a partial tuition waiver. A living stipend is attached only to specific awards, so do not assume one. London is an expensive city, and a fee reduction on its own leaves rent, food and transport for you to cover. When you build your budget, use the amount actually stated on the award you win, and treat anything else as unconfirmed until King's tells you in writing.
The offer comes first
The single most important eligibility rule is that you must hold an offer of admission for a postgraduate taught programme at King's. Most awards will not consider you until you have one. This changes your timeline: your course application is the real starting point, and a slow course application can push you past a scholarship deadline before you even see the form.
The general requirements are:
- An offer of admission for a postgraduate taught programme at King's College London
- The specific academic criteria set by the individual scholarship
- English language proficiency as required by the university
- International student status for fee purposes
- A complete application submitted through the university portal by the deadline
A note for Pakistani applicants
The awards are aimed at students classified as international for fee purposes, so confirm your fee status with the university before applying. Beyond that, some awards are tied to particular countries of origin, so being international does not automatically make you eligible for every listing. Read each award's nationality rules before you spend time on the application, and contact the admissions office if the wording is unclear.
Paperwork to prepare early
The core document set is short, but each item takes time to get right:
- Academic transcripts
- Personal statement
- Letters of recommendation
- Proof of English language proficiency
- Copy of passport
Any document that is not in English should be translated by a certified professional. For Pakistani students, the slow parts are usually transcripts and recommendation letters, since both depend on other people. Ask your referees well before any deadline and give them the details of the specific award so they can write to its criteria. Our documents checklist for international scholarships is a useful place to start organising them.
Individual awards may ask for more than this core set. Check the form for each one.
The application sequence that works
- Apply for a postgraduate taught course at King's College London.
- Receive an offer of admission.
- Search the official funding database for scholarships you are eligible for.
- Complete the specific application form for each award you choose.
- Submit all supporting documents before that award's deadline.
Course applications are listed as ongoing, while scholarship deadlines vary and must be checked individually on the portal. There is no single opening date. The sensible approach is to apply for your course as early as you can, so that you hold an offer while most funding windows are still open.
Where applicants lose out
The biggest mistake is treating King's funding like a national scholarship with one deadline. Students check the database once, find nothing that fits, and stop. New awards are added throughout the year, so check it regularly, not once.
The second mistake is reusing the same personal statement for every award. Each scholarship has its own criteria, and a statement that speaks directly to those criteria is far stronger than a general one about your passion for the subject. If an award focuses on academic merit, lead with results. If it targets a field or region, address that directly.
Third, students apply for the course late. Since most awards require an offer first, a late course application can quietly rule you out of funding you would otherwise have qualified for.
Finally, competition is real. These scholarships are competitive, so have your academic records and supporting documents ready well before each deadline instead of collecting them in the final week. And if you win only a partial award, you will still need to show funds for the rest. Our guide to bank statements and proof of funds explains what that involves for Pakistani students.
If you are comparing King's with other options, see all United Kingdom scholarships we cover.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find scholarships for international students at King's College London?
Search the funding database on the official King's College London study website. Filter by your course and check each award's nationality rules.
Do I need an offer of admission before applying for funding?
Yes, for most awards. You need an offer for a postgraduate taught programme at King's before you can apply.
Are the King's scholarships fully funded?
Some are and most are not. Funding levels vary: some awards cover full tuition on select programmes, while others are partial fee waivers or living stipends.
When is the deadline?
There is no single deadline. Each award has its own, and opening dates vary too. Confirm the current cycle and deadline on the official portal.
Can I apply for more than one award?
The process is built around searching the database and completing a separate form for each scholarship you choose, so you apply award by award. Check each award's rules on whether it can be combined with others.
Before you plan around any of these awards, confirm the current details on the official King's College London website and review the full scholarship page on our site.