Application Deadline: 29 March 2026
LOCATION: United Kingdom
This scholarship is open to applicants who are nationals and residents of a Bartlett-approved list of Sub-Saharan African countries who have admission to a Bartlett master’s course. Up to three Bartlett Promise scholarships are available to students starting Bartlett Master’s courses in September 2026.
ELIGIBILITY:
The Bartlett Promise aims to enable students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in The Bartlett to pursue postgraduate studies at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. For the Bartlett Promise Sub-Saharan African scholarship, candidates must:
be a national of one of The Bartlett’s approved list¹ of Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries and resident in an eligible SSA country
must not hold a British or dual British citizenship
must not have received at any time in the past or be in receipt of any funding for a master’s or equivalent qualification, at any university which is outside The Bartlett’s approved list of SSA counties at the time of applying up to 01 October 2027
have an offer of admission to a Bartlett Master’s course for study in 2026-27, which is either unconditional or conditional only on English language
be in financial need as assessed by UCL
In addition to these, candidates should ideally also meet at least one of the additional criteria:
be a forced migrant
be the first generation in the family to attend university at undergraduate level
be the first generation in family to attend university at postgraduate level
Available to: Prospective students who are nationals of Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Republic of Congo, Cote D’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia (including Somaliland), South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Level: Postgraduate taught master’s courses.
Selection criteria: They will consider your educational, personal, and financial circumstances. You will need to demonstrate these in your application. Assessment of applications will be made in relation to the eligibility criteria.
Applications to Bartlett master’s courses for the 2026/27 academic year are expected to open in October 2025. You are strongly advised to apply early. To apply for the scholarship, you must have received an offer of admission to a Bartlett master’s course. UCL aims to make a decision on applications within 6 weeks of receiving your completed application, academic transcripts, and both references. However, please note it can take 3-4 months when application volumes are high. You are strongly recommended to apply early; a 6-week turnaround cannot be guaranteed
BENEFIT:
Value: Full overseas tuition fees and an annual allowance of £17,796 to cover living and study expenses for the normal duration of the programme at UCL. In addition: a flight to/from the UK, UK Study Visa costs, English language assessment costs, health test costs, and the NHS Immigration Health Supplement charge. All Promise scholars will also receive ongoing academic and career support during their study.
