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United Kingdom Applications open Closes 5 December 2026

Strathclyde Dean's International Excellence Awards

Strathclyde is a technological university in central Glasgow with a strong engineering and business reputation, and its faculty-level international awards are among the more straightforward UK scholarships for a Sri Lankan Master's applicant because there is no scholarship application to submit. The Faculty of Engineering makes a limited number of Dean's International Excellence Awards worth between £9,000 and £12,000 to exceptional applicants joining a taught postgraduate programme in September, with a January-entry equivalent worth £7,000 to £10,000. The Faculty of Science runs a parallel International Excellence Scholarship in the £7,000 to £8,000 range for September entry. At 400 rupees to the pound those bands are worth roughly LKR 2.8 million to LKR 4.8 million against your tuition. All eligible international offer holders are automatically considered and successful candidates are contacted directly — for the January 2026 engineering round, before 5 December 2025. The academic bar is high and stated plainly: applicants are normally expected to demonstrate a UK first-class undergraduate degree or the international equivalent, which for a Sri Lankan applicant means a First Class from a state university or a very strong result from a recognised private institution. Two exclusions matter. The awards are for self-funded students, and anyone receiving full sponsorship from a government office or embassy is not eligible. And the programme must be full-time and on campus — distance and part-time routes fall outside. As always, this is a tuition reduction. Glasgow living costs are lower than London's but the UK Student visa still requires you to evidence maintenance funds separately.

Run for both September and January entry, with values set per faculty and per intake. Engineering January-entry candidates were notified before 5 December 2026 — check strath.ac.uk for the current round. Dates follow the same annual pattern — confirm the current round before applying.

University of Strathclyde

University-funded

emoji_events Award Overview

engineering

Engineering (September)

£9,000–£12,000 (LKR ~3.6M–4.8M)

science

Science (September)

£7,000–£8,000 (LKR ~2.8M–3.2M)

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Application

None — all eligible offer holders considered automatically

info How this award actually works

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Who awards it

University of Strathclyde — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.

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How you are considered

Through your admission application. Awards like this are usually assessed automatically from the application you already submit — there is typically no separate scholarship form to fill in.

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What it covers

£7,000–£12,000 Off a Taught Master's (LKR ~2.8M–4.8M) — Awarded Automatically. This is a reduction in tuition, not a full ride. You still fund the remainder, plus living costs and the balance your visa requires you to show.

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Where we come in

We make the admission application strong enough to be competitive — course choice, documents, references and deadlines. The funder makes the decision.

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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International Fee-Paying Applicants

The awards are for international, non-EU, fee-paying postgraduate taught applicants. Sri Lankan applicants qualify on nationality with no nomination or quota.

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First-Class Standard Expected

Applicants are normally required to demonstrate academic excellence at the level of a UK first-class undergraduate degree or international equivalent. A Second Class Upper will usually not reach the Dean's award band, though it may still secure admission.

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Government or Embassy Sponsorship Disqualifies You

Students receiving full sponsorship from a government office or embassy are explicitly not eligible. If you are pursuing a Sri Lankan government or foreign-mission sponsorship in parallel, understand that winning it removes this award.

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Full-Time On-Campus Programmes

Only full-time on-campus taught Master's programmes are covered. Part-time, distance and blended routes are outside the scheme, as are research degrees, which have their own funding structures.

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Awards Differ by Faculty and Intake

Engineering, Science and other faculties run separate schemes with different values, and September and January intakes carry different bands. Read the page for your exact faculty and start date rather than a general figure.

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Tuition Reduction Only

The award reduces your fee. Accommodation, living costs and the maintenance funds required for the UK Student visa are separate. Glasgow is cheaper than London, but budget it properly in rupees.

account_tree Application Process

Apply for admission to a full-time taught Master's

Apply directly to Strathclyde for your programme and intake. The scholarship follows the admission application — there is no separate form to complete.

Submit complete final transcripts

Because assessment is automatic and based on academic excellence, an incomplete or provisional academic record can leave you assessed below the award band. Provide full, official transcripts.

Watch for the notification date

Successful candidates are contacted directly by a stated date for each round. Check the scholarship page for your faculty and intake so you know when to expect a decision.

Declare your funding position accurately

The scheme requires you to be self-funded. Do not describe an employer or government sponsorship inaccurately to qualify — it will surface at enrolment and can invalidate the award.

Plan the balance and Glasgow living costs

Subtract the award from the published international fee, then add rent, food, transport and health surcharge. Glasgow's rental market has tightened; do not budget on figures from older student guides.

Apply for the UK Student visa

Use the CAS from Strathclyde, pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, and evidence the maintenance amount for study outside London held for the required period. Biometrics are given in Colombo.

Why Strathclyde?

Strathclyde describes itself as the place of useful learning, and the emphasis is genuine — it is a technological university with deep industrial links, particularly in energy, advanced manufacturing, pharmaceutical sciences and business, and its Business School holds triple accreditation. Glasgow is a large, friendly city with living costs well below London and the south-east, an established South Asian community, and a compact city-centre campus. For Sri Lankan engineers and scientists in particular, the combination of an automatic mid-five-figure fee reduction and lower living costs often produces a lower total cost than a nominally better-ranked university with a smaller award.

£12,000

Top engineering award (LKR ~4.8M)

Automatic

No separate scholarship application

Glasgow

Living costs well below London

Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?

Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.

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