Fully Funded Warwick Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship for International Students in UK, 2026

Every year, the University of Warwick opens a golden gateway for outstanding international students: the Warwick Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship. For 2026 entrants, this scheme offers a generous range of tuition-fee awards — from full tuition coverage to partial discounts — to talented overseas applicants.

If you’re an international student dreaming of studying at a top UK university, Warwick’s Global Excellence Scholarship can reduce the cost burden and make your dream realistic. Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about the 2026 cycle: what is offered, who is eligible, how to apply, how scholarship winners are selected, and smart tips to strengthen your application.

What is the Global Excellence Scholarship & What It Covers

The Global Excellence Scholarship is the flagship international-student undergraduate scholarship at Warwick. It’s designed to support self-funded overseas students with strong academic credentials and broader achievements, allowing them to pursue full-time undergraduate study at Warwick.

Award types & scale

For the previous (2025) cycle they offered:

• 6 × full-fee awards (i.e. full tuition for the full duration)
• 148 × half-fee awards (i.e. 50% tuition discount)
• 103 × 25% fee-reduction awards
• 6 × £2,000 tuition-credit awards

So while the number of full-fee scholarships is small (making them rare and highly competitive), the large number of half- and quarter-fee awards means many eligible, strong students end up receiving significant tuition relief.

What the scholarship does not cover

It’s important to stress: this is a tuition-fee scholarship only. As with most international undergraduate scholarships in the UK:

• Living costs, housing/accommodation, travel/airfare, health insurance, and personal expenses are not covered. External sources or personal/family funding must cover these.
• If you receive other full-fee sponsorship from external agencies (employers, foreign governments, third-party sponsors), you are not eligible for Global Excellence funding, because the scholarship is designed for self-funded students.

Who Can Apply

To apply for the 2026 Global Excellence Scholarship, you must satisfy the following conditions (per the official Warwick guidelines)

• You must be classified as an “overseas” / international-fee paying student for tuition-fee purposes.
• You must be self-funded. In Warwick’s definition, “self-funded” means you pay your tuition yourself or via family/friends, or via a student loan. You cannot be considered self-funded if your fees are being paid by a third-party sponsor (employer/government) or if you hold another full-fee scholarship.
• You must have applied (via UCAS) for a full-time undergraduate course (or the Foundation programme, where eligible) at Warwick starting Autumn 2026 and before the UCAS application deadline, 14 January 2026.
• Excluded courses: the scholarship does not apply to the medical MBChB programme.
• You must submit a separate scholarship application by 12:00pm (GMT) on Friday 27 February 2026.
• By 13 May 2026, you must be holding an offer of admission from Warwick for the course you applied for. Only offer-holders are considered for awards.
• The scheme is only open to new 2026 entrants. Current Warwick undergraduate students are not eligible (except certain Foundation-to-undergraduate transitions).

Note: You don’t need an admission decision to apply for the scholarship.

Application Timeline (2026 Intake)

Here’s a practical timeline to follow as a 2026 applicant:

How to Apply

Warwick makes its scholarship application process fairly structured. Here’s exactly how you apply:

1. Apply via UCAS for your chosen full-time undergraduate course (or Foundation course) before 14 January 2026 — do this like any applicant.
2. Wait (or receive) confirmation and set up a Warwick IT account: you’ll need this to access the scholarship portal. Note: it can take up to 48 hours to verify your account.
3. Access the Warwick Undergraduate Scholarship Portal: once your ITS account is active, you’ll log into the portal to begin the Global Excellence Scholarship application.
4. Complete the scholarship application: this involves answering five short questions (response limit: 200 words per question). These ask about: academic & extra-curricular achievements beyond grades; what motivated you to choose your subject; how you see yourself contributing to the Warwick community; and what you plan to do with your education in the future.
   • Note: do not copy your UCAS personal statement — Warwick explicitly says these scholarship answers should show aspects not covered in UCAS.
5. Submit the application before the deadline: 12:00pm (GMT), Friday 27 February 2026. It’s best to submit early, in case account verification or technical issues arise.
6. Wait for admission offer: you don’t need the offer before applying for the scholarship; but by 13 May 2026 you must have received (or be holding) an offer from Warwick to remain eligible.
7. Scholarship selection process: Once admissions offers go out, Warwick runs scholarship selection in two panels:
   • Early panel (March/April 2026) for applicants with early admissions offers
   • Final panel in May 2026 for applicants whose offers came later.
8. Notification & UCAS reply: Warwick promises to notify all applicants of scholarship decisions by 27 May 2026 at the latest, in time for the UCAS Reply Deadline (3 June 2026).

For more details about the scholarship, visit the official page.

Realistic Expectations & Risks

Before you get too excited, here are common caveats and things to budget/plan for carefully:

• Scholarship only covers tuition: Living costs, visa costs, flights, accommodation, food, personal expenses are your own responsibility. For an international student, living in the UK (especially a city area near Warwick/Coventry) can be expensive, so plan carefully.
• Full-fee scholarships are extremely limited: In 2025 only 6 full-fee awards were given. That means competition will be intense. Think of partial awards (half-fee / 25%) as more realistic outcomes.
• You must be “self-funded”: If you have external full-fee sponsorship (employer, government, scholarship), you may be disqualified from the Global Excellence Scholarship — so it’s important to check your funding status carefully.
• You must apply by strict deadlines: Missing the February 27 scholarship deadline or the January 14 UCAS deadline will disqualify you.
• No living stipend or maintenance support: This scholarship does not include accommodation, maintenance, travel, health insurance or other living expenses. Ensure you budget or secure separate funding for these.
• No guarantee of renewal beyond tuition: The scholarship (if awarded) runs for the full degree course — but if you interrupt studies, take a placement year, or switch status, the award may be paused.

How to Maximize Your Chances

Based on what Warwick values, and how the application works, here are some practical tips to help you stand out:

• Academic & Personal Preparation
  • Ensure you have strong grades — whether final high-school results or predicted grades.
  • Build a diverse profile: engage in extracurriculars (volunteer work, clubs, projects, leadership, creative/academic competitions) — scholarship assessors value well-rounded talent.
  • Think globally and impact-oriented: highlight any international experience, cross-cultural work, ambition to contribute to your home country or global issues — this aligns well with Warwick’s international scholarship ethos.

• Write Focused, Impactful 200-Word Answers: The core of the application is 5 short answers (≤ 200 words each). That means:
  • Be concise — 200 words is short; every sentence must count.
  • Use specific details and numbers when possible. (“Organized a 200-student charity drive that raised £3,500 for local food banks.”)
  • Link each achievement / motivation to how you will contribute at Warwick & beyond. Don’t just list accomplishments — show purpose and vision.
  • Don’t copy your UCAS statement. Use this application to highlight other strengths — extra-curricular achievements, leadership, community work, special projects, ambitions.

• Apply Early & Stay Organized
  • Create your Warwick ITS account immediately after submitting UCAS (account verification may take ~48 hours) so you can access the scholarship portal early.
  • Draft your 5 answers well before the deadline. Leave time to revise, proofread, and perhaps get feedback from mentors or teachers.
  • Have a realistic funding plan beyond tuition — living expenses, visa, flights, health insurance. Partial tuition scholarships help, but you must manage living costs.

Conclusion

The Warwick Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship is highly competitive but generously scaled — with a small number of full-fee awards available alongside many partial awards each year. If you combine strong academic credentials with concise, evidence-packed scholarship answers that demonstrate leadership, impact, and a clear plan for how Warwick will amplify your ambitions, you’ll be in a strong position.