Education
Commonwealth scholarships
Queen Mary participates in scholarship programmes aimed at students who could not otherwise afford postgraduate study in the UK.
Our Commonwealth PhD Scholarships provide full tuition-fee support and a living stipend to eligible candidates from low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries. Eligible countries include Bangladesh, Cameroon, Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, among others.
Queen Mary also participates in the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship scheme, which provides tuition fees, travel and living-cost support for eligible students from low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries.
University of Sanctuary
In line with our commitment to social responsibility and inclusivity, we are actively pursuing the designation of a University of Sanctuary. To reduce barriers to higher education, QMUL offers Sanctuary Scholarships for undergraduate students from sanctuary-seeking backgrounds. These scholarships provide full tuition fee waivers and a bursary for living expenses.
We are committed to ensuring that sanctuary students have access to comprehensive support services including academic support, wellbeing services, accommodation assistance and language support.
Asylum Seekers Fee Concession
Queen Mary offers a tuition fee concession to all asylum seekers or children of asylum seekers who meet the eligibility criteria. While the student’s asylum application is under consideration by the Home Office, they will be entitled to pay the ‘home’ rate of tuition fees. This fee concession is available to all undergraduate students on all programmes, except those courses offered by the School of Medicine and Dentistry that lead to qualified status as a doctor, dentist, or dental hygienist or therapist.
Connecting education with economic opportunity
Queen Mary’s community-engaged teaching allows students to develop professional skills while providing useful services to people and organisations outside the University.
Through qLegal, qTech and qNomics, students work on real legal, technical and financial challenges for entrepreneurs, start-ups and community organisations. Project ReMAKE uses a similar model in entrepreneurship education, with Queen Mary students and mentors supporting formerly incarcerated participants as they develop business and professional skills. These programmes give students practical experience while widening access to skills and professional expertise within the local community.
Global development
Queen Mary offers a range of courses supporting students’ understanding and facilitation of global development:
Flying Start, widening access to professional accountancy careers
The Flying Start programme, delivered in partnership with PwC and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), creates a structured pathway into the accountancy profession for students from underrepresented and lower-income backgrounds. Combining academic study with paid placements, professional accreditation and financial support, the programme helps remove barriers that can prevent students from accessing professional careers. In 2024, PwC provided £700,000 in bursaries to 70 students from households with annual incomes below £35,000. The programme also supports social mobility through outreach to 64 schools and colleges and has achieved a 100 per cent continuation rate, ensuring students can access, succeed in and progress towards careers in accountancy.