GEMS Scholarship 2026

This is a competitive award applied as a tuition fee discount of £10,000 in the first year of study and £2,500 in each subsequent year subject to meeting progression criteria. 

Eligibility

• You must commence your studies of an undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield in September 2026. All undergraduate degree courses are included except for Medicine (A100/A101) and Dentistry (A200).
• You must choose the University of Sheffield as your firm or insurance choice before 4.00pm (UK time) on Wednesday 3 June 2026.
• You must be currently studying at a GEMS School at the point of application.

How to apply

Applications will open on this webpage on Monday 1 December 2025. The deadline to apply is 1pm (UK time) on Monday 16 Feb 2026.

Successful applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by 16 March and will need to accept the scholarship by 4pm (UK time) on Monday 20 April 2026 or the scholarship will be offered to another applicant. 

Selection process

This is a competitive process and not all applications will be successful. A panel of senior members of university staff will select the strongest applications and will be looking for the following:

• Applicant has given examples of achievements which represent excellence and initiative in educational, voluntary, or extra-curricular areas.
• Applicant has shown how these achievements relate to the course they have applied for at the University of Sheffield and connected that to their future ambitions.
• Applicant has a strong academic profile.

Further information

• Your programme must be scheduled to commence at the University of Sheffield in autumn 2026.
• To apply you must hold an offer for a course studied in full at the University of Sheffield. All undergraduate degree courses are eligible with the exceptions of Medicine (A100/A101) and Dentistry (A200).
• For tuition fee purposes you must be self-funded and eligible to pay the overseas tuition fee.
• You must not be a sponsored student*.
• You must enter a degree programme at the University of Sheffield in year 1.
• For scholarship purposes all MArch programmes are considered as postgraduate taught programmes and are not eligible for this or any other undergraduate scholarship.
• The University of Sheffield reserves the right to review and change scholarship provision.
• If you are selected for a scholarship, subject to the eligibility and award criteria you will be guaranteed the award in your first year of study only.
• In subsequent years you will be awarded the International Undergraduate Scholarship worth £2,500 per year subject to scoring 60%, or above (wmg), and achieving a minimum of 120 credits in the previous academic year. The International Undergraduate Scholarship is not applicable during any years in industry or any compulsory or non-compulsory years abroad as part of your degree.
• The scholarship cannot be awarded in conjunction with any available scholarships from the Department or Faculty you will be studying in.
• The scholarship cannot be awarded in conjunction with any funding from an external sponsor**, excluding a loan, which has to be paid back in full.
• If you are selected for a scholarship and you fail to meet the conditions of your course offer you will no longer be eligible to receive the award.
• If you are selected for a scholarship and you change your degree programme to begin your studies again at level 1 of a new degree programme you may forfeit your scholarship.
• The scholarship will be applied as a tuition fee discount only, there is no cash alternative.
• The decision of the scholarship panel is final. No scholarship application or decision appeals will be considered.
• All decisions made by the University are made in good faith, if a scholarship is awarded on the basis of predicted grades and you do not achieve your predicted grades but you are permitted to join the University, the University reserves the right to remove the scholarship.
• If you are selected for a scholarship and you subsequently join the University via clearing you will no longer be eligible to receive the award.
• This scholarship cannot be deferred to a future year of entry. If you decide to defer entry to another year you forfeit this award.
• The scholarship cannot be provided during any intercalating years of study.
• If you are offered the scholarship, we’ll ask that you confirm acceptance of your scholarship by a fixed date. You will also need to accept your course offer before 4.00pm (UK time) on Monday 20 April 2026.
• The award winner will need to provide a photo and short paragraph about winning the scholarship to be used in future internal and external promotional materials.
• The scholarship cannot be awarded in conjunction with any other scholarship or discount offered by the University unless explicitly stated.

* Sponsored student is defined as being in receipt of a total sum of funds that matches or exceeds the original tuition fee required by the University, before any scholarships, discounts or rewards are applied.

** Government or governmental organisation – international, national or regional; research council; charity; private enterprise; or any similar organisation.