Scholarships, UK

Abertay International Scholarship 2026 — Up to £3,000/Year

Faseeh Sultan

July 18, 2026
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Abertay International Scholarship 2026 — Up to £3,000/Year

If you are an international student planning to study in the United Kingdom, Abertay University in Dundee, Scotland, has one of the most straightforward funding offers you will find anywhere. The Abertay International Scholarship gives eligible students up to £3,000 off their tuition fees every year — and the best part is that you do not need to fill in a separate application. The university assesses you automatically when you apply for a place. In this guide, you will find everything you need to know about the scholarship: who qualifies, what it covers, how it combines with other awards, and exactly how to get started.

Detail	Information
University	Abertay University
Country	United Kingdom (Scotland)
City	Dundee
Degree Level	Undergraduate (UG) & Postgraduate Taught (PGT)
Funding Type	Tuition fee reduction
Award Value	Up to £3,000 per year
Maximum Duration	Up to 4 years
Deadline	Rolling — no fixed deadline
Open To	All international (overseas fee-status) students
Official Link	Abertay International Scholarship

🎓 About Abertay University and This Scholarship

Abertay University sits at the heart of Dundee, Scotland’s fourth-largest city and a place with a genuinely impressive reputation in the tech and creative industries. The university has been ranked the top modern university in Scotland in the Guardian University Guide 2026, which is no small achievement. With over 4,500 students enrolled, international students represent almost 20% of the student population, coming from over 60 countries.

What makes Abertay stand out in its field is its track record in technology education. It launched the world’s first computer games degree in 1997, and a notable Abertay alumnus created Grand Theft Auto — a game that originated right here in Dundee. The university was also the first in the UK to be recognised as a Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education, and the first to offer a degree in ethical hacking.

The Abertay International Scholarship reflects the university’s commitment to making quality education accessible for students worldwide. It is one of the few automatic scholarship schemes at a UK university — meaning your eligibility is assessed as part of your admissions process, with no extra paperwork required. The award is deducted directly from your tuition fees each year, for the full length of your programme, up to a maximum of four years.

🎓 Scholarship Benefits and Funding

The award structure is straightforward and transparent:

Up to £3,000 per year deducted directly from your tuition fees
Renewable for up to four years — for the full duration of your degree
Applied automatically — no additional form or interview required
Combinable with other Abertay scholarships (see below for combined values)
The net tuition fee you pay in your first year is guaranteed — it will not increase for the rest of your programme

Combined scholarship opportunities (verify exact values on official pages):

Combined with the Dean’s Scholarship: total annual value of £5,000
Combined with the Principal’s Excellence Scholarship – Global: total annual value of £7,000
Also combinable with the Principal’s Excellence Scholarship and Abertay IB30+ Scholarship

What makes this different from most institutional scholarships is the stacking potential. When combined with the Principal’s Excellence Scholarship, the scholarships together reach a combined annual value of £7,000 — £3,000 from the Abertay International Scholarship and £4,000 from the Principal’s Excellence Scholarship. For a four-year undergraduate degree, that adds up to a substantial reduction in your total cost of study.

All tuition fee figures should be verified on the official Abertay tuition fees page.

🎓 Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the Abertay International Scholarship, you must meet all of the following conditions:

Be classified as international (overseas) fee-status by Abertay University
Hold a confirmed offer of admission as a new full-time student for an undergraduate or postgraduate taught degree, on campus in Dundee
Have met all academic conditions attached to your offer
For postgraduate taught programmes: you must be applying with the equivalent of a UK 2:1 Bachelor’s degree or better (approximately 60% and above, depending on your country’s grading system)
Students admitted with Advanced Entry into Year 2 or above of an undergraduate programme are also eligible, provided they meet the above conditions

English language requirement: IELTS 6.0 overall, with no band below 5.5 (some programmes may require higher — always check your specific course page). Accepted alternatives include TOEFL with an overall score of 78, IGCSE/GCSE English Language at grade C or above, and Cambridge FCE/CAE/CPE at a minimum of 169 on the Cambridge Grading Scale.

🎓 Who Should Apply — and Who Shouldn’t

✅ This scholarship is a great fit if you:

Are an international (overseas fee-status) student applying to Abertay for the first time
Meet the English language requirements for your chosen programme
Are applying for a full-time on-campus undergraduate or postgraduate taught degree
Want to reduce your tuition costs without completing extra forms
Are interested in combining this award with the Dean’s or Principal’s Excellence Scholarship for greater financial support

❌ This scholarship is not for you if:

You are a domestic (Scottish, UK) student — fee status excludes you from this award
You are applying for a postgraduate research (PhD/MRes) programme — this covers UG and PGT only
You plan to study online or off-campus
You are a continuing student — the award is for new entrants only

🎓 Available Programmes and Fields of Study

The Abertay International Scholarship is available across the university’s full range of undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, offered across three academic schools:

School of Design and Informatics Games design and production, computer games technology, ethical hacking and cybersecurity, digital media, computing, and software development.

School of Applied Sciences Biomedical sciences, environmental sciences, sport and exercise sciences, civil engineering, food and consumer science, and psychology.

School of Business, Law and Social Sciences (Dundee Business School) Business management, accounting and finance, law (LLB), marketing, digital marketing, and counselling.

For the full and most current list of programmes, visit the Abertay course search page.

🎓 Required Documents

Since the scholarship is awarded automatically based on your admissions application, no additional documents are required for the scholarship itself. However, your admissions application to Abertay University will require:

Completed application form (via UCAS for undergraduate; direct for postgraduate)
Academic transcripts from all previously attended institutions (translated into English if necessary)
English language proficiency test results (IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic, or accepted equivalent)
Personal statement
Two academic or professional references
Copy of your passport (for international fee-status verification)
For postgraduate taught programmes: proof of a 2:1 equivalent degree (or better)
Portfolio (required for certain design and games programmes — check your specific course)

🎓 Step-by-Step Application Process

The Abertay International Scholarship requires no separate application — you are assessed automatically. Here is what the process looks like:

Choose your programme — browse all options at the Abertay course search and confirm you meet the entry requirements for your chosen course.
Apply for admission — undergraduate applicants apply via UCAS; postgraduate applicants apply directly through the Abertay applicant portal.
Meet the conditions of your offer — once you receive a conditional offer, fulfil all academic and English language requirements attached to it.
Wait for scholarship notification — if you are eligible, Abertay will notify you by email after issuing your offer of study. Scholarships are typically awarded within 10 working days of receiving your offer to study at Abertay.
Accept your scholarship — you can accept the scholarship even before formally accepting your offer of study.
Complete registration — once you register as a student, the scholarship amount is deducted directly from your tuition fees.

Practical tip: Check your email inbox — including your spam folder — after receiving your offer, as the scholarship notification arrives by email and can be easily missed.

🎓 Important Dates

Event	Date
September 2026 intake (main)	Currently open for applications
January 2027 intake	Applications currently open
Scholarship notification	Within 10 working days of your offer
No fixed scholarship deadline	Rolling — assessed with admissions

Bookmark this page and check back for updates.

The university accepts applications for its January and September intakes throughout the year, so the scholarship window is effectively always open for new applicants.

🎓 Why Apply — Why Abertay and Dundee

Here’s the best part about choosing Abertay: you are not just picking a university, you are choosing a city that has genuinely shaped global culture. Dundee is one of the world’s most important games cities — DMA Design (now Rockstar North) created both Lemmings and the original Grand Theft Auto here. 4J Studios built the console editions of Minecraft here. Dundee is also the only UK city with UNESCO City of Design status.

Abertay achieved a hat trick in the 2026 Complete University Guide by being the top Scottish modern university in three categories, with an 81% student satisfaction score and a 64% research intensity rating. The university climbed 12 places overall in the UK rankings and was rated 27th out of 130 UK universities for teaching quality.

Career outcomes are strong too. 95% of Abertay students are already in work or further education within six months of graduation. Abertay alumni work at Rockstar, Sony, Ubisoft, EA, Naughty Dog, Microsoft, 4J Studios, and studios across the world.

Dundee itself is one of the most affordable student cities in the UK. Living costs are significantly lower than in Edinburgh, Glasgow, or London, and the compact city centre means everything — campus buildings, transport links, shops, and social spaces — is within walking distance.

What makes this one of the more compelling scholarship arrangements in Scotland is the no-application-required model. Most university scholarships ask for essays, interviews, or additional forms. Abertay’s approach means every eligible international student is automatically considered — a rare and genuinely student-friendly policy.

🎓 Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to apply separately for the Abertay International Scholarship? A: No. There is no separate application form. Abertay assesses your eligibility automatically based on your admissions application. If you qualify, you will be notified by email after receiving your offer of study.

Q: Can I combine the Abertay International Scholarship with other Abertay awards? A: Yes — it can be combined with the Dean’s Scholarship (combined value: £5,000/year), the Principal’s Excellence Scholarship – Global (combined value: £7,000/year), the Principal’s Excellence Scholarship, and the Abertay IB30+ Scholarship. The Abertay Alumni Discount cannot be combined with this scholarship. Always verify the latest combined values on each scholarship’s official page.

Q: Is this scholarship available for postgraduate research (PhD) students? A: No. The Abertay International Scholarship is available for undergraduate and postgraduate taught (PGT) programmes only. Postgraduate research students should explore other funding routes.

Q: What IELTS score do I need? A: The standard English language requirement is IELTS 6.0 overall, with no band below 5.5. Some programmes require higher scores — always check your specific course requirements on the Abertay website.

Q: How long does the scholarship last? A: The award covers each year of your degree, for up to a maximum of four years. It is not paid for repeat years caused by resits.

Q: When will I find out if I have been awarded the scholarship? A: Typically within 10 working days of receiving your offer to study at Abertay. The notification arrives by email, so watch your inbox carefully.

🎓 Official Source and Contact

Scholarship page: Abertay International Scholarship
All Abertay scholarships: Abertay Scholarships Hub
Course search: Abertay Course Finder
Email: international@abertay.ac.uk
Address: Abertay University, Bell Street, Dundee, DD1 1HG, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0)1382 308 000

🎓 Summary Table

Detail	Information
University	Abertay University
Country	United Kingdom (Scotland)
City	Dundee
Degree Level	Undergraduate & Postgraduate Taught
Funding Type	Tuition fee reduction (automatic)
Award Value	Up to £3,000 per year
Maximum Duration	Up to 4 years
Combined Maximum	Up to £7,000/year (with Principal’s Excellence Scholarship – Global)
Deadline	Rolling — no fixed deadline
IELTS Requirement	6.0 overall (no band below 5.5; some courses higher)
Open To	International (overseas fee-status) students worldwide
Application Method	Automatic — no separate form required
Official Link	Apply Here