Portsmouth £5,000 January 2027 Scholarship: Eligibility, Deadline and How to Apply

The University of Portsmouth has opened applications for its January 2027 Chancellor’s Global Academic Merit Scholarship. The award is a £5,000 reduction from first-year tuition fees, and the scholarship form must be submitted by 2 November 2026. This is a partial fee award, not a full scholarship: applicants still need to budget for the remaining tuition, living costs, travel and other expenses.

There are two separate deadlines to watch. The scholarship deadline is 2 November for eligible applicants, while the deadline to submit a new course application depends on the applicant’s country and whether the course is at Portsmouth or the University’s London campus. Some London-campus application deadlines have already passed.

What the £5,000 award covers

The reduction applies to the first year only and is reflected in the fee shown on the student’s Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) after the student has an unconditional offer and has paid the required deposit. The published terms do not say it covers accommodation, living expenses, flights or visa costs. It also cannot be combined with another scholarship, discount or fee offer from the University.

For context, the University lists a separate Vice Chancellor’s Global Development Scholarship worth £2,500 for January or May 2027. That award is restricted to a published list of nationalities and courses with annual fees of at least £16,200; the list includes Nigeria. Check its separate terms on the official scholarships page rather than assuming the Chancellor award’s rules apply.

Who can apply for the £5,000 scholarship?

The published criteria require applicants to be self-funded international students assessed as overseas for tuition-fee purposes. They must be new to the University of Portsmouth and applying for full-time, on-campus undergraduate or postgraduate taught study starting in January 2027. International College Portsmouth (ICP) students are excluded. The two excluded courses named by the University are PGCE Science with Physics and PGCE Modern Foreign Languages (all pathways). Postgraduate research courses are not included in the stated criteria.

The terms do not publish a nationality list for this award; overseas fee assessment, course eligibility and the application deadlines still matter. It is merit-based, and a University panel chooses the successful applicants. The University says only successful applicants will be contacted by 30 November 2026, with no individual feedback for unsuccessful applicants.

Course deadlines are different from the scholarship deadline

For January entry at the Portsmouth campus, the University’s current deadlines for new applications are:

• 2 November 2026: applicants from Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Yemen.
• 16 November 2026: applicants from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Ghana, Uganda, Vietnam and Kenya (Eldoret only).
• 30 November 2026: applicants from India and Kenya.
• 7 December 2026: applicants from the rest of the world.

Deposit and outstanding-condition deadlines follow separately. For example, the first group’s deposit deadline is 16 November and its other-condition deadline is 23 November. London-campus dates differ: the new-application deadline for the first group was 19 October, so it has passed; applicants from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Ghana, Uganda, Vietnam and Kenya (Eldoret only) have a 2 November deadline. The University says there is no late registration for London and that courses can close early if full. Check the full deadline table for your nationality and campus before applying.

Practical point: to qualify for the Chancellor scholarship, the course application and academic offer must already have been accepted by the scholarship deadline. If you are starting from scratch, check whether your course and campus still accept applications immediately; submitting only the scholarship form will not secure a course place.

How to apply

1. Choose an eligible course. Use the January 2027 course list. Choose a University of Portsmouth course rather than an ICP foundation or pre-master’s course, and confirm it is full-time, on-campus undergraduate or postgraduate taught study.
2. Check your course deadline and entry requirements. Use the country-and-campus deadline table and the individual course page. Portsmouth’s international application guidance explains the course application route and records usually required, including certified and translated academic documents, English-language evidence and references.
3. Apply for the course and accept the academic offer by 2 November. The course page has the application form. The award terms require both a course application and acceptance of the academic offer by the scholarship deadline. If your course application deadline has passed, contact the University through its official course or international admissions route to check whether an application can still be considered; do not assume the scholarship form extends a course deadline.
4. Complete the separate scholarship form by 2 November. Use the official Chancellor’s scholarship form. It asks for your applicant ID, nationality, January course and campus, grades or predicted grades, and up to 250 words on work or volunteer experience outside the classroom. The University’s scholarship panel reviews submissions; the form is not an offer of admission.
5. If selected, plan the remaining costs and visa steps. The award is tuition-only and cannot be combined with another University fee award. Check the official UK Student visa guidance and our guide to the UK Student visa financial requirement before calculating funds. A course offer is needed before applying for a Student visa.

What to confirm before submitting

Because course capacity and country deadlines can change, verify the course’s availability, campus, tuition-fee classification, deposit and document deadlines directly with Portsmouth before paying or submitting documents. Keep the scholarship deadline distinct from the later deposit and conditions deadlines: an applicant can meet the scholarship-form date but still miss the separate deadline for a course or visa-related step.

Sources: University of Portsmouth scholarship terms, January 2027 course list, international application guidance and deadline table; UK Government Student visa guidance.