ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY MASTERS SCHOLARSHIPS
The Society is offering four scholarships, of £5,000 each, to four students who will begin a Masters’ degree in History, or related subject, at a UK or Irish university from autumn 2025.
The Scholarships continue and develop the Society’s commitment to tackling underrepresentation within the discipline, and to encourage Black and Asian students to consider academic research in History. By supporting Masters’ students, the programme also focuses on a key early stage in the academic training of future researchers. With these Scholarships, the RHS seeks to support students who are without the financial means to study for a Masters' degree in History. By doing so, we seek to improve the educational experience of four early career historians engaged in a further degree.
2025 RHS MASTERS SCHOLARSHIPS
The current rounds of awards provide:
- four scholarships of £5,000 each to support four students undertaking either a full-time or part-time Masters’ degree at a UK university in the academic year 2025/26;
- there are no conditions on what the award may be spent and may be used to support fees, living expenses etc. during the degree course;
- Scholarships will support students studying for a Masters’ degree (taught or research-based) in History or where History is the dominant component of the degree (e.g. History of Science)
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Scholarships, applicants must:
- be accepted onto a Masters’ course at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the UK or Northern Ireland. Conditional offers are acceptable at application; however, release of funds is contingent upon confirmation of formal acceptance;
- have an undergraduate degree from an HEI in UK or Republic of Ireland (although this need not necessarily be in History);
- have been in receipt of a full Maintenance Grant, or other means-tested and non-repayable financial support, for their undergraduate studies
(Maintenance Loans, or other repayable financial support schemes are not acceptable as evidence of your meeting this criterion. Examples of acceptable financial support schemes can be found here. Applications without evidence of this support will be disqualified)
Applicants must also meet one or more of the following requirements:
- have participated in an access scheme, foundation year, or widening participation scheme;
- have previously been eligible for free school meals;
- be the first in their family to attend Higher Education;
- have asylum seeker/refugee status issued by the UK Home Office;
- be from an ethnic minority background as stipulated by the Equalities Act, including but not limited to Black, Bangladeshi, Pakistani or Gypsy/Romany/Traveller communities;
- have spent time in care, or be estranged from family;
- hold/have held caring responsibilities;
- have a disability.
The selection panel is also keen to understand the reason the applicant has for undertaking postgraduate study, what their career aspirations are, and how the receipt of an RHS Masters Scholarship will impact their lives.
Application Process
There are two stages to the RHS Masters Scholarship application process:
Stage One gathers key information on your intended course of study and your eligibility.
Only applications successfully demonstrating eligibility will be moved on to…
Stage Two, which enables applicants to detail their reasons for applying and to elaborate on the impact an RHS Masters Scholarship will have upon their personal and professional aspirations.
The deadline for receipt of STAGE ONE APPLICATIONS is 11:59PM on Friday 6 June 2025.
Only those successful in demonstrating their eligibility will be invited to complete Stage Two.
The deadline for receipt of STAGE TWO APPLICATIONS is 11:59PM on Friday 27 June 2025.
To discuss the scheme, the eligibility considerations and the application process itself, please submit your query to masters.scholarships@royalhistsoc.org. Please note that there may be a delay in response of up to two working days. Queries sent less than one working day before the related deadline may not receive an immediate response. Applicants are therefore encouraged to ensure any questions are submitted in sufficient time to receive a response and for the application to be submitted by the deadline.
Extensions to the deadline may not be granted due to outstanding support requests submitted within two days of the deadline.
RHS Masters' Scholarships - Stage 1: Confirmation of Eligibility
ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY MASTERS SCHOLARSHIPS
The Society is offering four scholarships, of £5,000 each, to four students who will begin a Masters’ degree in History, or related subject, at a UK or Irish university from autumn 2025.
The Scholarships continue and develop the Society’s commitment to tackling underrepresentation within the discipline, and to encourage Black and Asian students to consider academic research in History. By supporting Masters’ students, the programme also focuses on a key early stage in the academic training of future researchers. With these Scholarships, the RHS seeks to support students who are without the financial means to study for a Masters' degree in History. By doing so, we seek to improve the educational experience of four early career historians engaged in a further degree.
2025 RHS MASTERS SCHOLARSHIPS
The current rounds of awards provide:
- four scholarships of £5,000 each to support four students undertaking either a full-time or part-time Masters’ degree at a UK university in the academic year 2025/26;
- there are no conditions on what the award may be spent and may be used to support fees, living expenses etc. during the degree course;
- Scholarships will support students studying for a Masters’ degree (taught or research-based) in History or where History is the dominant component of the degree (e.g. History of Science)
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Scholarships, applicants must:
- be accepted onto a Masters’ course at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the UK or Northern Ireland. Conditional offers are acceptable at application; however, release of funds is contingent upon confirmation of formal acceptance;
- have an undergraduate degree from an HEI in UK or Republic of Ireland (although this need not necessarily be in History);
- have been in receipt of a full Maintenance Grant, or other means-tested and non-repayable financial support, for their undergraduate studies
(Maintenance Loans, or other repayable financial support schemes are not acceptable as evidence of your meeting this criterion. Examples of acceptable financial support schemes can be found here. Applications without evidence of this support will be disqualified)
Applicants must also meet one or more of the following requirements:
- have participated in an access scheme, foundation year, or widening participation scheme;
- have previously been eligible for free school meals;
- be the first in their family to attend Higher Education;
- have asylum seeker/refugee status issued by the UK Home Office;
- be from an ethnic minority background as stipulated by the Equalities Act, including but not limited to Black, Bangladeshi, Pakistani or Gypsy/Romany/Traveller communities;
- have spent time in care, or be estranged from family;
- hold/have held caring responsibilities;
- have a disability.
The selection panel is also keen to understand the reason the applicant has for undertaking postgraduate study, what their career aspirations are, and how the receipt of an RHS Masters Scholarship will impact their lives.
Application Process
There are two stages to the RHS Masters Scholarship application process:
Stage One gathers key information on your intended course of study and your eligibility.
Only applications successfully demonstrating eligibility will be moved on to…
Stage Two, which enables applicants to detail their reasons for applying and to elaborate on the impact an RHS Masters Scholarship will have upon their personal and professional aspirations.
The deadline for receipt of STAGE ONE APPLICATIONS is 11:59PM on Friday 6 June 2025.
Only those successful in demonstrating their eligibility will be invited to complete Stage Two.
The deadline for receipt of STAGE TWO APPLICATIONS is 11:59PM on Friday 27 June 2025.
To discuss the scheme, the eligibility considerations and the application process itself, please submit your query to masters.scholarships@royalhistsoc.org. Please note that there may be a delay in response of up to two working days. Queries sent less than one working day before the related deadline may not receive an immediate response. Applicants are therefore encouraged to ensure any questions are submitted in sufficient time to receive a response and for the application to be submitted by the deadline.
Extensions to the deadline may not be granted due to outstanding support requests submitted within two days of the deadline.