Scholarships for Life Sciences Masters degrees

Masons Bursary

Description: The award is given annually by the Provincial Grand Charity of the Masonic Province of West Wales to encourage students to further their education. The bursary is worth £1250.

Eligibility: Applicants must be UK residents. Applicants must also have received an acceptance letter for one of the MSc/MRES courses from the Department of Life Sciences, Aberystwyth University.

How to apply: Applications should consist of:

1) your CV

2) a letter stating why you feel you would be a suitable candidate for the Bursary

3) an unconditional course acceptance letter from Aberystwyth University.

Please send these documents to Dr Sebastian McBride (sdm@aber.ac.uk) by the deadline.

Deadline: 30th June 2025

Awarding body: Worshipful Company of Saddlers Mason’s Institute

NFU Mutual Centenary Award  

Description: The NFU Mutual Centenary Award provides bursaries to pay up to 75% of course fees for selected students who are undertaking a postgraduate course in Agriculture (Masters or PhD) within the UK. The Centenary Award was created by the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust in 2010 to celebrate NFU Mutual’s 100th birthday, with the objective of creating a legacy for the future.

Eligibility: The award is open to individuals who have gained, or are expected to gain, a 2:1 or above in Agriculture or a related degree, and have been accepted or provisionally accepted on a Masters or PhD course in Agriculture in the UK, during the 2025/2026 academic year.

The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust has identified four topics of interest for eligible students. At least one of these areas must form part of the applicant’s postgraduate course:

• The application of science and innovative technologies to enhance productivity, efficiency, and profitability for UK farming businesses
• Building resilience and safeguarding the physical and mental wellbeing of those living and working in the UK agricultural industry
• Tackling the risks of climate change, whilst maintaining food security, to improve the sustainability of UK agriculture
• Identifying opportunities for supporting nature and biodiversity in the development of farming and land management practices in the UK.

To select award recipients, the judging panel will be looking for applicants who are not only excellent academic performers, but also have a real passion for agriculture and demonstrate potential to become a future industry leader.

How to apply: To apply for the award, download the application guidelines and the application form the website here and send your completed application form to centenary_award@nfumutual.co.uk.

Deadline: Applications for 2024-25 NFU Mutual Centenary Award are now closed but will reopen again in January 2025 for application for 2025/26.

Awarding body: NFU Mutual

NFU Centenary Award poster 2024 
NFU Centenary Award leaflet 2024

Marshall Papworth Scholarship

Description: The Marshall Papworth Scholarship provides opportunities for students from developing countries to gain the agricultural and horticultural skills needed to achieve a sustainable future for themselves and their communities. The scholarship covers the fees of the MSc course and also a provides a stipend (£11,250 tuition fees and £10,000 stipend).

Eligibility: Applicants must originate from one of the qualifying countries as listed here: https://www.marshalpapworth.com/how-to-apply/qualifying-countries/.  To be considered for a Marshal Papworth Masters programme, candidates must comply with UK laws regarding immigration and visas and have been accepted onto a suitable course in Agriculture or Animal Science. Applicants must also have received an unconditional acceptance letter for either the MSc Livestock Science or the MSc Animal Science from Aberystwyth University.

How to apply: Please complete the Marshall Papworth scholarship application form. The application form should be sent to Dr Sebastian McBride (sdm@aber.ac.uk) along with:

• an unconditional course acceptance letter from Aberystwyth University
• a personal statement related to the course you are applying for.

Deadline: The deadline for the Marshall Papworth Scholarship application is the 1^st March 2025

Awarding body: Marshall Papworth Scholarship

Davies Morel Bursary

Description: The Davies Morel Bursary enables students from the continent of Africa to study for the MSc Animal Science, MSc Livestock Science or MSc Equine Science in the Department of Life Sciences at Aberystwyth University. The award will be made based on academic qualifications, current contribution to the field of proposed study and desire to make future contribution to their home country. The bursary will provide up to £10,000 reduction in university fees. Two bursaries will be available per annum.

Eligibility: Open to International applicants resident in the continent of Africa for the degree of MSc Animal Science, MSc Livestock Science or MSc Equine Science. Applicants must also have received an unconditional acceptance letter for either the MSc Animal Science, MSc Livestock Science or MSc Equine Science from Aberystwyth University.

How to apply: Please complete the Davies Morel Bursary application form. The application form should be sent to Dr Sebastian McBride (sdm@aber.ac.uk ) along with:

• an unconditional course acceptance letter from Aberystwyth University
• a personal statement related to course you are applying for.

Deadline: 30 June 2025

Awarding body: Davies Morel Bursary