This is one of the few undergraduate awards at a large UK university decided on financial need alone. UCL lists the selection criterion as financial need and nothing else, so the case a candidate makes is about circumstances rather than achievements.
The award is not one thing. All 33 cover full tuition for the standard duration of the degree, but only ten add a maintenance allowance and an allowance for costs like the Immigration Health Surcharge and visa fees. Twenty cover tuition alone, and three more cover tuition alone and are reserved for students from India. A student funded by one of the twenty-three still needs to cover London living costs.
The income guide is softer than it looks. UCL points to a household income of 42,875 pounds or less, then says directly that applications above that figure are still considered, so the threshold is a signal rather than a cutoff.
The sequencing trips people. The scholarship form only appears in Portico once UCL Admissions has confirmed fee status, which happens some time after the admission application and sometimes not until just before an offer. Applying for admission late can therefore make the scholarship unreachable even where the deadline has not passed. UCL refuses late applications without exception, including for candidates whose admission offer arrives after the scholarship closes.
One detail for anyone applying to more than one programme: a separate scholarship application is required for each.
Timing repeats each spring rather than sitting on a fixed date. The 2026/27 round closed at 5pm BST on Monday 27 April 2026, with results by 3 June, before the UCAS reply deadline.
The scholarship page was checked on 16 September 2026.