The School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences (SPCLS) is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. Part of this commitment means addressing barriers in the progression of students from under-represented groups to master’s study.
Working with our student community we have established the SPCLS Centenary Bursary to encourage students from under-represented groups to study at the postgraduate level in Psychology.
Scholarship value
Two scholarships available, comprising a £2,000 fee reduction and £2,000 bursary each.
Deadline
Friday, 17 July 2026
To apply for funding, you must have received an offer of admission to one our master’s courses.
- MSc Psychology Conversion
- MSc Theory and Practice in Clinical Psychology (with Clinical or Research Placement)
- MSc Cognitive Neuroscience
- MSc Language Sciences
- MSc Research Methods in Psychology
Please apply by completing the bursary application form. This will be accessible up until the closing date.
Criteria
Eligibility criteria have been developed with input from the University's Diversity and Inclusion Advisors, the SPCLS Wellbeing Inclusion Diversity and Equality committee, and the Dean for Diversity and Inclusion.
To qualify for this bursary, you must:
- have an offer on a self-funded master’s programme in SPCLS (students who are funding their tuition fees with, for example, a postgraduate master's loan from the Student Loans Company (SLC), are considered as self-funded)
- not already hold a master’s qualification or higher
- be eligible for home fee status.
You must also meet at least one of the following criteria, and provide the evidence listed:
- You have a disability (as defined by the Equality Act, 2010). If so, please provide written confirmation of your disability in the form of a doctor’s note or other suitable official document.
- You are from a minority ethnic group. If so, please state of which minority ethnic group you belong on your application form.
- You have a permanent residential address that falls within an area of low participation of young people progressing into higher education (POLAR4 or TUNDRA quintile 1 or 2) or be considered to be from an area of general disadvantage according to the governments Indices of Multiple Deprivation quintile 1 or 2. Please check if your postcode meets the criteria. You must provide evidence of the residential address and the dates you resided in this address.
- You have been in local authority care for at least three months since the age of 14. If so, please provide evidence of
- the local authority whose care you were under
- at what age(s) you were in care
- the duration for which you were in care.
More information
Applicants will be asked to declare that the information contained within the application is true, and if any information is found to be incorrect and/or they are found to not be eligible for the bursary, the University reserves the right to withdraw the bursary and recover any bursary already awarded. The University also reserves the right to ask for further supporting evidence to show the applicant meets the eligibility criteria, as the University may reasonably require.
Applications will first be assessed on whether they meet the eligibility criteria (pass/fail). After this, written statements will be assessed on how well applicants can describe:
- why the University of Reading is the best place for them to study
- their journey to this point in their career and any challenges they’ve experienced along the way
- the potential impact of the scholarship on their career.
The applications will be assessed by a panel of three members of SPCLS, whose decision will be final, and there will be no right of appeal.
For any queries, please contact pclsscholarship@reading.ac.uk.