Tuition fee reduction and contribution to living costs worth £10,000 for UK students applying for Humanities or Business and Management degrees.
Two scholarships are available to new full or part-time postgraduate students who have studied a Humanities degree at undergraduate level.
The scholarship was established by entrepreneur Brian Harris to provide an opportunity for a student from a low-income background to study a Masters degree in History.
Sadly Brian passed away in October 2022 but his memory will live on through his generous scholarships.
Brian was the first in his family to go to university. He was inspired to study history by his school teachers and was initially attracted to Royal Holloway’s beautiful Founder’s Building and its rural surroundings. After his undergraduate studies he decided to stay on to study a Masters, to boost his CV and to help him stand out from the crowd in the employment market.
Brian said: “Royal Holloway made a huge difference to my life. I was from a poor background. My father was a manual worker. I am sure that without my years of study at Royal Holloway I would never have been able to achieve so much in my life.
"My subsequent business successes have given me the means, and some might say the privilege, to help others. I am very keen to try and level the playing field for the more disadvantaged students, as I studied in an era of free higher education and am deeply conscious that, had the present day funding structure existed then, I doubt whether I would ever have studied for a degree, let alone a Masters.”
Read Brian's full interview here.
Am I eligible?
- Home fee status
- Studied/studying a Humanities undergraduate degree
- Offer to study one of the following degrees:
- MA History
- MA History: Public History
- MA Ancient History
- MA Classical Art and Archaeology
- MA Classics
- MA English Literature
- MA Creative Writing
- MA Victorian Literature, Art and Culture
- MA Medieval Studies
- MA Crusader Studies
- MA Holocaust Studies
- MA Late Antique and Byzantine Studies
- MSc Accounting and Financial Management
- MA Consumption, Culture & Marketing
- MSc Digital Innovation and Analytics
- MSc Digital Marketing
- MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation w/Year In Business
- MSc Human Resource Management
- MSc International Management
- MA Marketing
- Achieved, or expected to achieve, at least a 2:1 degree or equivalent (preference given to those with, or expected to achieve, a First Class Honours Degree)
- Demonstration of financial need
How do I apply?
You must submit your application via RH Direct.
You will need to write a statement explaining why you think you should be awarded the scholarship. Read the guidelines below for information on what you must include in your application.
The deadline for applications is 3 July 2023. We will let you know the outcome of your application from 24 July 2023.
Application guidelines
Applications must include the following:
A scholarship statement covering the following points with no more than 100 words per question (please note that statements that exceed the word count will automatically be rejected):
- How and why you feel you qualify for the scholarship
- What outcome do you wish for from completing a Masters in Humanities?
- Details of your career plans and how your degree will help you fulfil your goals
- Details of what you think you gained from your undergraduate degree
- Details of your educational background prior to your undergraduate degree
- Details of both your academic and personal background, including financial need
- Evidence of resilience e.g. an example of a difficult period in your life, how you overcame it and what you learnt from your experience
- How you will give back to the university community.
Your statement will be judged on how effectively and convincingly you respond to the above.
The following must also be provided:
- Evidence of the financial support you received at undergraduate level and the basis on which this was received and why. The sources this could be from are: Student Finance England, Student Awards Agency Scotland, Student Finance Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland, University funded bursary, where this has been awarded on the basis of financial need.
- Evidence of having achieved or expected to achieve a 2.1 or First Class undergraduate degree or equivalent. Preference will be given to those with a First Class degree.
- An up to date CV
- You must provide two written academic references (up to 200 words each). These must be from academics who have previously supported, taught or worked with you. Please ask the academic to email their reference letter (on official headed paper) directly to RHPS@rhul.ac.uk.
- The piece of work from your undergraduate degree that you are most proud of.
- As well as your statement, you will need to upload your most recent grades transcript from your undergraduate degree. Any applications that are submitted without an uploaded transcript will be rejected.
Terms & conditions
Read our full terms and conditions.
