How African Students Can Secure UK Student Loans and Scholarships to Study Abroad in 2025

Do you aspire to study in the UK but can’t achieve your aspirations due to lack of funds?

Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can obtain student loans and scholarships to mitigate the exorbitant tuition fees posed on Africans and other international students.

Studying in the UK can be financially overwhelming for international students who want to shoulder the responsibility of paying their tuition fees and other levies by themselves.

As an international student, you stand to pay higher tuition fees than the citizens of the United Kingdom by default. This is why it is very important to explore the available grants and scholarship options that have been put in place to assuage the cost.

They range from scholarships, student loans, grants, awards, fellowship bursaries, and more.

UK Funding and Scholarship Options For African Students.

The UK government runs diverse scholarships schemes and programmes with the aim to support international students who are not financially buoyant to afford all their study expenses.

Here is a detailed exposition of the various UK funding options for African students.

1. Chevening Scholarships (United Kingdom)

Funded by the UK Government through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and partner organizations, Chevening supports outstanding potential leaders from around the world to pursue one-year master’s degrees in the UK.

This scholarship is one of the top tier funding programmes of the UK. It is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and partner organisations.

Chevening Scholarships offer full financial support to eligible students who have a track record of exceptional academic background and demonstrable leadership potentials.

The scholarship is for ambitious individuals who have a clear plan of how they will positively impact their communities afterwards.

Beyond their immediate communities, a beneficiary of the scholarship ought to be an individual who aims to make a positive global impact.

How to apply for Chevening Scholarship

Among other eligibility criteria, applicants need to verify if their nationality is included as eligible countries before proceeding with application.

If you meet all requirements, you can apply via the link chevening.org/apply and ensure you check your email constantly for followup.

2. Commonwealth Scholarships (United Kingdom)

Sponsored by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) and funded by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

This prestigious funding programme is awarded to talented individuals who have the potential to make a positive impact on the global stage but can not afford their study expenses.

The scholarship is part of the UK’s commitment to aid individuals with financial instabilities. In fact, one of the major criteria for obtaining the scholarship is that you will show proof that you lack the financial capability to afford the programme.

The Scholarships are managed by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the UK and it is meant for individuals from the Commonwealth countries.

To aspire for a Master’s degree, you must possess a minimum of an undergraduate honours degree of at least, second class upper (2:1).

Likewise, to aspire for a doctorate, you must possess an appropriate masters degree. If you need more information on the eligibility criteria, check on the CSC website.

How to apply for the Commonwealth Scholarships

The application process for this scholarship varies from several other types of scholarship. You may need to apply through a university, a Non-Governmental Organization or National Nominating Agency, depending on which type of scholarship you intend to apply.

You can obtain more information on how to apply for each of the above mentioned scholarships by visiting the CSC apply page.UK student loans for African students.

Aside from scholarship opportunities, you can also explore loan options to mitigate your study expenses. Meanwhile, taking into account the interest rate, loan amounts, and repayment plans must remain crucial.

3. Rhodes Scholarships (University of Oxford)

Administered by the Rhodes Trust in partnership with the University of Oxford.

The Rhodes Scholarship is another UK postgraduate scholarship that allows students around the world to study at the University of Oxford.

Every year, the Rhodes Scholarship, in conjunction with the Oxford-Morland-West Africa Graduate Scholarship, offers fully funded scholarships to West African countries.

These African countries include Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Cape Verde, Benin, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Niger, Mali, São Tomé, the island of Saint Helena, Principe, and Togo.

The Rhodes Scholarship covers University of Oxford course fees and an annual stipend.
The 2025-26 Academic year stipend is £20,400 per annum, that is £1,700 per month.

Scholars are liable to pay for their living expenses, accommodation, travel, and other miscellaneous expenses.

Benefits of Rhodes Scholarships

Rhodes Trust Scholarship offers scholars a great deal of opportunities that will enable them to study without financial stress.

The institution will cover the following expenses:

• Application fees are required to study at the University of Oxford.
• Fees for International Health Surcharge (IHS. This benefit enables international students to access the UK’s National Health Service.
• Free Students’ Visa and two economy flights. The students flight ticket for UK and return.
• Upon arrival at Oxford University, scholars will receive a settling allowance.

In other cases where scholars transition to the second course, Rhodes Trust will provide full assistance for visa renewal and IHS application.

The application for the Rhodes Scholarship for 2026 has officially closed, and it will reopen for the next cycle in 2026.

4. GREAT Scholarships (United Kingdom)

Jointly funded by the UK Government’s GREAT Britain Campaign and the British Council.

Students from Nigeria, India, France, and China have consistently benefited from this UK scholarship program.
For postgraduate scholars, the Great Scholarship will cover £10,000 tuition fees for one-year courses.

Over 70 tertiary institutions across Northern Ireland, England, Wales, and England have offered more than 200 Scholarships to international students.

The UK government (GREAT Britain Campaign) and the British Council, with participating UK higher education institutions, jointly funded this scholarship.

Each country has its designated page where they will find a comprehensive list of Universities that offer scholarships to students from their country.

These universities list accredited courses for the scholarship and how scholars can apply.

Here are some of the UK student loans for Africans that you can explore.