Private school scholarships.
2,847 scholarships at 637 UK independent schools, with what each is worth, who can apply and when applications close. Where a school publishes a value, the typical award is 20% of fees — the larger sums are usually means-tested bursaries.
- 2,847
- Scholarships listed
- 637
- Schools
- 20%
- Typical published award
- 374
- Upcoming deadlines
Academic
10–50% median 25%, max 100%
Art
10–30% median 20%, max 100%
Music
10–50% median 20%, max 100%
Sport
10–30% median 13%, max 100%
Drama
10–25% median 10%, max 100%
All Rounder
10–50% median 30%, max 100%
DT
8–13% median 10%, max 50%
Technology
10–30% median 10%, max 50%
0%25%50%75%100%
Scholarships by type
- Academic1,018 awards · 578 schoolsTypically 25% of fees
- Art289 awards · 178 schoolsTypically 20% of fees
- Music406 awards · 206 schoolsTypically 20% of fees
- Sport359 awards · 194 schoolsTypically 13% of fees
- Drama244 awards · 164 schoolsTypically 10% of fees
- All Rounder149 awards · 112 schoolsTypically 30% of fees
- DT82 awards · 53 schoolsTypically 10% of fees
- Technology19 awards · 14 schoolsTypically 10% of fees
Find a scholarship
53 schools with dt scholarships
- 11+ Academic Scholarshipup to £5,000 a year
- 16+ Academic Scholarshipup to £5,000 a year
- Academic Scholarship
- Academic Scholarship 11+up to £5,000 a year
Next deadline 13 Nov 2026All 32 awards →- Academic Scholarshipup to 100% of fees
- Academic Scholarship 11+
- Academic Scholarship 13+
- Academic Scholarship 16+
Next deadline 26 Oct 2026All 21 awards →- Academic scholarship
- Academic Scholarship
- Sixth Form Academic Interview and MFL Oral Assessments5% of fees
- Art Scholarship
Next deadline 16 Oct 2026All 18 awards →- Scholarship (Academic)up to 5% of fees
- Sixth Form Academic Scholarship
- Scholarship (Art)5% of fees
- Sixth Form Art/Textiles/Design & Technology Scholarship
Next deadline 30 Sept 2026All 18 awards →- 11+ Academic Scholarshipup to 50% of fees
- 16+ Scholarships
- Academic Scholarship100% of fees
- Sixth Form Scholarship
Next deadline 30 Sept 2026All 16 awards →- 11+ Academic Scholarship
- 11+ Fourths Awardup to 100% of fees
- Art and Design Scholarship
- Music Scholarship
Next deadline December 2026All 15 awards →- Design & Technology Scholarship
- Academic Exhibition2.5% of fees
- Academic Scholarship5% of fees
- Academic Scholarship Year 9up to 100% of fees
No upcoming deadline publishedAll 13 awards →- Design Engineering & Technology Scholarship
- Academic scholarship
- Academic Scholarshipup to 100% of fees
- Creative Writing Scholarship
No upcoming deadline publishedAll 10 awards →- Design & Technology Scholarship£300 a year
- Academic Scholarship£500 a year
- Art Scholarship£300 a year
- Music Scholarship100% of fees
No upcoming deadline publishedAll 10 awards →- Next deadline 30 Sept 2026All 9 awards →
- Design Technology Scholarship
- Academic Scholarship100% of fees
- Senior School Scholarships50% of fees
- Art Scholarship100% of fees
No upcoming deadline publishedAll 8 awards →- 3D Design Scholarshipup to 20% of fees
- Academic Scholarshipup to 50% of fees
- Sixth Form Scholarship
- Art scholarship
Next deadline 13 Nov 2026All 14 awards →- Academic Scholarshipup to 50% of fees
- Academic Scholarship (10+)
- Academic Scholarship (11+)
- Academic Scholarship (13+)
Next deadline 9 Oct 2026All 23 awards →- Academic Scholarship 11+
- Academic Scholarship 16+20% of fees
- Entrance Scholarshipup to 20% of fees
- Major Academic Scholarshipup to 50% of fees
No upcoming deadline publishedAll 20 awards →- Academic scholarship
- Academic Scholarshipup to 50% of fees
- Academic Scholarship 11+up to 10% of fees
- Scholarship
Next deadline 12 Oct 2026All 15 awards →- Academic Scholarship50% of fees
- Academic Scholarships5% of fees
- Sixth Form Academic Scholarship
- Art Performance Scholarshipup to 30% of fees
Next deadline October 2026All 13 awards →- No upcoming deadline publishedAll 10 awards →
- Design & Technology Scholarship
- Academic Scholarshipup to 50% of fees
- Scholarship10% of fees
- Art Scholarship
Next deadline November 2026All 9 awards →- Academic scholarship
- Academic Scholarshipup to 33% of fees
- Academic Scholarship (11+)
- Art scholarship10% of fees
Next deadline 2 Nov 2026All 15 awards →- 11+ Academic Scholarshipsup to 25% of fees
- Academic Scholarship
- Art Scholarship
- Specialist Scholarships in Artup to 25% of fees
Next deadline 30 Oct 2026All 16 awards →- 3rd Form Design & Technology Scholarshipup to 20% of fees
- 3rd Form Academic Scholarshipup to 20% of fees
- Academic scholarshipup to 20% of fees
- 3rd Form Art Scholarshipup to 20% of fees
Next deadline 22 Jan 2027All 13 awards →- Scholarship
- 13+ Art Scholarship
- 13+ Music Scholarship
- Directors' Awards (Music or Sport)up to 20% of fees
Next deadline October 2026All 11 awards →- Design Technology Scholarshipup to 20% of fees
- Academic Scholarshipup to 20% of fees
- Art Scholarshipup to 20% of fees
- Music Scholarshipup to 20% of fees
Next deadline December 2026All 8 awards →- Design and Technology Scholarship 13+ and 16+up to 15% of fees
- Academic Scholarship 13+up to 15% of fees
- Photography Scholarship 13+ and 16+up to 15% of fees
- Music Scholarship 13+ and 16+up to 15% of fees
No upcoming deadline publishedAll 7 awards →
Scholarship or bursary?
A scholarship is awarded on merit — academic, musical, sporting or artistic — and is usually a fixed, modest share of the fees plus recognition, extra tuition or a place in a scholars' programme. It does not depend on income.
A bursary is awarded on financial need, means-tested against household income and assets, and can cover up to 100% of fees. At many schools this is where the real money is. Compare bursaries →
Frequently asked questions
- How much is a private school scholarship worth?
- Where schools publish a figure, the typical scholarship is worth about 20% of fees. Many schools now make scholarships largely honorary — 5–10% or a fixed sum — and put their real financial support into means-tested bursaries, which can reach 100% of fees. A few schools still offer larger merit awards, most often at 16+ or for exceptional musicians.
- What types of scholarship do independent schools offer?
- Academic scholarships are the most common, followed by music, sport, art and drama. Many schools also offer all-rounder awards, design & technology scholarships and, at some, chess, choral or STEM awards. Each type is assessed differently: academic by exam and interview, music by audition, sport by trial, art by portfolio.
- When do scholarship applications close?
- Most scholarship deadlines fall between October and December for entry the following September, often a few weeks before the school's general registration deadline. Music awards usually close first because auditions are scheduled before the main assessment round. Every upcoming date we hold is on our scholarship deadlines page.
- Can you get a scholarship and a bursary at the same time?
- Yes, at most schools. A scholarship recognises merit and a bursary meets financial need, so a family can hold both — and at many schools the bursary is how a scholarship's value is topped up for families who need it. Some schools cap the combined award at 100% of fees.
- Do scholarships have to be applied for separately?
- Almost always. Registering a child for a place does not enter them for an award; schools run a separate scholarship application with its own deadline, and usually ask for a reference, a recording, a portfolio or a list of achievements.