Become part of a pioneering group of future STEM leaders

Eligibility

We are looking for candidates who have the academic potential and the motivation to undertake postgraduate research, while contributing to the cohort of Martingale Scholars.

Applicants will be prioritised based on evidence of financial need, academic potential and motivation for postgraduate research.

If you have refugee status and are eligible for Home Fee status, you are eligible to apply even if you do not meet the minimum requirements for education history in the UK or Ireland.

Applications for 2025/26 Scholarships for a postgraduate degree are open from the 5 August to the 27 October. Please sign-up to our newsletter for updates about the process.

Sign up to one of our upcoming online webinars to learn more about the Scholarship and ask any questions you may have about applying:

• Register here for 5-6pm 17 September
• Register here for 5-6pm 9 October
• Register here for 5-6pm 22 October

To be eligible for 2025, you must:

01. Have achieved, or be on track to achieve, a first or upper-second class bachelor’s degree in mathematics or a related subject, from any university

02. Be eligible to commence a Masters or PhD degree at a UK university from September 2025

03. Qualify for Home Fee status at our partner universities

04. Have been to school in the UK or Ireland for at least three years between the ages of 11 and 18; or if not, for at least seven years between the ages of 4 and 18

05. Have completed your GCSEs or equivalent at a state-funded school, or received a substantial scholarship or bursary to attend a fee-paying school or college

06. Have faced or are facing financial barriers, such as qualifying for a means-tested maintenance loan or grant that is above the minimum levels of support detailed from your regional or national funding body

Read the eligibility guidance document in more detail here:

The three application stages

01. Apply to Martingale

To apply, you will need to complete our online application form. This helps us understand your background and your motivations to become a Martingale Scholar. You will need to provide an academic transcript, evidence of financial need, and two referees.

You should also seek further information from universities about the courses directly, including their graduate admissions departments.

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to an assessment centre, where you will be interviewed by an academic representative and a Martingale representative. These will assess your academic potential and your motivation to do postgraduate research. We will also assess how you would contribute to the cohort of Martingale Scholars.

02. Apply to partner universities

If successful, candidates will then apply directly to one or more partner universities for an eligible course. Throughout this period, Martingale will run Masters and PhD application support workshops online.

You will complete a separate application for each university, which must be done in accordance with the university’s standard admissions process and deadlines. You will also submit your university preferences to Martingale.

03. Funding allocation

Subject to being offered a place by at least one partner university, the Martingale Foundation will allocate one funded place to the candidate. Please note that if a university offer is conditional, the funding from Martingale will also be conditional.

The allocation process will match a candidate’s university preferences with the university’s candidate rankings. Through this process we aim to place a group of Martingale Scholars at each of our partner universities.

Be sure to read the application guidance before applying:

Have questions about applying? Read the application FAQs here:

Key dates