FAQs

We are only able to consider applications from candidates who qualify for Home Fee status at our partner universities. In addition, applicants must also 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 in order to qualify. Those with refugee status are exempt from the school criteria but must still qualify for Home Fee status. Unfortunately, if you do not meet the above eligibility criteria, we will not be able to consider your application. If you have any questions about your specific situation, please contact us on [email protected]

When identifying socioeconomic background, Martingale considers a range of indicators including household income (typically £45,000 per year or under), parental occupation, type of school attended, eligibility for Free School Meals, experience of care and refugee status.

Martingale particularly looks at the intersection between income and social class, in line with its mission to increase access to postgraduate STEM degrees to students who would not otherwise be able to afford them.

Martingale takes an intersectional approach to understanding identity and the various complex and interrelated factors which impact an individual’s likelihood of undertaking postgraduate study. Martingale understands that, in addition to financial barriers, a range of other barriers may stop someone from applying for postgraduate study. Martingale works with university and third-sector partners to address these barriers.

We usually require candidates to have achieved, or be on track to achieve, at least a 2:1 at undergraduate level. In rare cases we may still consider your application if you have compelling extenuating circumstances which have affected your attainment. If this applies to you, please outline your circumstances in the relevant section of the application form.

You are still eligible even if you have not taken out a student finance loan. We use multiple ways to assess and verify candidates’ socioeconomic circumstances, including if you have received other forms of means-tested financial support such as grants or bursaries. You will be asked to state your household income as part of your application and we may contact you for further information to confirm or clarify your circumstances.

Yes, you can still apply for a Martingale Masters Scholarship if you already have a Masters. You will be expected to explain in your application to Martingale why you would like to do a second Masters. For instance, this might be because you wish to specialise in an area which was not covered by your previous Masters.

Yes, you are eligible to apply provided that you meet our other eligibility requirements, however if you become a Martingale Qualified Candidate, we cannot guarantee that the course you are offered funding for will be the fourth year of your integrated Masters. 

We strongly recommend that you look at the information about the courses that Martingale Scholars are able to take up at our partner universities. The courses are all STEM postgraduate degrees and the majority require a background in the subject or a related discipline. Each course and university is different so please visit our partner university websites or contact our partner universities to discuss entry requirements and to check if the course(s) you are interested in may be suitable for you.

We are only able to fund Scholarships for the courses listed on our website. 

If you have applied before and were not successful or chose to withdraw your application, you are welcome to apply again. Please ensure you still meet the eligibility criteria and that you have read through all the application guidance as the process and courses are subject to change each year.

Yes. Please let us know as soon as possible, particularly if you have a deadline to accept or decline shortly. If it is a Martingale-eligible course, we will consider it as if you applied after becoming a Martingale Qualified Candidate. If you are not in this situation, we strongly recommend that you wait until securing a place as a Martingale Qualified Candidate before applying to courses. This is because Martingale provides tailored application support to help make your university application(s) stronger. There is no advantage in applying to courses early, as funding offers from Martingale are not confirmed until after all applications to partner universities are submitted and offers have been decided by universities, in spring 2027.

You must be in at least the final year of undergraduate study to apply for the Martingale Masters or PhD Scholarship. If you have not yet reached this stage but are interested in applying in the future, you are welcome to look at this year’s application guidance, eligibility requirements and courses offered to get an idea of what you may be expected to answer and provide. You may want to think carefully about why you want to pursue a postgraduate degree in STEM and start researching/engaging in topics or areas that interest you. Please ensure you thoroughly check through all the application guidance in the year you are applying because the application process, questions and eligibility criteria may have changed. We recommend signing up to our newsletter here to stay up to date with Martingale and any changes to our programmes.