Scholarships and Funding
The NFTS awards more scholarships and bursaries to British students, relative to the size of our student body, than almost any other educational institution in the UK.
We are committed to ensuring it is open to students of genuine ability, no matter what their background or financial circumstances.
And as an institution that develops the next generation of creative talent we feel a special responsibility to ensure our creative industries reflect the full diversity of our country.
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Eligibility
Candidates must have been permanently resident in the UK for the three years prior to enrolment and hold a British passport in order to be eligible. All applications are means tested.
Applying for a Scholarship
When you are offered a place on an MFA or MA course, and if you are eligible, you will be given information on how to apply for any available scholarships. We expect all students to have applied for the maximum student loan funding available to them.
You cannot apply for or request a specific donor when applying to the fund, however, if you match the criteria for a specific donor, you will be contacted.
Scholarships can provide some (and in certain cases, all) of tuition fee support. They are provided by a named individual or organisation that has some connection with the industry and school. Some donors may have an interest in mentoring you, which you will be informed of if you are a recipient of that award.
Awards to UK students undertaking two-year programmes for the academic year commencing January 2026 have ranged from £1,000 to full fees, depending on demonstrated individual need.
About our Scholarships
The NFTS Scholarship programme is made up of a multitude of donors and patrons. We are grateful for the generous assistance of its scholarship donors, such as Rolex and Leverhulme, who between them provide more than £300,000 of support for students to help with their fees.
Both Rolex and Leverhulme monies are targeted at students from diverse backgrounds including those from the regions and from ethnically diverse communities.
If you are a student from UK/Ireland, or EU citizen with pre-settled/settled status, and studying on your first Master's, you can apply for a loan to help with your studies on our MA and MFA programmes via student loans companies.
Loans are available for up to £13,206 to contribute to course and/or living costs. If you are studying on an MFA course, this is split across the two years of study, so £6,603 per year.
You will not have to pay back your loan until you are working and (subject to your loan plan number) being paid an income over the threshold of £27,295 (for Plan 2).
Full eligibility requirements for the loan can be found on the Master's Loan Eligibility page of the government's website.
Loans for Student Finance Wales and SAAS may vary and we recommend looking on their respective websites. For SAAS in particular, you may need to amend your loan amount if you obtain any alternative funding toward tuition fees.
If the cost of advancing your talent has been worrying you and you think this might just make the difference, visit The Student Room website's Student Finance page, or apply online at the GOV.UK website's Postgraduate Loan page.
We recommend investigating opportunities offered by local councils, charities, organisations and employers. If you are currently studying at another university, they may have resources available for researching funding opportunities.
You should investigate all potential sources of independent funding available via online research. Start by searching for Postgraduate “scholarships”, “grants”, “funding”, “bursaries”, “educational trust” and “art trust” opportunities.
We ask that you do not contact NFTS patrons or donors directly as noted in the list of scholarship donors.
BAFTA UK Scholarship Programme
If you are applying to a number of NFTS MFA, MA and Diploma courses, you can apply for the BAFTA UK scholarship programme. It is open to British citizens in need of financial assistance to take a postgraduate course in the UK. You can apply to BAFTA before you are offered an NFTS place, however they will require a letter confirming that you have submitted an application to us.
Each BAFTA Scholar undertaking postgraduate studies can receive up to £12,000 towards their annual course fees (up to a maximum of £20,000 across 2 years if studying on a two-year MFA).
For more information on eligible courses and to apply online, visit BAFTA's website.
Applications are currently closed for 2026-27. The deadline was 26 May 2026.
The Snowdon Trust Master's Scholarship
The Snowdon Trust Master's Scholarship has been designed to identify and accelerate exceptional Disabled Students through their higher education, creating the influences of the future. We are searching for individuals who choose to use their lived experience of disabling barriers to make a difference. To create change.
The award will provide up to £30,000 for exceptional Disabled Students applying to study a Master’s degree. We are investing in
the influencers of the future. This consists of up to £15,000 towards course fees and a maintenance allowance of £15,000 for the duration of your course.
The eligibility requirements are as follows:
- You are applying for Master’s level study at a UK institution
- Your course will start in 2026/27
- You are a UK national, hold UK residency or have completed your Undergraduate BA Degree in the UK
- You identify as Disabled. Please note that if you identify as experiencing a mental health condition, challenge or disorder (e.g. anxiety or depression) you can only apply if you also identify as living with one or more other disabilities.
Applications are currently closed. Please keep an eye on their website for further information: https://www.snowdontrust.org/
Regional Screen Agencies
Some of the remaining UK Regional Screen Agencies offer scholarships to students from within their region. Some are arranged through the School as NFTS Scholarships, while others must be applied for direct, in competition with students at other institutions. Please contact your local Regional Screen Agency, for more information.
Aziz Foundation Scholarships
The NFTS and the Aziz Foundation are pleased to be offering a range of scholarships to talented British Muslim students keen to excel in the creative industries on NFTS MFA, MA and Diploma course. Applications should be submitted via their website and you can apply prior to knowing your NFTS course application outcome. Applications are open all year round for NFTS applications.
For more information visit: nfts.co.uk/article/aziz-foundation-scholarships-now-available-nfts
Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding
The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding website is all about alternative sources of funding - especially charities - which can make awards (fees, maintenance, research costs) to any student regardless of subject, or nationality.
The Alternative Guide Online contains a huge database of funding opportunities, comprehensive guidance, and numerous tools to help you prepare a winning grant application.
The NFTS has purchased a licence to the Guide and this is free for all enrolled students and staff to use. You can log-in on-site using the “Login automatically from campus right now!” Login Now!
If you are a prospective student who has applied to the NFTS, please email to get an access PIN. Please include your full name and the course you have applied for in the email. You can then register and log-in via option 2 of the Gateway (postgraduate-funding.com)
There are dedicated websites to help you begin your search such as but not limited to:
The National Film and Television School is pleased to offer three Humanitarian Scholarships for students fleeing conflict and persecution, enabling them to continue their education in the UK.
For 2026, these scholarships include:
- One full fee scholarship and £15,000 living expenses per year on a full-time NFTS Postgraduate level course commencing in September 2026 or January 2027 to an applicant that is already resident and holds the appropriate refugee status in the UK.
- A fully funded place on our Filmmaking certificate course commencing October 2026 for students holding the appropriate status either inside or outside the UK.
- A fully funded place on our Indie Games certificate course commencing January 2027 for students holding the appropriate status either inside or outside the UK.
N.B. The UK includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The deadline has now passed for the Certificate in Filmmaking and the Postgraduate Humanitarian Scholarships. Applications will re-open in early 2027.
Applications for the Certificate in Indie Games are now open for January 2027. The deadline to apply is 3 September 2026.
To apply for the Humanitarian Scholarship, you must have already applied to one of the above courses at the NFTS. This is separate to the scholarship application.
All applicants for this scholarship must:
Hold one of the following immigration statuses before applying to the School
- UK asylum seeker
- UK discretionary leave to remain (as a result of an asylum application)
- UK limited leave to remain (as a result of an asylum application)
- Humanitarian protection (as a result of an asylum application)
- Be living in the UK and unable to access mainstream UK student funding due to their residency status at the point the application for the Scholarship is made.
Applicants should email studentfunding@nfts.co.uk to request a scholarship application form as soon as possible after they have submitted their course application.
We are committed to supporting UK disabled talent and being a catalyst for meaningful change to issues faced by disabled talent within the UK screen and games industries. As part of our commitment to making the creative industries more accessible to disabled talent, we are providing dedicated funding to help to support UK students with disabilities to access our world-class training.
Read more about the bursary on our Disability Support page.
Launched in 2025, the NFTS Accessible Living Bursary is a transformative new initiative that will fully fund on-site, purpose-built accommodation for physically disabled students for the entire duration of their course. More information can be found on our Disability Support page.
The school attracts a diverse range of industry partners, patrons and individual donors who play a vital role in supporting the next generation of creative talent. Through their generous contributions, these supporters provide a range of scholarships and bursaries that help students from a variety of backgrounds access the school.
These partnerships not only reduce financial barriers to study but also strengthen the school's connection with industry, creating valuable opportunities for students through mentoring, networking, work placements, and professional engagement. By investing in student success, our supporters help nurture emerging talent and contribute to the future of the creative industries.
Below is a list of the organisations, foundations, and individuals whose generosity enables students to pursue their studies:
All3Media
Andy Harries
Amazon Prime Video
Aziz Foundation
BAFTA
Baille Gifford
Beaconsfield Film Society
Betty Willingale
Blazing Griffin Pictures
British Society of Cinematographers
Carol Wiseman Scholarship
CDA Limited
Chelsea Arts Club Trust
Columbia TriStar
Creative Scotland
David Yates
De Mouilpied Charity Trust
DNA Films
Gary Davy Casting
Hartswood Films
IMG
ITV
Jenne Casarotto Scholarship
Jim Garrett Scholarship
John Sargent Scholarship
John Claude Scholarship
Sir John Terry Memorial Fund
Juniper Trust
Kodak Entertainment Imaging
Left Bank Pictures - The Crown Scholarship
Lesley Land Scholarship
The Leverhulme Trust
The Lew Grade Foundation
The Louis Malle Scholarship
LS Productions
Mark Baker
Mark Farley
MG Alba
Musicians Union
Netflix
New Name Entertainment
Nik Powell Scholarship
Northern Ireland Screen
Pinewood Studios Group
Progressive Broadcast Hire
The PRS for Music Foundation
Rank Foundation
Richard Dunn Scholarship
Rolex
Royal Mail Special Stamps
Sargent Disc
Sean Connery Foundation
Sherling Trust
Spotlight
Sue Bruce Smith Scholarship
Sylvia Anderson Scholarship
Synchronicity Films
Toledo Productions
UK Cinema Association
United Agents
Walt Disney Company
Warner Bros Discovery
YouTube
Many countries have scholarship and student loan programmes for students wanting to study abroad and it’s worth investigating these in your home country. Additionally, there are British Government-funded scholarship schemes available through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Overseas Development Administration or United Nations. You can find out more from the British Council, Embassy or High Commission in your own country or from britishcouncil.org and educationuk.org.
The application deadline for these scholarships may fall before our selection process is over, so you should ask if you can make an application in principle even though you may not yet have been offered a place at the School.
The NFTS does not currently have any funding available to support International / EU / EEA students, however we have put together a list of potential resources to help with your independent research.
This is not an exhaustive list, but aims to give students a guide in the right direction, where previous students have found scholarships, grants and loans: NFTS International Funding Guide
Funding opportunities and other financial advice are available on the UKCISA website.
American Students
Students studying on NFTS MFA courses qualify for US Federal Loan support. Read our page dedicated to advice for American Students.