Breakspear scholarship

Please note: This scholarship will be available for students applying for 2026/27 entry. Please check back at the start of 2026 for further details on how to apply.

Award overview

• Level: Postgraduate
• Mode of study: Full-time
• Tuition fee status: Home
• Value: £11,070
• Number of awards: One
• Deadline: Closed

The Breakspear Scholarship, named in honour of Nicholas Breakspear, Pope Adrian IV - the only English Pope - offers a full fee waiver for a full time, home, postgraduate student in history.

The Breakspear Scholarship is funded by a generous donation from alumnus Adrian Waddingham CBE

Eligibility

Students studying in the School of Historical Studies for one of the following master's programmes are eligible to apply:

• MA European History
• MA Public History and Heritage
• MA Contemporary History and Politics
• MA Global History: Empires, States and Cultures
• MA Historical Research

The scholarship will be awarded to a home student with a strong academic track record who would not have the opportunity to study without scholarship funding.

Value

£11,070 to be used for tuition fees only. 

Deadline

This deadline has passed.

How to apply

Applications for this scholarship have closed.

Birkbeck reserves the right to withdraw or amend a scholarship without prior notification. Scholarships are offered subject to funding and availability.