CAMHRA Masters Scholarships at SOAS London 2026

The Centre for Anthropology and Mental Health Research in Action (CAMHRA) is excited to announce its 2026/2027 Masters Scholarships (MA and MRes). 

As a recently launched UKRI-funded research centre, CAMHRA seeks to support outstanding applicants to pursue postgraduate study and research in the anthropology of mental health. These are fee-only scholarships, running yearly until 2028/29, with the full-time equivalent of three overseas fees and four home fees places available each year.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Interview Process
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineApril 30, 2026
• Study LevelMasters
• SponsorSchool of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
• City to studyLondon
• School to studySchool of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
• Course to studyAnthropology and Mental Health , Social Anthropology
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• Each full-time scholarship covers 2026/27 tuition fees in full.
• For part-time students studying over two years, the award will provide funding for 2026/27 and 2027/28 tuition fees.  

Exceptional circumstances stipend: Iran or Iraq

Each year at the CAMHRA Masters Scholarships, they aim to provide one international scholarship with a living stipend for accommodation and living costs. This additional financial support will be available to students in particular regions affected by exceptional circumstances that typically exclude candidates from access to other national or international student scholarships. 

For 2026/27, the ‘exceptional circumstances’ stipend is available to students who are resident in, or a citizen of, Iran or Iraq. The region may change for future scholarship iterations. Please declare in your CAMHRA Masters Scholarship application if you consider yourself to be eligible for the ‘Exceptional circumstances’ stipend. The living stipend will be in line with UKRI studentships. In 2025/26: these were £22,780 for the academic year, inclusive of London weighting. 

Requirements

Eligible programmes 

• Full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years) MA Medical Anthropology and Mental Health beginning in 2026/27.

• Full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years) MRes Social Anthropology starting in 2026/27.

Candidate criteria 

The scholarship is open to UK and Overseas applicants. Applicants:

• For the scholarship for MA Medical Anthropology and Mental Health must hold a minimum 2:1 bachelor’s degree in a social science or humanities subject; OR in health sciences including medicine, psychology, nursing, social work.
• For MRes Social Anthropology must hold a minimum 2:1 bachelor’s or masters degree. Applicants without a prior degree in anthropology must have a prior masters in another field.
• Must have a strong idea for a research project that uses ethnographic methods to understand an issue related to mental health.

Scholarship applicants must have submitted their application to the MA or MRes programme at SOAS, but are not required to have received an offer of admission by the scholarship deadline. Please note that this scholarship does not cover funding for pre-sessional courses.

Selection Process

• Candidates will be assessed by the Selection Panel based on their
  • academic merit,
  • research proposal,
  • personal statement,
  • responses to the scholarship application prompts, and
  • considerations of equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview.
• The scholarship shortlisting and awarding period is expected to be completed by the end of July 2026.
• Successful candidates will be contacted first and once all awards have been allocated, unsuccessful candidates will be notified.

Check also:
Free Ongoing Fully Funded Scholarships Guide 2026 (Download Now)

Application Deadline

How To Apply

1. Apply for your programme. 

   To apply for the MA in Medical Anthropology and Mental Health, please see Taught Masters applications. To apply for the MRes in Social Anthropology, please visit the Doctoral school

2. Apply for the scholarship by 11:59pm UK local time on or before 30 April 2026. You must apply for this scholarship via the admissions portal. You will need to have applied for a course to get login credentials for this.

   If you do not see the scholarship you are hoping to apply for within your admissions portal, please double-check you meet the eligibility criteria. Should you have any queries, please contact [email protected].

3. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted in June 2026 and invited to an online interview. Offers will be made by July 2026. Please note that this is a competitive scholarship

   For more details, visit SOAS Scholarship webpage