University of Southampton Physics and Astronomy Achievement Scholarship 2026

University of Southampton are awarding 10 £5,000 stipend scholarships to new undergraduate students in physics and astronomy. This is a widening participation scholarship. 5 will be awarded automatically based on merit, and 5 will be awarded based on widening participation criteria.

Table of Content

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

Summary

• Application DeadlineJanuary 31, 2026
• Value£5,000
• Study LevelUndergraduate
• SponsorUniversity of Southampton
• City to studySouthampton
• School to studyUniversity of Southampton
• Course to studyPhysics and Astronomy
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

10 £5,000 stipend scholarships are available to new undergraduate students in physics and astronomy.

Requirements

To be eligible for this scholarship you must:  

• have submitted you application to study on an undergraduate programme in Physics and Astronomy to UCAS by 31 January 2026
• be invited to an applicant day at the University of Southampton
• have a conditional or unconditional offer from the University of Southampton
• be paying your fees yourself
• not be in receipt of any external sponsorship if you are an international student

Selection Process

• This is a competitive process and not all applications will be successful.
• University of Southampton will score and rank all eligible applicants’ essays and their interview performances and will ask you questions on your essay as part of your interview to ensure you’ve written it yourself.
• The top scoring 5 applicants will be awarded a scholarship.   
• The remaining 5 scholarships will be awarded to the next highest ranking applicants who meet the widening participation criteria.
• Applications will be assessed against this criteria individually and compared against all applications received for this scholarship. The decision of the Head of School is final.
• Successful applicants will have a stipend of £5,000 paid into their UK bank account in quarterly instalments. Continuation of the scholarship from year 2 onwards is subject to maintaining first-class performance (70%) each year. If first-class performance is maintained, the scholarship maybe received each year for the duration of the course, up to a maximum of 4 years.

Check also:
Wits-Edinburgh Programme in Sustainable African Futures by Mastercard Foundation 2026-2027
Department of Aeronautics MSc Scholarship at Imperial College London 2026

Application Deadline

How To Apply

• Apply to an undergraduate programme in Physics and Astronomy 
• If you receive an offer from the University, you'll be sent details of what you need to submit to be considered for the scholarship, as well as details on our Applicant Days and how to book one.   
• You will need to submit an essay of up to 500 words on a physics topic of your choice. This must be submitted no later than 7 days before your applicant day.

For more details, visit University of Southampton Scholarship webpage