RHS Master’s Scholarships provide financial support to students from groups currently underrepresented in academic History. Each Scholarship is worth £5,000.
Applications for the 2026-27 round of Scholarships have now closed.
We expect to run the next call in May 2027 for those looking to undertake a Master’s degree in History or a cognate subject, in the academic year 2027-28. Further details of the 2027 call will be circulated in due course.
About this programme
The programme, established in 2022, seeks to actively address underrepresentation within the discipline, and enable Black and Asian students, along with those of other minorities, to consider academic research in History.
By supporting Master’s students the programme focuses on a key early stage in the academic training of future researchers. With these Scholarships, we seek to support students who are without the financial means to study for a Master’s in History. By doing so, we hope to improve the educational experience of early career historians engaged in a further degree.
There are no conditions on what the award may be spent and may be used to support fees, living expenses etc. during the degree course. Recipients also become Postgraduate Members of the Society.
Before beginning an application for a Scholarship, please read the following guide to ensure you meet the required eligibility requirements.
Current Scholarship holders for 2026-27
In autumn 2026, the Society was delighted to announce four recipients of Masters Scholarships for the academic year 2026-27
- Zainab Abari (first degree Durham) to study for an MPhil in Economic and Social History at the University of Oxford
- Poppy Harris Bloomer (first degree Birmingham) to study for an MA in History at the University of Birmingham
- Annie Gaskell (first degree Liverpool) to study for an MA in History at the University of Manchester
- Ahsan Rashid (first degree Cardiff) to study for an MA in History at Cardiff University
Supporting the Scholarships programme for the academic year 2027-28, and after
In the first four years of the programme, the Society has awarded 22 Scholarships, thanks to the additional support of the Past & Present Society, the Scouloudi Foundation, the Thriplow Charitable Trust, and a generous donor. The RHS seeks to offer as many Scholarships as we can to talented eligible early career historians to ensure opportunities for higher research and careers in history are more widely available.
If you or your organisation would like to help support future rounds of this programme, please email [email protected] to discuss options with the Society’s President, Professor Lucy Noakes.
All other enquiries about the programme should be addressed to: [email protected].