University in United Kingdom
Egham, England, United Kingdom
University profile
Royal Holloway, University of London is a university in Egham, Surrey, formed by the 1985 merger of two nineteenth-century colleges for women: Bedford College, founded in central London in 1849 by Elizabeth Jesser Reid, and Royal Holloway College, founded by Thomas and Jane Holloway and opened by Queen Victoria in 1886. It is a member of the University of London, describes itself as a university of social purpose, and takes its motto Esse quam videri ('to be rather than to seem') from that joint heritage.
The main campus sits in 135 acres of parkland at Egham, 19 miles from central London and seven miles from Heathrow Airport, around the Victorian Founder's Building, which holds the Picture Gallery, the chapel, a dining hall and rooms for 500 students. Most courses are taught at Egham. A central London campus in Bloomsbury (11 Bedford Square, Stewart House and Senate House) hosts postgraduate courses and two-year accelerated degrees in Business and Management and Law.
Teaching and research are organised in six schools: the School of Business and Management; Engineering, Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Humanities; Law and Social Sciences; Life Sciences and the Environment; and Performing and Digital Arts. Subjects run from Biological Sciences, Earth Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, Computer Science, Electronic Engineering and Information Security to Classics, History, English, Modern Languages, Music, Drama and Theatre, Film, Television and Screen, Digital Media Arts, Economics, Law, Criminology, Politics and International Relations, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Philosophy and Liberal Arts. Integrated Foundation Year versions of many degrees are offered.
Student life centres on the Egham campus, with the Students' Union, a refurbished Sports Centre, floodlit all-weather pitches and courts, and a library of more than 600,000 volumes in the Emily Wilding Davison Building. Undergraduate halls range from the catered and self-catered rooms of Founder's to en-suite halls such as Gowar, Wedderburn, Williamson, Tuke, Butler and Reid, with postgraduate options at Penrose Court, Highfield Court and Highfield Close; students in London can use intercollegiate halls of the University of London.
The university reports 12,662 students (full-time equivalent), of whom 1,501 come from outside the EU and 271 from the EU, and alumni in 165 countries. International students can enter through the Royal Holloway International Study Centre, run by Study Group, which offers an International Foundation Year, International Year One and Pre-Masters programmes, as well as through other recognised foundation providers.
Home undergraduates starting in 2026/27 pay £9,790 for that year, and those starting in 2027/28 pay £10,050; annual increases for continuing home students are set by government policy and capped at 7.5%. International and EU undergraduate and all postgraduate taught fees are listed per course in the course finder, with annual increases based on RPI and capped at 7.5%. Home postgraduate research fees are £5,238 for 2026/27 (MSc Biological Sciences by Research £8,238 including a £3,000 bench fee); international research fees vary by department, for example £26,400 in Classics and £29,700 in Biological Sciences for 2026/27. Self-funding postgraduates can pay in two equal instalments. Undergraduate fees · Research degree fees
Awarded automatically to home-fee students who share their Student Finance England means-tested information:
Students on accelerated degrees receive an extra 20% on these rates. Bursaries
Application-based awards include the Everson Scholarship for Modern Languages (full tuition fees for three years, UK), Headley Trust Scholarship (£12,000 fee reduction, UK), Dr Pirkko Koppinen and Professor Mike Walker OBE scholarships (up to £12,000), David Cesarani Scholarship (£11,000), Koppinen Family, Geoffrey Kneebone and Brian Harris scholarships (£10,000), Professor Barbara Raw awards for English and Medieval Studies (up to £10,000 cash), Bedford Society and Bedford Access scholarships (£8,100), Herringham Scholarship (£8,000), Katayoon Behboodi Scholarship (50% fee discount, international), Physics and Donald Davies Computer Science scholarships (£1,000 in the first year and £500 thereafter), and sports and music scholarships. Deadlines are set for each award; most September 2027 application-based scholarships open later in the cycle.
Royal Holloway graduates receive 20% off first-year fees for postgraduate courses starting in January 2027 (expected to be 15% for September 2027), and graduates of other University of London institutions receive 10%. International students on an Integrated Foundation Year starting in 2026 receive 10% off the Year 1 fee of their degree. External awards include Chevening, the Royal Holloway Marshall Scholarship and Fulbright awards for US students, the Saïd Foundation Scholarship, Ashinaga Scholarship for students from selected African countries, and UKNEST and Postgrad Solutions bursaries. External scholarships
Royal Holloway International Undergraduate Scholarship →
Royal Holloway International Masters Scholarship →
Royal Holloway India Masters Scholarship →
Royal Holloway Pakistan Masters Scholarship →
Browse the scholarships listed for Royal Holloway, University of London and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Royal Holloway, University of London →Apply through UCAS (institution code R72), choosing up to five institutions or courses. For the current cycle, UCAS opens on 1 September 2026 and the equal consideration deadline is 13 January 2027; international students are advised to meet the same date, although applications are considered until 30 June 2027 where places remain. UCAS Extra opens on 25 February 2027, and universities must inform UCAS of decisions by 12 May 2027. No undergraduate course requires an interview or portfolio as standard.
Transfers into the second year are considered case by case for applicants who meet first-year entry requirements and have achieved the equivalent of an upper second in their first year; third-year transfers are not accepted. Integrated Foundation Year degrees are open to home students and to international students who meet the English language requirement.
Country-specific equivalences are set out by country. Students who do not meet direct entry can take the International Foundation Year (Arts and Social Sciences, Management and Economics, or Sciences) or International Year One (Business and Management, Computer Science, Economics, Electronic Engineering) at the Royal Holloway International Study Centre. The University of London International Foundation Programme, INTO, OnCampus, NCUK, CATS Colleges and David Game College pathways are also recognised; an IFP Distinction (70%) is treated as equivalent to AAA.
Nationals of majority English-speaking countries listed by the UK Home Office do not need to provide proof. Accepted tests include IELTS, PTE Academic, Cambridge, TOEFL iBT, Duolingo, LanguageCert, Oxford ELLT and others, taken no more than two years before the course starts. Scores vary by subject; for example, Business School undergraduate degrees require IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in Writing and no subscore below 5.5, and taught postgraduate business degrees require IELTS 6.5 with no subscore below 6.0. All postgraduate research degrees require IELTS 6.5 overall with 7.0 in Writing and no other subscore below 5.5 (or PTE 67 with 71 in Writing, TOEFL iBT 88 or Duolingo 120). Pre-sessional English programmes are available for applicants slightly below the requirement.
Masters applicants usually need a UK second class honours degree or overseas equivalent; some courses ask for a 2:1, but a high 2:2 (57% or more) may be considered alongside relevant professional experience. Apply through the Royal Holloway Applicant Portal with a personal statement, transcripts and degree certificate (with English translations), English test results, references and, where required, a portfolio or research proposal. January 2027 courses close on 7 December 2026. For September 2027, deadlines are 27 June 2027 (decision by 16 July) or 30 July 2027 (decision by 13 August), with final deadlines of 20 August 2027 for international and 27 August 2027 for home applicants. International students can prepare through the Pre-Masters Programme at the International Study Centre or OnCampus London's Master's Foundation Programme.
Applicants contact the relevant Department Postgraduate Lead or the Doctoral School, may need to secure a supervisor, and apply through the Applicant Portal with a research proposal where required, transcripts, English language evidence, an academic reference and a CV.
International students who need a Student visa should apply early to allow time for a CAS. A linked CAS covering a pre-sessional English course and the degree requires an IELTS score above 5.5 and the academic conditions of the main offer to be met; TOEFL iBT cannot be used as a Secure English Language Test.
Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX. A 135-acre parkland estate, 40 minutes by train from central London and seven miles from Heathrow, where most courses are taught.
Three buildings a few minutes apart: 11 Bedford Square (WC1B 3RF), Stewart House at 32 Russell Square (WC1B 5DN) and Senate House, the University of London headquarters. Teaching covers postgraduate courses and the two-year accelerated BSc Business and Management and LLB Law, in seminar rooms with breakout areas, common rooms and access to Senate House Library. Students can apply for University of London intercollegiate halls.
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