Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust Bursary 2026: Up to £1,000 for PhD Students in the UK
Pakistani PhD students in the UK can get up to £1,000 from the Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust. Email the form by 31 October 2026. Who qualifies, how to apply.
Pakistani PhD students already in the UK can apply to the Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust for a doctoral bursary by the last day of October, which is 31 October 2026. The trust's own page says the grant is normally up to £1,000. You apply by email with one form, a supervisor's letter and a short CV.
Some reports give 30 October as the closing date. We read the trust's page on 3 October 2026, and it says the two yearly deadlines are "the last day of April and the last day of October". So 31 October is the date the trust itself gives. Do not leave it to the last evening anyway.
The Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust bursary is small money. It is meant to help a final-year student finish, not to pay for a whole PhD. If you are still looking for full funding, this is not the scheme for you, and the sections below explain what else the trust runs.
Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust bursary at a glance
The bursary helps Pakistani doctoral students who are already studying in the UK and are near the end of their PhD. The usual maximum is £1,000. Only three subject areas qualify, and you must show both strong academic work and real financial need.
| Item | What the trust says |
|---|---|
| Who it is for | Pakistani doctoral students already in the UK, normally in or near their final year |
| Amount | Normally up to £1,000 (the application form shows a box with a £2,000 maximum) |
| Subjects | Humanities, arts and creative industries; social sciences and social development; life sciences including medicine |
| Deadlines | Last day of April and last day of October each year |
| How to apply | Email the form, supervisor's letter and CV to the trust's Secretary |
| Decision | Soon after the trustees meet in late May or early June |
The trust is a UK registered charity, number 283337, set up in 1981. The British Council first ran it and still supports it in the UK and in Pakistan. The trust's page says almost 90% of its investment income goes on its educational work.
Who can apply for the doctoral bursary
You must be a Pakistani doctoral student already registered at a UK university, normally in your final year or close to it. You need funding from other sources for most of your costs. Bachelors and Masters students cannot apply under any of the trust's programmes.
The form's own heading says it is for students from Pakistan "already registered or accepted for a Ph.D. or equivalent course" at a British university or recognised UK institution. Three more rules matter:
- Subject. Only humanities, arts and creative industries, social sciences and social development, and life sciences including medicine. Engineering, computer science and business are not on the list.
- Timing. Do not apply more than 15 months before your expected completion date.
- One award only. If you win a bursary, you cannot apply again.
The trust says plainly that it is "not primarily a hardship fund". You need a strong academic record as well as a funding gap. A student who is doing well but is a few hundred pounds short in the final months is the case it is built for.
How much the bursary pays and the £2,000 question
The trust's web page says its maximum grant is normally £1,000. The application form, last saved in May 2026, has a box for the sum you need with a £2,000 maximum printed beside it. We would plan on £1,000 and treat anything more as unlikely.
The two documents do not match, and we could not find out why. The safest reading is that £1,000 is the normal ceiling and the form allows a larger request in an unusual case. Ask only for what you can explain line by line.
The form also asks for every other scholarship you hold or have applied for. The trustees must be satisfied that you can finish your course with your other funds. If you are moving on to work in the UK after the PhD, the rules on the UK Graduate visa may matter for your plans too.
How to apply by email before 31 October 2026
Download the trust's Word form, fill it in, and email it to the Secretary, Rebecca Walton, at rebeccawalton@wallace-trusts.org.uk. Your supervisor sends a letter of support on headed paper. Add a CV of no more than two pages.
- Download the application form from the Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust page.
- Fill in all 17 questions, including your research topic in detail. The form calls the topic "a key selection criterion".
- Ask your supervisor to email a letter of support on headed paper, preferably as a Word file.
- Attach a copy of your UK registration document and a CV of two pages or less.
- Email everything to the Secretary before the end of 31 October 2026.
The supervisor's letter has a fixed shape. The form asks it to cover three things: your academic progress and commitment, why you are worth supporting, and why you need the money. A vague letter that only praises you wastes one of those three points.
Keep other documents to a minimum. The trust says so directly. A thick bundle of certificates will not help, and the form already asks for your qualifications.
What the application form asks you
The form has 17 questions. It asks for your contact details in Pakistan and the UK, your qualifications, your UK university and course, your research topic, your expected completion date, what the money is for, the sum you need, other funding, and your planned career in Pakistan.
| Form section | What to give |
|---|---|
| Questions 1 to 7 | Name, sex, date of birth, addresses in Pakistan and the UK, phone, email |
| Questions 8 to 12 | Qualifications, UK institution, course, research topic, progress and completion date |
| Question 13 | Supervisor's name, position and address, and their letter of support |
| Questions 14 to 16 | Purpose of the money, sum requested, other scholarships and funds |
| Question 17 | Your proposed career on return to Pakistan |
Question 17 is worth real thought. The trust exists to help Pakistanis who are normally resident in Pakistan, and a clear plan to bring the work home fits its purpose.
Other Charles Wallace awards for Pakistanis
Besides the doctoral bursary, the trust funds short UK visits of three weeks to three months. These are Open Visiting Fellowships, Reserved Visiting Fellowships at partner universities, and Visiting Artist residencies. Each pays a monthly stipend and helps with airfare and visa costs.
| Programme | Monthly stipend | How it runs |
|---|---|---|
| Open Visiting Fellowships | £1,450 | Up to 12 a year, ages normally 30 to 50, advertised by the British Council in Pakistan in December or January, deadline in March |
| Reserved Visiting Fellowships | £1,600 | Offered by partner institutions: SOAS, the LSE South Asia Centre, and the University of Edinburgh's IASH |
| Visiting Artists | £1,450 | Residencies at the Prince's School of Traditional Arts and at Gasworks in London |
For the Open Fellowships, you first find a UK host and get an invitation letter. Interviews take place in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi in May. Candidates who have never travelled abroad for study or work get "a modest advantage".
The SOAS Charles Wallace Pakistan Fellowship page, when we read it, still showed the 2025/26 round. That round closed on 22 September 2025 and paid a £1,250 pre-departure grant plus £1,600 a month. We found no 2026/27 round posted yet.
None of these covers a full degree. For a fully funded UK Masters, look at the Chevening scholarship or the Commonwealth scholarship through HEC instead.
Common questions
What is the Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust deadline in 2026?
The trust's page gives the last day of October, which is 31 October 2026. The next round closes on the last day of April 2027. Some reports say 30 October, but the trust's own wording points to the 31st.
How much is the Charles Wallace doctoral bursary?
Normally up to £1,000, according to the trust's web page. The application form shows a £2,000 maximum for the sum requested, so the two sources differ. Plan on £1,000.
Can a Masters student apply for the Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust bursary?
No. The trust says there is no provision for Bachelors or Masters students. The bursary is only for doctoral students already registered in the UK.
Can I apply from Pakistan before starting my PhD?
Not for the bursary. It goes to students already in the UK who are normally in their final year. You should not apply more than 15 months before your expected completion date. If you still need a UK Student visa, sort that out first.
When will I hear back from the trust?
The trust says applicants are told soon after the trustees meet in late May or early June. It also says awards are made once a year in late May.
Can I apply again if I won a bursary before?
No. The trust's page says successful applicants for these grants cannot re-apply.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read the Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust page on wallace-trusts.org.uk on 3 October 2026 (the server lists it as last changed on 30 May 2026), and downloaded and read its Word application form, last saved on 30 May 2026. We also read the SOAS Charles Wallace Pakistan Fellowship page. The amount differs between the trust's page (£1,000) and its form (£2,000), and we have reported both. We did not contact the trust. If you spot a change, email the Secretary before relying on any date here.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
