University bursaries and scholarships
Scholarships, bursaries and grants are all there to help different students in varying situations. Find out what help is available and how to apply.
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CONTENTS
- What's the difference between bursaries and scholarships?
- How do you find a university scholarship or bursary?
- Tips for applying for a university scholarship or bursary
- How to find other scholarships and bursaries
- Examples of other scholarships and bursaries for university
What鈥檚 the difference between bursaries and scholarships?
Scholarships and bursaries reward high achievement or support students with greater need. You don鈥檛 need to pay this money back.
University bursaries are usually awarded to students who need more financial help. They may offer support due to a students' personal circumstances or a low family income. Bursaries can help students go to university who might not otherwise be able to attend.
University scholarships usually reward students who are outstanding in their subject. They generally need to be applied for and are quite competitive. Scholarships may also support non-academic achievements such as sport, music or volunteering.
That said, universities can use the terms interchangeably, and each university has its own terminology.
University scholarships and bursaries give extra financial support to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Most awards are for full-time students. Some awards are specifically for international students. To be eligible, students must meet the criteria.
It's not just universities that offer money to help you study a degree. Other organisations offer funding too 鈥� including charities, trusts and even companies. In this case, funding might be called a grant or sponsorship, as well as bursary or scholarship.
This guide will help you to find extra sources of funding, whether from your university or from outside agencies.
How do you find a university scholarship or bursary?
To find a university scholarship in the UK, first check the websites of individual unis. It's easy to find them using the Complete University 51视频! Our university profiles tell you about student support, including financial support. There's also a direct link to the uni's own scholarships and bursaries web page, where you can find out more.
But some unis have different pages for scholarships and for bursaries, so if you don't see any bursaries listed, check to see if they're elsewhere. Details for specific groups of students 鈥� like care leavers or young carers 鈥� may be in a completely different place on the uni website.
Some universities are formed of individual colleges. This includes institutions like Oxford and Cambridge. In this case, you might find individual colleges also offer financial support.
Tips for applying for a university scholarship or bursary
Focus on your best chance of success
If your family income is low, start by looking for bursaries. There's no set definition of a low income though. Often it will be around £25,000, but Imperial College London offers a bursary for students with a household income of less than £70,000 a year!
If your parents earn a high income, you're unlikely to get a bursary. Instead, check if there are scholarships based on your A Level grades or achievement in sport or music.
What else are university scholarships or bursaries awarded for?
It鈥檚 up to the uni to decide what criteria are required for their award.
Unis are expected to support UK students whose personal circumstances make them less likely to apply. Not all offer a bursary, but some do. And the extra financial support could make all the difference to a student鈥檚 chance of success at uni. 鈥楶ersonal circumstances鈥� could include:
- Family situation, such as care leavers, estranged students, young carers or mature students
- Health conditions, such as a disability
- Cultural background, like whether you are a black or ethnic minority student
- Where you live, such as students from particular postcodes or applying from partner colleges
Scholarships may also reward achievement. In this case the uni wants to encourage high achievers to apply as it鈥檒l boost their reputation. Achievements could include:
- Good A Level grades (or equivalent)
- Performance in music, sport or arts
- Students who excel in particular subjects, such as engineering (STEM subjects)
Some awards are on offer only to new students starting university. Others are for students already studying a degree there, to encourage good academic progress. Some unis may also offer support for placement years or study abroad.
Not all awards give you money. Sports scholarships may well give you access to extra support, or cover expenses for team sports.
Check if you need to apply and what the deadline is
When you find a suitable scholarship or bursary, note the value of the award and how many are on offer. Some awards need you to apply. Others may be automatically awarded.
- Awards requiring an application may need you to have an offer of a place at the uni before you can apply. Make sure you note any deadlines for applications
- Automatic awards can be due to your personal circumstances or exam grades
Share your information with Student Finance
When you apply for your student loan, tick the box on the application to share your info with the universities you're applying to. They can then decide if you meet the criteria for a university scholarship or bursary. Unis won't share your information with anyone else.
Find out when you'll know if you're successful for an award
Always check the eligibility criteria on the uni's website. It should also tell you how to apply, and when you can expect to hear if you鈥檝e been successful.
- For bursaries dependent on income, you'll know if you're likely to meet the criteria when you get your student finance assessment
- For other awards, you may not know until you get your exam results, long after you've decided where to study
Keep your eyes open for opportunities
Look out for special and unadvertised offers when you go to interviews and open days.
If you apply during Clearing, check for scholarships then, too. Some unis may increase their bursaries and scholarships to encourage students to apply.
Take care with your application
When applying for a scholarship or bursary, check it's correct with no obvious errors. Read the small print on any offers. There's also no harm in phoning a university if you don't understand any of the details.
Be realistic
Weigh up the financial support you could get versus the expense of studying at that uni. Compare it with other universities you're interested in. But you should choose the right university for your future goals, not just one that offers more money.
- READ MORE
- University profiles
- University interviews
How to find other scholarships and bursaries
For other ways to fund your degree, check for industry and company scholarships or bursaries from charities and trusts. University scholarship pages may advertise some of these.
Make a plan before you start your search. Start early, so you can identify application deadlines well in advance. If you're still at school you might have more time to apply during holidays, but you may want help from school careers or guidance staff before then.
Step 1: Why might you get funding?
When applying for a scholarship or bursary, you'll need to show how you meet the criteria. So it鈥檚 worth coming up with a list of all the potential factors that could be important.
List any achievements you might have. Awards may also be based on:
- Where you live
- Where you were educated
- Your family surname (and yes, this could be part of the criteria for a grant)
- Your family income
- Jobs your parents do (or if you're a mature student, jobs you've done)
- A disability or health condition
- A minority religion or ethnicity
- If you鈥檙e first in your family to go into higher education
- If you鈥檙e a refugee or asylum seeker
Note any other information you might need when completing funding applications.
You're likely to be asked for financial information. If a grant is due to financial hardship, you鈥檒l need to give evidence of your finances. This could include annual household income, income from any benefits, savings or investments, and even assets.
Gather together any other evidence, so you have it to hand. And make your information easy to refer to, so you can complete applications quickly.
Step 2: Who might offer funding?
Does your subject offer potential for funding? Who stands to benefit from you studying it? Does it lead to a career where there are shortages of workers? Will a charity offer support because of your circumstances?
Organisations who might offer scholarships, sponsorships, grants or bursaries, include:
- Government funding 鈥� to promote teaching, social work or healthcare careers
- Employer sponsorship 鈥� to attract good applicants to work for them. This includes degree apprenticeships and Dyson engineering degrees
- Professional bodies or 鈥榣earned societies鈥� 鈥� to promote their subject
- Research funding 鈥� to promote research in certain fields
- UK Armed Forces 鈥� to get skilled recruits by sponsoring certain vocational degrees (you鈥檒l need to pass a selection course before you start uni)
- Charity funds 鈥� to support individuals with specific circumstances
The terms of the award may require you to work for the funder after you qualify. This could be for a set period of time, such as a 鈥榬eturn of service鈥� period for the Armed Forces. In other cases you may need to write a report or provide feedback on how the funds have helped you.
Research and subject funds are mostly for postgraduate study, but some funds may be available to undergraduates. For example, science students could get a summer studentships to carry out research before going into the final year of their degree.
Why else might you get funding? You could get funding for specific projects such as a community activity or social enterprise. There are also awards for people willing to do extra, such as learning in Welsh.
Step 3: Where to look for non-university scholarships and bursaries?
You鈥檝e identified criteria that could land you a bursary or scholarship, and who might fund you. Next, here is a list of a few places where you can start your search for funders.
Universities 鈥� uni websites often list partnership scholarships or grants, as well as their own. Use the link on our university profiles to find the uni's scholarships page. University student money advisors may also know of other funds suitable for your circumstances. Contact the uni鈥檚 student services department or Students' Union welfare office.
鈥� a free online database of UK scholarships, grants and bursaries for undergraduate and postgraduate students. A basic sign up lets you search and subscribe to a newsletter or alerts for new funding that match your profile.
鈥� lists funding for postgraduate students.
鈥� lists grant-making trusts in Scotland.
Grants Register 鈥� published by Springer/ Palgrave Macmillan. This lists postgraduate funding opportunities across the world. You might find be able to access it via university libraries.
鈥� a national charity that provides practical help to people in financial need. The website has a grant search facility and helpful guidance on the information you may need if applying for a charitable grant.
factsheet covers funding from charitable trusts for disabled students. For disabled students in Scotland, has downloadable guides, including grants for individuals.
If you're searching a database or on the internet, consider similar words you could use to describe the same thing:
- You don't want to miss out on a grant, bursary or educational trust because you only searched using the word scholarship
- You need to find grants for individuals for university 鈥� many trusts award grants to charities and not individuals
- Check for professional trade bodies, livery companies and guilds. Ancient trade bodies may be named the 'Worshipful' company or society
Step 4: Don鈥檛 just apply 鈥� shortlist first!
Don鈥檛 apply for bursaries or scholarships as you find them. You may lose time applying for a fund that's less suitable than another where the application deadline is looming.
- Do some quick research to generate a shortlist of charities, trusts or companies to approach for scholarships, bursaries or grants
- Note application deadlines 鈥� some application windows are very short
- Scan the eligibility requirements to check you meet all the criteria 鈥� don鈥檛 apply if not
- If you already have financial support or means-tested benefits, check if getting extra funding will affect this
- Some grant bodies won't consider you unless you've tried all standard sources of funding, so you should apply for a student loan even if you don鈥檛 want to
- Be wary to avoid scams, don't pass on your details until you're sure it's legit
You鈥檒l be competing with many other applicants, so you'll need to pitch how well you fit the criteria. Only include information that's asked for.
Try and get a feel for why the money's on offer in the first place. You want the money to fund your university studies, but the people awarding the funding want something out of it too. Is there a commercial aspect to it, as with a company scholarship where they may be looking for a possible future employee? Or is it about giving chances in communities where historically there have been few? For this reason, you can't use the same responses for each application.
Taking this approach is useful if you need to write a statement or short essay about why you deserve an award, or about a particular topic. Stick to the question and look at it from different angles 鈥� like you would in an academic essay.
Plan your time well and get someone else to read over your application. Make sure your application (or essay) is easy to read and that there are no factual or spelling mistakes.
Examples of other scholarships and bursaries for university
There are many other scholarships and bursaries available, some from seemingly unlikely sources. Take a look at our list below:
Vegetarian Charity
You must be under 26 years old and a committed vegetarian or vegan (with references to prove it!) to get this funding. You can only apply when you have firm acceptance of a place at uni. You'll stand a better chance of getting a grant after you've started and are actually facing financial hardship.
The Vegetarian Charity gives grants for educational courses or equipment you need. Applying can be a lengthy process. Grants for more than £500 aren't normally issued and you can't use the money to pay off debts or start a business.
George Viner Memorial Fund
Run by the National Union of Journalists, this funds black and ethnic students in print, broadcasting, photographic or online journalism. You'll need to show your commitment to this career and study an NUJ-recognised media course in the UK or Ireland. You can use funds for tuition fees, accommodation, travel and course-related expenses.
Help Musicians
A charity for professional musicians in the UK. Help Musicians has awards for (mostly) postgraduate students studying at UK conservatoires. It also provides financial support for undergraduate or postgrad students to get medical treatment for a performance-related health condition. Their website also helps identify funding sources that can help you develop a career in music.
Forces Children in Scotland
Do you have a parent who is current or past Armed Forces personnel? If they live in the UK and have a connection to Scotland (i.e. they鈥檙e Scottish, or you live there), you may be eligible for financial support. Support may be available to young people between the ages of 16鈥�25, enrolled to study an undergraduate degree.
Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust
This funding also depends on your parent or spouse's job. Do they currently work as a commercial traveller, pharmacist or grocer (such as a supermarket retailer)? If so, you could get financial support for full-time undergraduate or postgraduate study. They must currently work in this capacity and have been employed for at least five years. You must show that you鈥檙e in 鈥榝inancial need鈥�, those with a household income below £50,000 are prioritised. Students at certain unis won鈥檛 get funding.
Funds can be used for tuition fees, accommodation, living expenses or study-related equipment.
Holbeck scholarships (Holbeck Charitable Trust, with the University of York)
Are you a high-achieving student at school in the Yorkshire and Humber region? If you are applying to any UK university, you may be eligible for this funding. As well as being on track for good grades, you must also fit two of the following criteria:
- Have a family income less than £42,875
- Have overcome significant difficulties, such as being in care or estranged, a disability, or being a refugee
- Have parents or grandparents who didn鈥檛 go to university
You could get up to £1,750, as a reward for your achievement. You can spend the money how you want.
MinSouth
The Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining is in the south-east of England. It offers sponsorship of up to £1,000 for final year undergraduates studying geology, mining engineering, engineering geology or mineral processing.
Helena Kennedy Foundation
Do you face significant barriers to continuing your education, as well as severe financial hardship? The Helene Kennedy Foundation offers a bursary of up to £2,250 to those who are eligible. You must be in your final year at a further education institution or sixth form college and applying for a higher education course. You can鈥檛 apply if you鈥檝e already started or completed a higher education course.
As well as getting financial support, you'll get training, mentoring, and work-shadowing opportunities.
Snowdon Trust
The Snowdon Trust supports disabled students with funds for disability-related costs. Support is available for students with a range of disabilities. These include learning differences, communication impairments and long-term illness. Students with a mental health condition will only be eligible if they also have one of the other impairments.
This fund is open to all nationalities. You must have a confirmed place on a further or higher education course in the UK. Your financial details are required, but the grant is not means-tested. You could get up to £5,000 and can reapply in future years.
Funds can be used for disability-related study costs that haven鈥檛 been met by statutory funding. This could include personal assistance, accommodation or specialist computer equipment or software, with some exceptions. You won't get financial support with fees or living costs and can't apply for costs already incurred.
Gridiron Grant
If you are passionate about American Football and play in a league (BAFA or JagTag), then this might be for you. The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only NFL team to commit to at least one annual game in London during the regular season. They offer two students the chance to gain a tuition fee scholarship (for a maximum of four years) through their Gridiron Grant.
To be eligible, you must regularly play American Football as part of a recognised programme, such as JagTag 鈥� a simplified version of touch football invented by the Jacksonville Jaguars to introduce more UK participants to the game. You must also demonstrate self-discipline, hard work and service to your local community.
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