UK Student Finance
An A-Z of Student Finance

Bursaries and Scholarships

If you are in higher education, you may be entitled to extra financial help from your university or college in the form of bursaries and scholarships. Bursaries and scholarships are paid on top of the standard student finance package.

They can be paid as cash, or your university or college may provide you with support in kind such as:

·        accommodation

·        books

·        transport (for example, a bicycle)

Bursaries for Full-Time Students

If you are a new full-time higher education student starting your course after September 2006, you may be entitled to apply for a bursary from your university or college.

You will qualify for this extra financial help if:

·        your fees are more than £2,700 a year in 2006/2007, or £2,765 in 2007/2008; and

·        you receive the full Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant (£2,700 in 2006/2007, or £2,765 in 2007/2008)

But even if this doesn’t apply to you, you may still receive additional help as many universities are offering bursaries to a wider section of students than this. Ask your university or college what help they offer, or use the search facility on the UCAS website.

Scholarships

Many colleges and universities also offer scholarships. These can be based on other factors, such as your A level grades, the subjects you studied, or where you live.

How Much Can You Claim?

Bursaries

The amounts of bursaries are generally between £300 and £3,000 a year.

This means that if you receive the full Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant and your fees are £3,000, you will get at least an extra £300 from your college.

However, the average bursary is likely to be around £1,000 a year.

Scholarships

The scholarships on offer will be different depending on your circumstances and the university or college where you do your course.

Once you have decided which universities you’re interested in, you can find out from their website or student support office about the bursaries and scholarships on offer.

How Do You Apply?

To apply for a bursary or scholarship, you will need to approach your university or college direct to find out what’s on offer given your particular circumstances, and about how to apply.

The application for bursaries may be handled by your university or college, or in other cases by Student Finance Direct on their behalf.

The main application for student finance asks you to give your consent for Student Finance Direct to share your application details with your university or college if necessary. Giving your consent allows your university or college to use the information you have provided to assess your entitlement, where they are administering the bursary scheme themselves.

If you do not consent to this, you will need to provide this information direct to your place of study so that they can carry out their assessment.

How Do You Get Paid?

If your application for bursaries is administered by your university or college, they will pay the bursary to you.

If Student Finance Direct handles your application, you will receive the bursary from Student Finance Direct.

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