University is fast becoming the most popular post-18 option. However, for some students and parents, course costs can be a prohibiting factor. Student finance does a great deal to make university affordable for students, but the financial aid doesn’t stop there; there are a range of further support options available for your students in the form of scholarships and bursaries.
Bursaries are one-off payments which can be offered for certain criteria, including low household incomes, disabilities, or to students from certain areas or countries. The aim of these bursaries is to remove certain barriers to education and encourage students to attend university who may not have considered it previously. They may be popular with your students because this money will not need to be paid back to the university. Most universities also have hardship funds, which are one-off payments specifically designed to help students falling into unexpected financial difficulty.
Scholarships are delivered in a different way,
usually annually or as instalments each term.
They aim to reward excellence in certain areas.
Academic scholarships reward students for
their grades and usually do not require an application form. For example, once a student
accepts an offer at Swansea University, we will
reward AAA grades with a £3,000 scholarship,
and AAB with £2,000. This is split across their
time at university, with UCAS points being
accepted for students completing other forms
of qualifications.
There are also sporting and music
scholarships. These will need to be applied for
online, where there is likely to be a detailed list
of requirements regarding the stipulated level
of ability in order to be eligible.
The financial support can be used to support
the cost of training, competitions and exams.
Certain universities will also run specific
scholarships for high performance sports,
where the student is offered assistance from
specialist coaches and physiotherapists to
help them pursue their passion alongside an
academic degree. They will also focus on areas
such as strength and conditioning, lifestyle
management and sports science.
There are some unexpected scholarships
offered by funding bodies and universities
too, with criteria such as being vegetarian
or vegan, having the surname Graham in
Glasgow, or having a parent in the military,
pharmaceuticals, or a grocery business! With
this in mind, researching financial support can
be a worthwhile activity to complete with your
students.
The Scholarship Hub is a great website for
students to start comparing offers from lots
of different universities in one place, and there
is also a teacher’s area with further resources.
It is important to note that each university
will have different application processes and
requirements, so it is best for your students to
look at their respective websites before jumping
into their application!
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