Scholarships

[Fairyfalls]

I was reading on a Facebook group about someone who was offered a scholarship for a degree at university. How do you get a scholarship do you apply as normal and if a university really wants you on the course you get offered a scholarship? Is it if you have an outstanding application or is there a separate process?

I think it depends on the university. I think some don't offer them at all. The only person I know of who had an offer of a scholarship had it from Lancaster.

If I remember rightly they had an unconditional offer of a place (this was a few years ago when those were quite common) with a scholarship worth a couple of thousand off the fees if they achieved certain grades.

DD was offered a scholarship from Lancaster. She applied post A levels in 2018, with AAA for a STEM course. The scholarship offer was out of the blue.

She went to Newcastle instead

I know of someone given £5k/year at UCL for modern foreign languages. They didn't apply, they were told they had been awarded it in their first week of university based on their a level results.

I was on a scholarship at a London university. It was aptitude-based (practical degree) and basically yes, you had to have an outstanding application and the highest grade at audition for them to award you one. I couldn’t have afforded to go without a scholarship and also told them at interview. When they really want a student and the student demonstrates potential, they will offer.

I kept my scholarship throughout the degree (4 years) and each year they would re-asses my financial situation. I was also expected to achieve top marks consistently and represent the institution at different events. I averaged just under 80 out of 100 before my final year, so my scholarship got cut by 30% as a result

Academic or music? I know someone with a £6k music scholarship at Durham (not reading music). Also a few of DDs friends were asked to sit for academic scholarships just before the start of their first year at UCL. DC1 has £8k pa scholarship but at a conservatoire so a bit different.

Oh, gosh … I always need to be reminded that I actually had a scholarship as an undergraduate (in a century long past) awarded for pure penury. Don’t think I had to do anything - in fact the college bursar probably just added my name to a form. Was about £2k in the 80’s.

Then an accommodation scholarship at the start of a previous professional career. Had to be interviewed by an august board. Similar amount, 90s.

Then … Less desperately historical, relatively tiny scholarship for MA. Didn’t see any actual money, it just lowered the fees a bit. Most of my peers had much bigger awards and in one department every student had a scholarship. But it was all quite … specialist.

There are also some scholarships which are subject specific which students can apply for eg www.theiet.org/impact-society/awards-scholarships/scholarships-and-bursaries/

The uni web pages will give info on any applicable ones, varies uni to uni and sometimes course to course.

I got 1k year undergrad scholarship for being a good all rounder (but this was in the days of maintenance grants so bursaries and scholarships were less generous), then got a £10k post grad subject specific scholarship which covered fees and some living costs.

Sometimes you get awards if you exceed offer grades and it was your firm choice. It tends to be in middling unis , Lancaster and Kent both offered them a few years ago for example, to attract higher achieving candidates. Or there may be financial assistance available for those in target groups such as those disadvantaged or qualifying for contextual offers.

There’s a lot at my University for various subjects and backgrounds but you’re not told about them - you have to find them on the website and apply - and they’re pretty well hidden too. It’s odd.

It tends to be in middling unis , Lancaster and Kent both offered them a few years ago for example, to attract higher achieving candidates.

I wouldn't class Lancaster as a middling university. It has consistenly been in the top 20 for many years, beating some of the RG universities.

It will vary from university to university. Best to check the university's own webpages which will specify scholarships and how to apply/or how it will be allocated.