Tuition fees and academic debt are daunting prospects, but they’re simpler than you might think.
University scholarships are awarded for a variety of different reasons. They’re totally worth researching as they can take away a chunk of money from your uni fee. Below is our ultimate guide to applying for a uni scholarship!
What is a uni scholarship?
A scholarship is money taken from your tuition as a result of strong academic performance. Different universities will award scholarships for different reasons. You also won’t need to pay back. Amazing, right? Scholarships are given for something you’ve achieved, whether this is academic or extracurricular.
What types of uni scholarships are there?
- Academic excellence scholarship – based on your A level grades.
- Music scholarship – For students with musical talent. There will be an expectation to join music-related societies and performances.
- Sport scholarship – For students who have outstanding performance in a certain sport. Conditions may include taking part in this sport throughout your time there.
- Industry scholarship – Where a workplace will fund your studies in exchange for a longer term contract with them.
Grants & bursaries
- Charitable funds – Offered by charities who have a specific purpose in line with a charitable objective. This is most often grants or bursaries.
- University bursary – For students who cannot go to uni without financial help.
- Personal circumstance payments - A wide range of scholarships related to personal circumstance. For example, where you live, if you have any illness or disability, where you go to school, what your parents do (in the army etc,) if you are the first in your family to attend university or even if you are a vegetarian or vegan.
How to apply for a scholarship
Anyone can apply for a scholarship so don’t doubt yourself when you apply. It’s important to know the deadlines for certain scholarships. Some scholarships make you apply once you have confirmed a place at uni, but some make you apply before A level results day. There are also some which happen automatically but you should definitely check with your uni first.
Make sure to check your chosen universities website on what scholarships they are offering and when. But, our top tip is to search for scholarships on ‘The Scholarship Hub’ website database.
We recommend using the ‘Open to Any University’ tool to view scholarships which are open to all students. You can make this more specific by searching for a certain university or scholarship. For example, if you are grade 8 in piano and violin, why not search for music scholarships on offer? You might surprise yourself and get a large sum off your uni fee - definitely worth it.
Have you looked into what help you can get from either the government or your uni? Join the Student Hut Community today and get more tips and tricks sent directly to your inbox.
