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Bursary
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A bursary[1] is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university, or college when they might not be able to otherwise. Some awards are aimed at encouraging specific groups or individuals to study.
England
[edit]In England, financial support may be available[2] from the college that the student attends. If the student is studying at either a publicly funded Sixth Form college or in a publicly funded Further Education college, financial support may be offered depending on their financial and personal circumstances. Each college has eligibility criteria and a college is able to provide details on which bursaries are available and what level of financial support students may be eligible for.
Financial support is almost always based on the student's ″household″ income along with other criteria. Income limits and eligibility vary from college to college so students must contact their college to obtain this information, although there are some basic eligibility requirements provided by the UK government on their website. If a student is considered to be a vulnerable student, a bursary of up to £1,200 is available depending on circumstances.[3]
Many colleges will ask students to make a bursary application online. Other colleges will require a paper application form. Evidence to support an application will always be required. Evidence documents may be scanned copies or photographs of documents but they must be verifiable and accepted by the college before a student will have their application approved. Some colleges will only allow paper versions of evidence. Examples of financial support provided by colleges in England are as follows. This list is not exhaustive; it is based on the awards provided by over sixty colleges in England (in 2020).[4]
- Free college meals
- Travel to and from college
- Equipment required for a course
- Uniform required
- Childcare whilst at college
Scotland
[edit]To obtain such a bursary, it is customary for the student or their parents or guardians to be asked to provide details of their financial circumstances, supported by documentary evidence. The amounts awarded in Scotland,[5] for instance, are made on a sliding scale, with household income below £34,000 p.a. (as of 2020) attracting awards. The application will be considered by the awarding organisation according to its published conditions although appeals may be considered from applicants in special or extenuating circumstances. The award will usually cover a specific period and may be given as a lump sum or on a declared schedule. Most bursaries are reviewed annually to ensure that the justification for an award remains. Changes in circumstances or study conditions such as a change of course during the academic year may result in the bursary being varied or stopped altogether.
General
[edit]Bursaries are similar to but distinct from "scholarships" or "prizes", which are based on performance or sponsorship. Scholarships and prizes are generally awarded for good performance in the study preceding course entrance in which the student achieves grades above the standard entry. These funders are usually education authorities, universities, companies and private trusts.
References
[edit]- ^ "Bursary". dictionary.cambridge.org.
- ^ "16 to 19 Bursary Fund - Overview". gov.uk.
- ^ "16 to 19 Bursary Fund - Eligibility". gov.uk.
- ^ "PayMyStudent - Student Bursary Fund Management and Online Payment Software". www.paymystudent.com. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ "Guides". Students Awards Agency Scotland.
Bursary
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Definition and Characteristics
Core Definition and Purpose
A bursary is a non-repayable monetary award provided by educational institutions, government bodies, or private organizations to support individuals, most commonly students, in funding their studies or training. Unlike loans, it imposes no obligation for repayment, and eligibility is typically determined by financial need rather than academic performance, athletic ability, or other merit-based criteria.[2][7][8] The primary purpose of a bursary is to reduce economic barriers to education, enabling recipients from low-income households to access higher education, vocational training, or specialized programs that might otherwise be unaffordable. By targeting financial hardship, bursaries aim to promote equity in educational opportunities, often covering costs such as tuition fees, living expenses, or books, and are frequently administered automatically upon verification of need without competitive application processes.[6][3]Distinctions from Related Financial Aids
Bursaries differ from scholarships primarily in their award criteria and competitiveness. Scholarships are typically merit-based, rewarding academic excellence, athletic ability, artistic talent, or other achievements, and are often highly competitive with limited availability.[9][10] In contrast, bursaries emphasize financial need, assessed through means-testing of family income or circumstances, and are frequently guaranteed for qualifying applicants rather than subject to broad competition.[3][11] Unlike student loans, which provide funds that must be repaid with interest after a grace period post-graduation, bursaries constitute non-repayable gifts designed to alleviate immediate educational costs without incurring future debt obligations.[12][13] This distinction underscores bursaries' role in promoting access to education for economically disadvantaged students, as evidenced by UK institutional practices where bursaries cover tuition, living expenses, or books based on verified need rather than creditworthiness or repayment capacity.[14] Bursaries also diverge from grants in scope and application, though both are need-based and non-repayable; grants often originate from government programs or broad charitable funds targeting specific demographics or purposes beyond higher education, such as Pell Grants in the US for low-income undergraduates.[15] Bursaries, however, are more narrowly tailored to student financial support within educational institutions, frequently administered by universities or employers to bridge gaps in tuition fees or maintenance costs for enrolled pupils.[16] For instance, in the UK, university bursaries may automatically apply to students from households earning below £42,875 annually, prioritizing direct alleviation of study-related hardships over generalized aid distribution.[11] In comparison to work-study programs, which require recipients to earn aid through part-time employment, bursaries impose no such labor condition, providing unrestricted funds to maintain full-time study focus.[17] This separation ensures bursaries serve as pure financial relief, unlinked to ongoing work commitments that could otherwise detract from academic performance.Historical Development
Origins in Educational Funding
The term bursary derives from Medieval Latin bursaria, denoting the treasury of a college or monastery, managed by a bursar—an administrator responsible for financial affairs, originating from the Latin bursa meaning "purse."[18][19] In the context of educational funding, early bursaries emerged as disbursements from these institutional treasuries to support scholars, particularly those from impoverished backgrounds unable to afford studies. This practice took root in medieval universities, where endowments—primarily land holdings—generated income to sustain academic pursuits without reliance on student fees or external loans.[20] In England, the foundations of such funding appeared with the establishment of collegiate systems at Oxford and Cambridge, beginning in the 13th century. University College, Oxford, founded in 1249 by William of Durham, endowed with rents equivalent to 310 marks to maintain 10 to 20 scholars from northern England, exemplifying early targeted support for regional poor students through college-managed funds.[21] Similarly, Peterhouse College, Cambridge, established in 1284, provided accommodation and financial aid to needy postgraduates pursuing advanced degrees in fields like theology and law.[22] These colleges, often patronized by clergy or nobility, used endowment yields to cover living expenses, commons (board), and stipends, functioning as proto-bursaries to counteract usury risks and enable clerical training amid widespread poverty.[5] This endowment-based model prioritized sustainability over merit alone, with statutes mandating aid for indigent scholars to fulfill founders' charitable or religious intents, such as prayers for souls.[23] By the late medieval period, Oxford actively promoted such funds to shield students from predatory lenders, embedding bursarial support within university governance.[5] While initially tied to ecclesiastical purposes, these mechanisms laid the groundwork for secularized bursaries, influencing later state and local expansions without supplanting the core reliance on institutional treasuries.[20]Expansion in the 20th and 21st Centuries
In the early 20th century, bursaries in British higher education primarily consisted of modest institutional awards from university colleges and charitable endowments, supplemented by local authority scholarships that covered fees and partial maintenance for a small proportion of students. National state scholarships were introduced in England and Wales in 1920, initially numbering around 200 awards annually, targeting meritorious entrants from secondary schools, though these were distinct from need-based bursaries. By the 1930s, approximately 50% of university students benefited from some form of public financial support, including local grants and Board of Education awards for aspiring teachers, amid limited overall access where fewer than 2% of 18-year-olds attended university.[20][24] The mid-20th century marked significant expansion following the Second World War and the 1963 Robbins Report, which advocated broader access to higher education. The Anderson Committee recommendations led to free tuition for domestic full-time students from 1962, alongside means-tested maintenance grants that by 1963 covered nearly 70% of students, funded almost entirely by public sources and enabling study away from home. Institutional bursaries persisted and grew in tandem with university enrollment, which rose from 7% of the relevant age group in 1962 to 13% by 1980, providing targeted need-based support beyond state grants, particularly at expanded institutions like the new plate-glass universities.[24][20] Into the 21st century, bursaries proliferated as a response to tuition fee reforms aimed at sustaining higher education funding amid mass participation, reaching over 33% of young people by the early 2000s. The 1998 reintroduction of fees, followed by the 2004 Higher Education Act permitting variable fees up to £3,000 from 2006, prompted universities to allocate portions of fee income to bursary schemes, explicitly to mitigate disincentives for low-income applicants and promote widening participation. By 2006/07, these institutional bursaries, often £1,000–£3,000 annually for eligible undergraduates, became widespread, with higher education institutions collectively committing millions in aid; however, their scale adjusted after the 2012 fee cap increase to £9,000, shifting emphasis toward targeted support for underrepresented groups.[25][26][24]Types and Classifications
Need-Based Bursaries
Need-based bursaries constitute a category of financial assistance awarded primarily on the basis of an applicant's demonstrated economic disadvantage, rather than academic, athletic, or other performance metrics. These awards, typically non-repayable, aim to mitigate barriers to educational participation for individuals from low-income households by covering costs such as tuition, living expenses, or study materials.[3] Unlike merit-based scholarships, which prioritize exceptional achievements like high grades or standardized test scores, need-based bursaries assess eligibility through verifiable indicators of financial strain, including household income levels often below specified thresholds—such as annual earnings under £30,000 in certain UK programs—and supplementary evidence like tax credit statements or bank records.[27][28] Eligibility for need-based bursaries generally requires proof of economic vulnerability, which may encompass factors beyond raw income, such as family size, regional cost-of-living adjustments, or status in designated vulnerable groups like care leavers or those receiving free school meals. In the United Kingdom, for instance, the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund allocates up to £1,200 annually to qualifying students in further education, prioritizing those from households with incomes below £20,000 or in receipt of specific benefits, with applications processed via institutions verifying documentation like P60 forms.[29] Universities and colleges often administer similar schemes, automatically awarding funds to eligible undergraduates from disadvantaged backgrounds to promote equitable access, though amounts vary by provider and may require separate applications.[3] Empirical evidence indicates that need-based bursaries enhance educational outcomes by facilitating enrollment and retention among low-income cohorts; a longitudinal analysis found such aid correlates with higher upward economic mobility, as recipients from the lowest income quintiles achieve greater post-education earnings gains compared to non-aided peers.[30] Additionally, studies link these awards to accelerated degree completion rates and improved grade-point averages, attributing causal effects to reduced work-study burdens and financial stress during studies.[31] However, program efficacy depends on targeted disbursement, with underutilization observed in cases where awareness or administrative hurdles limit uptake among eligible applicants.[32]Vocational and Institutional Bursaries
Vocational bursaries target students pursuing practical, skills-based training in fields such as trades, apprenticeships, or technical certifications, providing non-repayable funds to offset expenses like equipment, materials, or travel that might otherwise deter participation in job-oriented programs.[33] These awards prioritize financial need and aim to bridge gaps in access to non-academic education pathways, often administered through government or charitable schemes rather than merit alone.[34] In the United Kingdom, the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund exemplifies vocational support, allocating up to £1,200 annually to eligible students aged 16-19 in further education institutions offering vocational courses, unpaid apprenticeships, or training programs, with priority for those in care, receiving free school meals, or facing severe hardship; discretionary elements allow institutions to distribute additional weekly payments of around £20-£30 for essentials like uniforms or course fees.[29] [35] This fund, managed by providers like colleges, has supported over 200,000 young people annually in recent years, focusing on retention in vocational routes amid rising living costs.[36] Institutional bursaries, by contrast, are directly funded and controlled by specific educational establishments, such as universities or colleges, to assist enrolled students based on criteria like household income, residency, or personal circumstances, often supplementing national aid systems.[37] These can range from £500 to £10,000 per year; for instance, the University of Sheffield offers up to £10,000 annually for undergraduates from low-income backgrounds or care experiences, while the University of Cambridge provides up to £3,500 in non-repayable support tailored to individual needs.[38] [39] Unlike broader vocational funds, institutional awards emphasize retention within the provider's ecosystem, with allocations drawn from endowments, donations, or internal budgets rather than centralized government pots.[40]Regional Variations
United Kingdom Specifics
In the United Kingdom, bursaries for higher education students vary significantly across the devolved administrations due to distinct funding frameworks, with England emphasizing institutional discretion, Scotland integrating state-administered non-repayable awards with tuition-free education for eligible residents, and Wales and Northern Ireland combining government grants with university-provided supplements. These awards are generally means-tested, non-competitive, and aimed at offsetting living or ancillary costs rather than tuition, though eligibility often ties to residency, income thresholds, and course type. Government bodies like the Office for Students in England monitor access-related provisions, while devolved agencies such as SAAS in Scotland directly disburse funds to promote equity without repayment obligations.[41][42][43]England
Higher education bursaries in England are primarily decentralized, with individual universities and colleges setting their own criteria, amounts, and application processes under regulatory oversight to support widening participation. These often target students from households with incomes below £25,000–£42,000, providing non-repayable sums ranging from £500 to £3,500 annually, depending on the institution and factors like prior attainment or postcode disadvantage. For example, many providers offer automatic awards for eligible full-time undergraduates without separate applications, funded partly through tuition fee income. Sector-specific schemes include the NHS Bursary, available to healthcare students from the 2025–2026 academic year at £1,052 non-means-tested plus up to £3,356 means-tested for living costs, administered nationally but with regional variations in uptake. Unlike loans, these do not accrue interest or require repayment, though availability has declined since the 2012 fee reforms, shifting reliance to institutional resources amid critiques of inconsistent coverage.[41][44]Scotland
Scotland's system features centralized bursaries through the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), providing non-repayable support to eligible domiciled students alongside tuition fee coverage for first undergraduate degrees. The Young Students' Bursary awards up to £2,000 per year for household incomes of £20,999 or less in the 2023–2024 cycle, tapering to zero at £33,999, with payments issued termly to cover maintenance. Independent students receive up to £1,000 based on personal circumstances and income up to £18,370, while supplementary grants address additional needs like dependants or disabilities. Administered via online applications opening in spring for the following academic year, these integrate with optional loans, prioritizing low-income access without debt burdens; for 2025–2026, SAAS processes claims for over 100,000 students annually. This model contrasts with loan-heavy systems elsewhere, yielding higher retention among disadvantaged groups per government evaluations.[42][45][46]Wales and Northern Ireland
Wales relies on Student Finance Wales for core grants, supplemented by institutional bursaries and targeted programs like the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme, which funds healthcare students with tuition coverage plus £1,000 non-means-tested and means-tested living allowances up to several thousand pounds, applied via course providers. Universities offer additional awards, such as need-based sums for low-income Welsh residents, often £1,000–£2,000 yearly, to bridge gaps in the £1,000 minimum living grant available to all eligible full-time undergraduates. In Northern Ireland, Student Finance NI administers maintenance grants up to £4,940, with bursaries from institutions like Ulster University providing means-tested non-repayable aid for full-time students from households under £19,203 income—typically £500–£1,000 paid automatically—and Queen's University Belfast issuing awards in February based on verified finances. Both regions cap fees lower than England (£4,750 in NI for 2024–2025), using bursaries to enhance equity, though dependency on university funds limits scale compared to Scotland's state model.[47][48][49][50][51]England
In England, bursaries primarily serve as non-repayable financial support for students in higher education (HE) and further education (FE), targeting those from low-income households or underrepresented groups to promote access and retention. Unlike government maintenance loans or grants, which are standardized nationally, bursaries are often institution-specific and means-tested, with eligibility typically requiring household incomes below £25,000–£42,600 annually, depending on the provider. Universities allocate funds through access and participation plans regulated by the Office for Students (OfS), aiming to widen participation among disadvantaged students, such as those from state schools or certain postcode areas.[41][52] For undergraduate HE students, common bursary amounts range from £1,000 to £3,000 per year, covering living costs, accommodation, or books, and are awarded alongside tuition fee loans of up to £9,250 annually. In the 2023/24 academic year, English universities disbursed bursaries as part of broader student support totaling £4.77 billion for 1.15 million undergraduates and postgraduates, though exact bursary-specific figures vary by institution and are not centrally aggregated beyond OfS reporting. Vocational programs, such as teacher training, offer targeted bursaries up to £30,000 tax-free for subjects like mathematics or physics, administered by the Department for Education to address shortages.[53][54] Specialized schemes include the NHS Bursary for medical and dental students, providing non-means-tested contributions up to £5,000 plus allowances, and the Higher Education Bursary of up to £2,000 for care leavers aged 21 or under.[44][55] In FE, the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), supports young people from low-income families (household income under £20,817) or vulnerable groups, offering up to £1,200 annually for costs like travel or equipment; eligibility requires enrollment in publicly funded institutions or unpaid apprenticeships, with £331 million allocated nationally in 2023/24. Applications are handled by colleges, which may supplement with hardship funds during economic pressures, such as post-2022 inflation spikes. Funding sources for HE bursaries derive mainly from university operating surpluses and OfS grants, while FE relies on central government allocations, reflecting England's reliance on institutional discretion amid higher tuition fees compared to fee-free systems in Scotland.[34][56][57] Eligibility processes emphasize verifiable financial need via HMRC income data or Student Finance England assessments, with awards non-competitive and automatic for qualifying applicants at many institutions. However, coverage remains uneven, with urban universities like those in London offering higher averages due to cost-of-living adjustments, while rural providers focus on retention for mature or part-time learners. Empirical data indicate bursaries correlate with improved continuation rates for low-income cohorts, though debates persist on their sufficiency against rising living costs, prompting calls for increased central funding.[43]Scotland
In Scotland, bursaries for higher education students are administered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), forming a key component of non-repayable financial support alongside loans for living costs, as tuition fees are covered directly by the government for eligible Scottish-domiciled undergraduates.[58][59] This system, established following the abolition of tuition fees for Scottish students from the 2006/07 academic year, prioritizes means-tested grants to enhance access for low-income households, with awards determined by household income thresholds and residency requirements.[60] The primary bursary for young full-time undergraduates under age 25 is the Young Students' Bursary, offering up to £2,000 annually for the 2025/26 academic year for those from households with incomes below £20,999, tapering to zero above £34,000.[61] Independent students, defined as those without parental support or over 25, qualify for the Independent Student Bursary, providing up to £1,000 per year based on personal income levels.[62] These bursaries are paid in installments directly to students and do not require repayment, complementing a maximum non-means-tested loan of £8,400 for living expenses in 2025/26.[61] Eligibility mandates Scottish residency for at least three years prior to course start and full-time enrollment at a Scottish institution, excluding certain courses like initial teacher training.[60] Unlike England's system, where maintenance support relies predominantly on repayable loans following the phasing out of universal grants by 2016/17, Scotland's approach sustains higher levels of non-repayable aid, with bursaries averaging around 20-30% of total maintenance funding for low-income recipients to mitigate debt burdens.[63] This divergence stems from devolved policy emphasizing equity in access, resulting in lower average student debt for Scottish graduates—approximately £15,000 versus £45,000 in England as of 2023 data—though it strains university block grant funding, leading to per-student resource shortfalls of about 23% compared to English counterparts.[64] Applications are submitted annually via SAAS portals, with awards notified within 21 days, and appeals available for reassessments based on changed circumstances.[65]Wales and Northern Ireland
In Wales, bursaries for higher education students are predominantly discretionary awards provided by universities and colleges, often means-tested to assist low-income or underrepresented students, supplementing the non-repayable maintenance grants from Student Finance Wales. Eligible full-time undergraduates receive a minimum grant of £1,000 irrespective of household income, with higher amounts—up to £8,100 for the lowest-income households—available through a sliding scale based on parental earnings.[66] These grants, administered centrally by the Welsh Government, function similarly to bursaries by not requiring repayment, though institutional bursaries address specific hardships or access needs, such as travel costs or equipment for vocational courses.[67] Unlike England's former mandatory access agreements, Wales lacks a national bursary framework, relying instead on university-specific schemes; for example, part-time undergraduates may access additional discretionary support via student services.[67] Northern Ireland's bursary landscape mirrors Wales in its emphasis on institutional provision, with the Department for the Economy channeling support funds to higher education institutions for distribution as means-tested, non-repayable awards. Universities like Queen's University Belfast administer the Queen's Bursary, disbursed in a single instalment by February to eligible students meeting income thresholds, typically under £42,000 household earnings.[68][51] Ulster University complements government maintenance grants—capped at around £4,700 for low-income full-time students—with access bursaries aimed at widening participation, available alongside tuition fee loans up to £4,750 annually.[50] Targeted initiatives include pilot bursaries for post-primary teacher training, offering incentives starting September 2026 to graduates committing to two years of local service, addressing shortages in subjects like mathematics and sciences.[69] The Education Authority processes broader student finance applications, but bursaries remain devolved to providers without a uniform regional quota.[70]International Comparisons
In the United States, need-based bursary equivalents are primarily provided through the Federal Pell Grant program, which awards up to $7,395 for the 2025-26 academic year to eligible low-income undergraduate students based on financial need calculated via the FAFSA form.[71] This federal aid, disbursed directly to institutions for tuition and fees with any remainder for living expenses, contrasts with UK bursaries by being nationally standardized rather than institution-specific, though it covers only a fraction of average costs at public universities (around 40% for low-income recipients).[72] Canada's system features federal Canada Student Grants for full-time students, offering up to $4,200 annually for those from low-income families (increased temporarily from $3,000 through 2025-26), supplemented by provincial programs like British Columbia's Access Grant up to $4,000 per eight-month year.[73] These grants prioritize living costs and are integrated with means-tested loans, differing from UK models by emphasizing provincial variations and broader eligibility for part-time students, with less reliance on university-administered funds.[72] Australia provides need-based support via equity scholarships and bursaries, such as university-specific awards up to $1,800 at institutions like Queensland University of Technology, alongside the means-tested Youth Allowance payment offering up to approximately AUD 12,000 per year for living expenses to disadvantaged students.[74][72] The system leans more toward income-contingent loans (e.g., HECS-HELP) for tuition, with bursary-like aid focusing on access for low socio-economic groups, unlike the UK's direct institutional bursaries which often target underrepresented students without loan dominance.[72] In continental Europe, equivalents vary by low or no tuition fees reducing bursary necessity; Germany's BAföG program delivers means-tested support up to €934 monthly (half as grant) for living costs, prioritizing nationals and long-term residents in a hybrid grant-loan structure.[72] Nordic countries like Sweden offer universal study allowances around SEK 3,600 monthly without strict need-testing, shifting emphasis from UK-style targeted bursaries to broad stipends amid free education, though coverage gaps persist for international students.[72]| Country | Primary Need-Based Aid | Maximum Annual Amount (2024-25 or latest) | Key Difference from UK Bursaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Federal Pell Grant | $7,395 | National formula-based; partial cost coverage amid high fees |
| Canada | Canada Student Grant | $4,200 | Provincial supplements; integrated with loans for flexibility |
| Australia | Youth Allowance / Equity Bursaries | AUD 12,000 / $1,800 | Loan-heavy; targets socio-economic disadvantage via payments |
| Germany | BAföG | €11,208 (full grant equivalent) | Living cost focus; hybrid with loans in low-tuition context |