Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera - Ajuts Universitaris

Beques Universitàries (Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera)

You get 2,500 EUR per study year to help you through university in Catalonia (Spain). The foundation pays the grant once each academic year, and it accompanies you until you finish your degree. It comes from the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera, a Barcelona foundation that supports young people in difficult social situations. Since the 2016-17 academic year, this reoriented version goes only to young people facing social exclusion, not to top-scoring students in general.

Who can apply

• Social situation: You are a young person facing social exclusion, or at risk of it.
• Your background: You already take part in the foundation's school grant programme (Beques Escolars) and now have the chance to start university.
• Level: You are starting or continuing a university degree.
• Where you study: You study at a university in Catalonia.
• How you get in: You cannot apply yourself. One of the 16 social organisations the foundation works with, active in disadvantaged neighbourhoods across Catalonia, has to put your name forward.

How to apply

There is no open application and no form to fill in. The 16 partner social organisations choose and nominate the young people they support, and the foundation awards the grants based on those proposals. If you are already in the Beques Escolars programme, the organisation that works with you is your point of contact.

How realistic are your chances?

This grant is cut very narrowly. It only goes to young people already in the foundation's school programme who move on to university, so the eligible group is small and there is no open competition. If a partner organisation supports you and you are heading to university, speak to them directly, since they decide who is put forward.