Sports Scholarship (UEL)

What the UEL Sports Scholarship gives you

You get a yearly bursary (a cash grant) towards your tuition fees and living costs. The exact amount is not published. You also get a full high-performance support package while you study at the University of East London. This is the bigger part of the award: physiotherapy, sports massage and osteopathy, strength and conditioning training, and sport science support (nutrition, psychology, physiology, biomechanics and performance analysis). It also includes ice baths and recovery sessions, kit, and private access to the Aqua East elite training centre. On the academic side, you get more room on deadlines and priority for campus housing, with the option to live alongside other athletes. The scholarship is run by East London Sport as part of UEL's High Performance Programme.

Who can apply

• Your sport: You play basketball, football, volleyball or wheelchair basketball. These are the four sports in UEL's High Performance Programme.
• Your level: You compete at regional, academy or national squad level and are good enough to be selected for the UEL 1st team. The bursary is tied to keeping that 1st-team place.
• University place: You have an offer for a UEL degree, or you are applying for one.
• Field of study: Any subject.
• Nationality: UK and international students can apply.

How to apply

First get an offer for a UEL course. Then fill in the online sports scholarship form for your sport and send a playing CV and a highlight video. The coaching team invites you to a trial to assess you for the 1st team. Overseas athletes may first be judged on match footage. There is no fixed deadline: trials run before the season starts and at set points during term, so contact UEL Sport for the next date.

How realistic are your chances?

This award is narrow in one way and open in another. It covers only four sports and only 1st-team players, but it accepts any subject and any nationality. What decides it is your playing ability at a trial, not your grades or background. If you already compete at regional, academy or national level in one of the four sports and can prove it with a CV and video, your prospects are good. Apply early and get on a trial before the squads are filled.