Brunel University of London - Care Leaver Bursary & Estranged Student Bursary

Care Leaver & Estranged Student Bursary

You get a cash payment of about EUR 2,350 per year (£2,000), paid into a UK bank account in three instalments across the year. This is real money you can spend on anything, not a discount on your tuition fees. Brunel University of London and its Brunel Pathway College pay it to new students who were in care or are cut off from their parents. For a full-time undergraduate degree it runs for up to three years. A Foundation or Integrated Master's course gets up to four years, and a Foundation plus Integrated Master's or the MBBS medicine programme gets up to five years. A PGCE (teacher-training certificate) gets it once for one year. It is not paid during a repeated year or a placement year.

Who can apply

• Your situation: You are a verified care leaver, meaning at least 13 weeks in UK care since age 14. Or you are 25 or younger and estranged from your parents: no contact for at least a year, with no expectation that this will change.
• Level of study: You start a full-time undergraduate course (including placement routes and Integrated Master's), the MBBS medicine degree, or a PGCE.
• Starting point: You begin at Foundation level or Year 1 (Level 4) in September 2026. Later or deferred starts do not qualify.
• Your offer: Your place is confirmed as "Unconditional Firm" by mid-October. Offers made through UCAS Clearing count too.
• Fee status: You have UK "home" fee status, which includes households with EU settled status. Overseas and Channel Islands / Isle of Man fee-status students cannot apply.
• Where you study: Brunel University of London or Brunel Pathway College. Language Centre students and taught or research postgraduates (other than PGCE) cannot apply.

How to apply

Fill in the online "expression of interest" form linked on the programme page by midnight on Sunday 13 September 2026. Late applications are not accepted. Brunel then checks your care-leaver or estranged status and asks for supporting evidence where needed. A panel decides the awards in October.

How realistic are your chances?

This bursary is cut narrowly. You need verified care-leaver or estranged status, home fee status and a September 2026 start at Brunel, so the eligible group is small. Only a limited number of awards exist and they are not guaranteed. If there are more applicants than places, they are ranked by financial need. If you clearly fit the criteria and can document your need and status early, your prospects are good.