Essex Futures Bursary

Essex Futures Bursary

You get a support package worth up to 3,000 GBP (about 3,500 EUR) in your first year at the University of Essex, split between cash and a credit against your rent. How much you get depends on your household income:

• Up to 25,000 GBP household income: 1,000 GBP (about 1,150 EUR) paid in cash, plus 2,000 GBP (about 2,300 EUR) off your university accommodation fees.
• 25,001 to 30,000 GBP: 1,500 GBP (about 1,750 EUR) off your accommodation fees.
• 30,001 to 35,000 GBP: 1,000 GBP (about 1,150 EUR) off your accommodation fees.

The cash part is paid in two instalments (around December 2026 and February 2027). The rent credit comes in three instalments across October 2026, January 2027 and April 2027. The bursary only covers your first year of undergraduate study in 2026-27. It is partly funded by donations to the university.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are starting a full-time undergraduate course at the University of Essex in October 2026, either the foundation year (Year 0) or the first year (Year 1).
• First time: This must be your first time in that year of study. You do not qualify if you are transferring from another UK university, continuing from a foundation course into the main degree, or deferring to a later year.
• Fee status: You pay UK home fees, not overseas fees.
• Self-funded: You fund your own studies, including through a repayable loan from Student Finance England or another UK funding body. You do not qualify if you are fully sponsored with nothing to repay.
• Household income: Your assessed household income is 35,000 GBP (about 41,000 EUR) or less.
• Means test: You have applied to Student Finance England with Essex as your chosen university, asked for a means-tested assessment (a check of your household income), and agreed to share the result with Essex.
• Eligible degrees: Certificate or Diploma of Higher Education, Foundation Degree, Bachelor's Degree, or four-year Integrated Masters. Apprenticeships and Essex Online courses run with Kaplan Open Learning do not qualify.
• For the rent credit: You have booked and accepted a place in university-owned or university-managed accommodation by 2 October 2026.

How to apply

There is no application. If you meet all the conditions, you get the bursary automatically. You hear about the cash part by the end of November 2026, and about the rent credit before each rent payment is due.

How realistic are your chances?

This is not a contest. Every eligible first-year at Essex with a household income up to 35,000 GBP gets the award automatically. Your prospects come down entirely to meeting the criteria. So the key steps are enrolling at Essex, requesting the Student Finance means test with consent to share it, and, for the rent part, booking university accommodation before the 2 October 2026 deadline.