University of Greenwich - Care Leavers Bursary

Care Leaver Bursary at the University of Greenwich

You will receive £1,500 per year (about 1,740 EUR) in cash for the entire duration of your studies, i.e. for up to three or four years. In your final year of study, you will also receive £200 (approximately 230 EUR) for your graduation ceremony. This money is a gift, not a loan, so you will never have to pay it back. If you are studying part-time, the amount will be reduced in line with the number of credit points you are taking. The University of Greenwich pays this amount to support students who come to the university directly from care provided by local authorities.

Who can apply

• Care background: You are a former child in care. This means that, by the time you reached the age of 14, you had spent at least 13 weeks in the care of your local authority and were still in their care after reaching the age of 16. You must provide proof of this in the form of a signed letter from the team responsible for your discharge from the local authority’s care, written on official letterhead.
• Where you study: You are studying at one of the University of Greenwich’s three campuses or at a partner university, and your tuition fees are paid directly to the University of Greenwich. Students who are studying entirely online at the University of Greenwich are not eligible for this scholarship.
• Level: You are a Bachelor’s student or are studying for a Master’s degree which will be your first Master’s qualification.
• Residence: You are permanently resident in the United Kingdom and are considered a home student for the purposes of tuition fees.
• Age: At the start of your course, you will be at 25.
• Student loan: The Student Loans Company has awarded you the full income-based living costs allowance (or the full postgraduate allowance), and you are currently receiving it.
• Subject: Any subject qualifies.

How to apply

To apply, you will need your name, your student ID card, your notification of the eligibility assessment from Student Finance England, and the signed letter from the local authority confirming your placement in care. Current students should apply for funding via the online student portal. If you do not yet have a university account, please contact the funding team by email first.

How realistic are your chances?

This scholarship is strictly limited: it is only open to students in Greenwich who are no longer receiving support from the local authority, fall under 25 and are already receiving the maximum living costs loan. You are therefore competing within a small group of eligible applicants rather than against thousands of others. If you meet these criteria and can provide the letter from the local authority confirming your history of support, your chances are good.